Bangalore Hop-on Hop-Off Bus

Since my friend was working during our stay in Bangalore, he convinced me to try and see the city instead of just staying in the hotel for four days. I considered his suggestion and started researching on places to visit in the city. I read about Bangalore’s hop-on hop-off (HOHO) bus from the pocket guide I got from the hotel’s lobby. A google search led me to this site (http://www.mybmtc.com/bangalore-rounds) which lists down the attractions covered by the HOHO bus.

The tour costs 400 INR. Starting point is at the Kempegowda Bus Station, near the ATMs. Seat reservation can be made online at www.ksrtc.in by indicating “Bengaluru” as origin and “Bengaluru Darshini” as destination. Since I wasn’t so sure if I’ll have enough courage to go around solo, I did not reserve a seat but just walked-in and bought the ticket from the bus conductor on the day that I was brave enough to go.

 

We stopped at the following places:

• ISKON Temple
• Tippu Palace
• Bull Temple
• Karanataka Silk Emporium
• Lalbagh Botanical Garden
• Venkatappa Art Gallery
• Government Museum

 

The tour guide stayed only until the stop at Botanical Garden. The bus driver took care of the drive-by part of the tour which covers M.G Road, Halasuru Lake, Vidhanasoudha, and Cubbon Park. We passed through these on the way to the Venkatappa Art Gallery and Government Museum. The Botanical Garden was not really part of the tour but was included for that day since Gavigangadareshwara and Dodda Ganapathi temples were closed because of some event.

 

Of the places visited, I paid for entrance fees in the following:

• Tippu Palace – 100 INR (free for locals)
• Lalbagh Botanical Garden – 10 INR
• Venkatappa Art Gallery – 10 INR

 

The HOHO bus returns to the Kempegowda Bus Station once the tour is finished. I opted not to go back there and just booked a Uber ride from the Art Gallery going back to the hotel.