Top free weekend destinations to explore in Bangalore.

Adityi Jain
Sep 3, 2018 · 5 min read

Visit them yourself and enjoy…

Bangalore, the Silicon valley of India and IT hub, is not cheap at all, but still this beautiful city with sprawling human habitation and tall edifices has many free things and activities for every age group and really worth it (worth your time as they are almost free). Lets check them out.

For nature lovers

Bangalore, also known as “Garden city of India” indeed offers many lush green gardens and parks, where you can have an oxygen boost and detoxification of lungs. Here is a list of them:

  • Cubbon Park: Located in the heart of the city, this covers an area of about 300 Square acres, offers lush green and peaceful environment for jogging and cycling. It has few indigenous species of plants and trees, which are worth seeing.
  • Lalbagh: More as a botanical garden, it is enriched with numerous native and exotic flora of wide ranging diversity, use and interest. With a nominal 20 rupees entry fee, its worth going to. Apart from beautiful flora, it has a lake , a glass house with exotic flowers and a aquarium. It host flower shows twice a year, and is exquisite. Also if you feel hungry because of walking, try eating freshly prepared bhutta (corn) and the famous chana garam.
  • Nandi hills: Located just 60 kms from Bangalore, Nandi hills is amazing destination with shrines and monuments along with breathtaking views. It’s located 4851 feet above sea level, and is idyllic escape from hustle and bustle of Bangalore. It has Tipu Sultan’s summer palace and fort, temples, Nehru Nilaya and Gandhi House (both Jawahar Lal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi stayed here). Since it’s just 60 kms from city, people usually visit this place during early morning to see clouds and sunrise. Also, its near to airport and you can see taking off and landing of planes from a high altitude. It gets very windy, so wear clothes accordingly and carry food as this place doesn't have good restaurants.

For peace and spirituality

With long working hours, persistent tension and stress at work compounded with lethargic traffic, a deep meditation practice with light yoga will work as the best tool to get ready for the upcoming week. There are two centers where I have been to and there are absolutely stress-busters.

  • Art of Living International Center: Located on Kanakpura road, almost 21 kms south of Bangalore, this ashram is a place which you can call home as : You can come here with innumerable concerns and botheration, but you cannot take them back with you! Apart from meditation practice, you can attend numerous residential courses every week.

There is satsang every evening with various types of musical instruments which will tune each and every wire of your mind and prepare you for upcoming week. At the end of the day, there is dinner for all (it’s simple but is amazing).

Also when the center is lighted at night, it looks magical and sparkling. There is a small lake and when I was there, there were many snakes in the lake. Be careful!!!

Source
  • Pyramid valley: This has a huge pyramid where 5000 people can meditate together, one of the world’s biggest pyramid. Apart from this, there are water bodies, coconut groves and art galleries with Buddhist themes. There are many free meditation classes and spiritual talks, which can attended based on the calendar. A cafeteria is there which services vegetarian and simple yet delicious food.
Image courtesy Pranabandhu Nayak

For those who are in love with city lights

There are some who find solace and peace in city’s clamor and excitement. Hanging out with friends and eating yummy food is what they want to recharge themselves. That’s not a big deal, here are places for them.

  • UB city mall: This is India’s first luxury mall with brands like Rolex, Burberry Louis Vuitton and Canali. It has UB tower, the tallest building of Karnataka. It is home to many offices like Yahoo and Apple, branded shops, an amphitheater and many restaurants.

BUT, if you just want to visit the mall and sit at it’s beautiful terrace with marvelous city views, you can go there for free. There are few reasonable places too at terrace to eat but the place is just awesome to sit and relax. The mall will leave you in awe with its grandeur and luxury. A must visit!!!

  • MG road: Known as Mahatma Gandhi road, its a hub for commercial and recreational activities in Bangalore. It is a perfect destination fro weekend shopping, having shops for almost all varieties of clothes and brand outlets. If you are tired of shopping, there is a plethora restaurants to eat from. This is a place where everyone must go at-least once.
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