Bangalore city tour with English guide: Five landmarks in one day

See Bangalore’s gardens temples palaces in one easy city day

A private Bangalore city tour with English-speaking guide covers five major landmarks in a single day: the 240-acre Lalbagh Botanical Garden planted in 1760, the Bull Temple with its monolithic Nandi idol, Vidhan Soudha government building, ISKCON temple, and Bangalore Palace. Hotel pickup and drop, lunch, entry fees and a multilanguage audio guide are included. The tour runs 8 hours and suits all fitness levels. Dress code applies at temples and museums (knees and shoulders must be covered).

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Lalbagh Botanical Gardens1h · entry included
2. Bull Temple1h · entry included
3. Vidhana Soudha30m · entry included
4. ISKCON Temple Bangalore1h · entry included
5. Bangalore Palace1h · entry included

Explore Bangalore's historic landmarks

• Meet guide at hotel
• Visit Lalbagh Botanical Garden
• Explore Bull Temple
• See Vidhan Soudha from outside
• Visit ISKCON Temple on hill
• Lunch included
• Tour Bangalore Palace or Tipu Sultan's Palace

The experience

The day starts with pickup from your hotel and a drive to Lalbagh, the 240-acre botanical garden Hyder Ali planted in 1760. More than 1,800 species of plants, shrubs and trees fill the grounds, and the garden sits at the centre of Bangalore's identity. It hosted the world-famous flower show and remains the city's green lung beneath the tech towers. Your guide walks you through it before moving on to the Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, where a Nandi idol carved from a single granite block stands 4.5 metres tall and 6.5 metres long. Kempe Gowda, who founded Bangalore in 1537, commissioned the temple in the Dravidian style, and it counts among the oldest in the city.

Next comes Vidhan Soudha, one of Bangalore's most imposing structures. The building rises 46 metres and houses the state government's legislative chambers and twenty-two departments across three hundred rooms. You view it from outside, as it remains a working government office. From there, the tour moves to the ISKCON temple, set on a hill, where the architecture and devotional atmosphere create a sharp contrast to the civic grandeur you've just left. After lunch (vegetarian, included with the tour), you visit Bangalore Palace, the Tudor-style royal residence of the Wodeyar Kings. Its fortified towers, battlements, turrets and interiors of wood carvings and Edwardian furniture bear such a striking resemblance to Windsor Castle that the comparison is unavoidable. An audio guide provides detail on the Wodeyar Kings and their relationship with the British Empire. (On Mondays, when the palace closes, the tour substitutes Tipu Sultan's Palace instead.)

Your private car and English-speaking guide remain with you throughout. Multilanguage audio support in French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin is available on request at booking. The operator, 5 Senses Tours, holds recognition from the Department of Tourism and membership in the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

What’s included

• Private car and English-speaking guide throughout the day.
• hotel pickup and drop.
• entry fees to all five landmarks.
• vegetarian lunch.
• multilanguage audio guide (French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin) available on request.

Options for this experience

3 options

Guide in English08:00

Guide in English07:30 and 08:30

Guide in English07:30 and 08:30

Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:30, 08:00 and 08:30

AgesAdult (12 to 80 years) · Under 12: can't be included in the booking

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by 5 Senses Walks

Is this one for you?Book the full-day tour if you want to see all five landmarks and have time to walk through Lalbagh's gardens without rushing. Choose the half-day option if you're short on time and prefer to skip lunch. Both options work for all fitness levels, but wear clothes that cover your knees and shoulders. The dress code is enforced at the temples and palace.

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Top questions

What is the Nandi idol at the Bull Temple made from?

The Bull Temple houses a Nandi idol carved from a single granite block, measuring 4.5 metres in height and 6.5 metres in length. It is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore, commissioned by the city's founder Kempe Gowda.

Can I visit Bangalore Palace on a Monday?

Bangalore Palace closes on Mondays. When the palace is closed, the tour visits Tipu Sultan's Palace instead, so the itinerary remains unchanged.

What should I wear to visit the temples and palace?

A dress code applies at places of worship and selected museums on this tour. Knees and shoulders must be covered for both men and women. No shorts or sleeveless tops are allowed. Failure to comply may result in refused entry.

Is lunch included in the tour?

Lunch is included in the full-day tour options. It is vegetarian and provided as part of the package. The half-day tour option does not include lunch.

Which tour option includes hotel pickup?

Both full-day tour options (from city hotels or from Whitefield hotels) include hotel pickup and drop. The half-day tour also includes pickup from your hotel.

What languages does the guide speak?

The tour includes a live English-speaking guide. Multilanguage audio support is available in French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin if you request it when booking.