10 Tips to Escape Tourist Crowds in Bangalore, India

You will fall in love with Bangalore if you start your day by watching the sunrise from Ulsoor Lake or Sankey Tank. The calm, peaceful vibe in these places will take you far away from the noise in the city, although these spots are very much in Bangalore itself. They’re like an oasis of beauty and peace. It’s the best way to escape tourist crowds because, usually, only locals visit the lakes to jog.

No visit to Bangalore is complete without exploring its brilliant architecture. But instead of visiting overcrowded places like Bangalore Fort and Cubbon Park, the best way to escape tourists would be to opt for some of the more underrated yet beautiful places to visit. The State Central Library housed inside the maginificent Sheshadri Iyer Memorial Hall is a great place to see one of Bangalore’s architectural assets without getting bumped by selfie-clicking tourists. Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace is also one of the most beautiful and less crowded monuments.

A tour of Bangalore means you must try the delicious South Indian dishes it offers. But a crowded restaurant doesn’t always guarantee the best food experience, does it? Some restaurants in Bangalore, like CTR in Malleshwaram, Vasudev Adiga, and Sree Krishna Kafe in Koramangala are great places to try delicious South Indian food without waiting in line for an hour. Karnataka Chitrakala Prashath’s campus canteen has amazing food too and it is not too crowded most of the time.

The best way to experience any place is to interact with locals. But, it is usually difficult to strike up a successful conversation with strangers. Fortunately, there are open groups and clubs in Bangalore city to make you feel comfortable. Beatmap House Party is a group that invites people to be part of their periodical ‘house parties’ on registration. It is an informal gathering where people talk about art, music and everything under the sun. A group called Pencil Jammers gather to create visual art in a pre-decided venue. You don’t need to be an artist to become a member, just be up for sketching and creating something on paper.

Although Bangalore has seen a huge surge in its technological industry and digital startups, there is a side to the city that is still old and unchanged. A great way to enjoy your tour in Bangalore would be to simply walk about these areas and see the old colonial houses and structures. Cooke Town is one such old and beautiful part of Bangalore that has hardly changed over time. There are lovely century-old homes in Basavanagudi that give a peek into Bangalore’s olden days.

A holiday trip involves buying souvenirs and local items to look at and reminisce about the fun times you had. Instead of going to shopping malls and the usual crowded places, opt for places like Tribes India and cottage emporiums that have authentic, rightly sourced local and traditional items, at the right cost. A place called the Imported Crockery Shop sells traditional clay and ceramic items used in rural areas to make fish and meat curries.

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Indiranagar is probably the party mainstay of Bangalore but it will be a much better experience if you know where you should go to enjoy a peaceful yet lovely dinner, coffee or drinks. A great place to have all three is Windsor Pub. The restopub has beautiful jazz music playing in the background and live sessions every Thursday. Third Wave Coffee Roasters is a good place to enjoy some delicious coffee in peace.

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Bangalore is famously called the ‘garden city’ of India. Some of the most popular green spaces like Lalbagh Botanical Garden and Cubbon Park are beautiful but crowded too. But, there is no dearth of parks and green spaces in Bangalore and you can opt to visit some beautiful yet unknown places like the Bannerghatta National Park. The Sound Garden built by Indian Music Experience is a garden of instruments and you can make music with them and explore how the instruments work.

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There are plenty hotels in Bangalore but if you are seriously looking at escaping the tourist crowds in the city then you must begin with opting for an offbeat location to stay in. Whitefield area in Bangalore is the most sought after neighbourhood that’s still up-and-coming. The hotels and homestays there will guarantee a much better, less noisy experience.

Bangalore is an on-the-go city and its traffic is infamous. So, if you can, visit on weekends. People in the city take it easy on Saturdays and Sundays and the roads are comparatively empty. Plus, Bangalore market areas and other places are open on weekends.