I have been traveling to Bengaluru, once or twice every year. Today, a friend mentioned she was traveling to Bangalore. I told her I will share a few places she can visit.

There are obviously a million other places. But I am including the ones I remember fondly. These are the ones I recommend to my friends.

1. Blossoms Books – Iconic bookstore. I always visit it once at the least whenever I am in Bangalore. There are three outlets on Church Street.
2. Higginbothams – Another book store. On MG Road, and walking distance from Blossoms. I love buying stationary from this place.
3. Tom’s – Toms Restaurant seems to have been built in the 1970s or 80s. It has a old charm to it. The food is nice, the clientele seems to be regulars generally. I loved some of the authentic Mangalorean cuisine there.
4. Cubbon Park – Get into the metro and travel to Cubbon Park. I love strolling through this park by myself. I enjoy sitting on a bench and catching a few pages of a book.
5. Lal Bagh – If parks and trees are your think, take another metro and check out Lal Bagh Botanical Garden. It is fantastic. Bonus points for climbing a two billion year old rock and sitting happily over it. (check photo above)
6. Cafe Saanchi – If you want to meet a quirky Farsi guy, this is the place for you. You can eat Persian food and sip on saffron tea here. You can tell Keyo who runs the place, Nuwruzji Aditya sent you. He might break out in a toothy grin!
7. Indian Music Experience Museum -If you love music, this is the place you really need to visit. I can spend hours there. I wish we have more of such places in every major city in India.

While Bengaluru has several infrastructure issues, I love walking around the city, observing. The older part of Bengaluru around Trinity Circle to Cubbon Park has some excellent architecture. Some of the older inside lanes are great to walk through. They allow you to take in the city and understand it a little bit.

The weather in Bengaluru is a big win! It is always pleasant for a walk!