Bangalore

Drink

In Koramangala, Legends of Rock is near the Pizza Hut on 80 ft. Road. Also great is the Jimi's Beer Cafe nearby, has a really nice ambience. Costa Coffee, Barista and CCD have their presence near Maharaja Hotel. Young working people spend a lot of their time here. You can get a truly multi national multi cultural feeling as there are several restaurants serving Spanish, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Mexican food. Hence, it is really popular with expatriates. The area around Jyoti Nivas college is a popular hangout for the college going crowd, with a lot of eateries and cafes in the area. This area has a very hip/ fashionable feel to it.

Sleep

A large number of budget hotels near KSR railway station are crowded in the area around the Dargah Tawakkal Mastan, O.T.C. Road, Chickpet, Near Sreenivasa Hospital, from the Majestic bus station. Ask for the Brahmins Bakery area.

If you are free for an hour, you can just go around the Majestic theatre and the Kempe Gowda Bus Station and look for a budget hotel yourself, as there are many on small streets and roads around this place. Or, you can even trust (to some extent) a broker who voluntarily offers help, but be sure you take a good look at the rooms before you pay any money to the lodge and the broker. But there is a wrong notion in the minds of people in and around Majestic that whenever you go in pairs, they tend to look at you with a wrong and suspicious look. If coming with family, especially newly married, avoid the Majestic area.

Stay safe

Bangalore is a relatively safe city at that time. However, most of Bangalore practically shuts down a little before midnight, even very safe residential areas can be very desolate by 11PM. In the morning, people start getting out from 5AM or 6AM, but it's usually still dark outside at that time, so exercise caution if you are in an unfamiliar area.

Some of the lower-income areas can be somewhat unsafe once it gets dark. Exercising caution and good sense will increase your chances of staying safe.

It is not advisable to walk alone along deserted alleyways or lanes after dark. Avoid doing so in areas that you are not sure are reasonably safe. Avoid using an auto-rickshaw if the driver is not alone, especially at night. Do not flaunt jewellery, high-end mobile phones, laptops, watches etc. Do not withdraw large amounts of cash from ATMs in deserted areas. Beware of pickpockets in crowded areas such as exhibitions, cricket matches, train stations, etc. If you are returning late from a party, it is advisable to pre-book cabs through reputed companies such as Meru, Ola, or Uber, as against flagging down an auto-rickshaw on the road Exercise caution in stopping to help if you see a broken-down vehicle at night, especially on lonely streets and in cases where you will be outnumbered

Rising incomes have brought an influx of people, including white and blue-collar immigrants, leading to disparities in earnings between locals, casual labour immigrants and expatriates (people from oth…

Stay healthy

Bangalore is a clean city (compared to other major Indian cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata) and epidemics are rare. However, foreign tourists should be cautious about consuming water and eating at roadside stalls. It is recommended to use bottled water if the source of drinking water is unknown.

It is recommended to use mosquito repellents, either as a cream applied on the skin (ask for Odomos at local medical stores) or in the electronic form, during the evenings.

It is always a good idea to carry a minimal medicine kit with medicines for common diseases and conditions. Most of the international medicines are available in medical stores, though the name and brand may be different. So, it is advisable to do some research on the alternatives or consult a general physician, if needed.

Ambulances can be requested by calling 108.

Connect

The area code for Bangalore is 080. When calling from overseas, dial +91 80 XXXX XXXX (if the phone is a land-line connection). If you don’t have an Indian phone number, it is strongly recommended that you get a pre-paid calling card if you plan on using your phone frequently. Because of new government regulations, you need a photocopy of your passport (visa and the ID pages), a color photo, and proof of local address (in Bangalore) when buying a pre-paid card. If you do not have the required paperwork, it is recommended that you ask a local friend to buy a pre-paid card on your behalf. Pre-paid cards are sold in a few of the shops that sell mobile equipment.

Public telephones are a good option and are available widely. Most shops that offer public phones sport easily visible "STD/ISD/PCO" signages. More often than not, public pay-phones are post-pay and there will be a person at the shop to take the payments. Check the bill generated from the machine and make the payment accordingly. Payments are always in Indian Rupees.