I have been planning a weekend trip to Badami and beyond for a while and finally managed to do it recently. I covered Bijapur, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Mahakuta in 2 days. Incase, you have not been to Hampi, add another 2 days for Hampi as well.
Day 0
Take the train from Bangalore to Bijapur. You can opt for Basava Express or Gol Gumbaz Express. I preferred the latter since the timing suited me (7pm departure) and reaches Bijapur by around 9.45 am.
Day 1
Arrival in Bijapur / Bijapur Sightseeing/ Travel to Badami. All sites are open from 9am to 6pm and infact Gol Gumbaaz opens by 6am.
- Bijapur can be easily covered in a day and infact in half a day. I freshened up in the station, kept my stuff in the cloak room and went sightseeing for the day.
- Sightseeing by Tonga was about 750/- and can be done cheaper as well. Refer my post- Bijapur in a day.
- Left for Badami that evening at 5pm by the Gol Gumbaz Express that was on its way to Bangalore
- Arrived in Badami @ 7.30pm in the evening. There are lot of shared autos outside the station that go to the Bus Stand @ Rs 10 only.
- Most of the budget hotels are near the bus stand like Raj Sangam, Anand Delux etc. I stayed at Raj Sangam which was pretty safe, clean and comfortable for a solo female traveler. The manager Mr Yunus was extremely helpful.
- The delux category hotels like Badami Court, Krishna Heritage etc are on the way to Bus Stand and you can get dropped there.
Day 2.
Sightseeing in Badami/Mahakuta/Pattadakal/Aihole/Banasahankari about 80 kms round trip. They are open from 9am to 5pm.
The entrance fee for all these places is Rs 5 except for Pattadakal which is 10. You need to buy a separate ticket of Rs 5 for the museums and a Rs 25 ticket for Video Camera.
Round trip auto @ Rs 700-Rs 900/- based on the time and the locations covered. Car will be expensive and local transport though cheap is not reliable and infrequent if all the sites have to be visited.
- The temples are in a circuit that can be either done as Badami-Banashankari-Aihole-Pattadakal-Mahakuta-Badami or the other way around.
- The Chalukyan Empire moved from Aihole to Badami to Pattadakal and as you visit the sites, the evolution of concepts and the finesse will be apparent. They were the first to experiment with the fusion Rekha Nagara Style with the best of North and South.
- Distance Covered
- Badami to Banashankari – 5 kms
- Banashankari to Aihole – 31 kms
- Aihole to Pattadakal – 14 kms
- Pattadakal to Mahakuta – 12 kms
- Mahakuta to Badami – 12 kms
- It will take about 7 hours to return to Badami assuming 1 hour halt in Aihole (main complex only) ; 2 hours in Pattadakal and 1 hour in total at Mahakuta and Banashankari (not including special puja)
- Release the auto near a restaurant in Badami and have quick lunch. If you want elaborate North Karnataka thali then opt for Krishna Heritage on the way between Mahakuta and Badami. Walk or take an auto to the Badami Caves Site
- Badami has 3 sections to be visited all within 1 km.
- Badami Caves on the South Hill which will take about 1.5 to 2 hours
- Agastya Lake and Bhoothnath Temple which will take about 1 hour
- Badami Fort Trek up to Shivalaya which will take another 1 hour
- You can take an auto or just walk back to the bus stand area in about 10 minute
- The return train to Bangalore is at 7.30pm from Badami Station. If you intend to go to Hampi; stay overnight at Badami and take the bus to Hospet next morning @7am. Please check timings at the bus stand
- Reach Hampi in about 4 hours and spend the day and next in Hampi
- Take a train or bus to Bangalore from Hampi/Hospet.
Alternatives:
- Base yourself in Hampi and complete the Badami Circuit including Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal in a day by car
Related Posts:
- Bijapur in a Day
- The living temples of Mahakuta
- Short Trek Up Badami Fort
- Around the 1500 year old caves in Badami
- Surreal Bhoothnath Temple in Badami
- Aihole – Cradle of Chalukyan Architecture
- Pattadakal – Masterpieces of Chalukyan Art
HI Sangeetha ji,
Thank you for a detailed travelogue, The pictures are awesome , i was deeply inspired by these and we had a solo driving car trip from hyderabad with family. Believe me , it was definitely one of the best on road trip for all of us and kids really had big time as we travelled within our flexibility…. We started to Bijapur, on the way covered Gulbarga, later on covering major monuments at Bijapur. Halting at Bagalkot city, the Next day went on with the entire Badami circuit., viz,. Badami caves , Banashankari, Mahakuta temples, Pattadakal & Aihole .,could easily complete this day trip of Badami circuit in 9 hrs.
The third day started from Bagalkot , to reach Kudala sangama temple enroute Almatti dam and by evening could easily reach Hospet Tungabhadra Dam & gardens with overnight stay at Hospet. Fourth day started early with entire day sightseeing of Hampi empirre., and finally proceeded to Hyderabad from Hampi.. In total it was 1600 km from Hyd and covering the entire circuit within 4 days.
Your travel infomation was of immense help to us to explore Northern Karnataka tourist circuit, in an easy and affordable way.. many thanks to you for sharing your valuable experiences.
Thank You for this message. I am truly happy and humbled that this information was of use to you. Wish you and your family a very happy Dussehra.
I want to travel from badami to hampi early by 7am by bus?R there no buses ？
There are morning buses. Please check in Badami Bus Stand
very useful information. thank you .I’m going in december
hey really useful info. was planning to go in november, i just wanted to ask that all these towns are safe for a solo indian woman traveller right?
Thank You. I travelled solo and did not face any issue anywhere. Wish you a happy journey.
Very well explained it will make the trip very easy and also this will darkness to travel.
Thank you very much
Hi! I am a solo female traveler from Bangalore who only started traveling for good from this late April and I chronicle it on https://oorsutthilady.wordpress.com/
I read this post and your one day Bijapur post–they’re awesome!! I’m thinking of following in the same footsteps as you! Is there a way I could contact you for instant communication other than via this blog, please?
Thanks!
Very well description of the trip. Thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures. One of the places visited by you was Bijapur, which is rich in many historical attractions. There are many places to visit in Bijapur as it is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of the Adil Shahi dynasty. Its a must visit place to explore history.
Very well written.
Thank You very much
welcome
Lovely!!!
Sangeetha, thank you very much. came to be very very useful now that I am planning this trip. keep up the great work!
Thank You. Wish you a great trip.