Visakhapatnam or Vizag, Andhra Pradesh – Resting among the hills of the Eastern Ghats overlooking Bay of Bengal, it has beautiful Cool Beaches, Hill Ranges, Caves, Valleys & Lakes

Visakhapatnam also known as Vizag, is a coastal, port city, often called “The Jewel of the East Coast”. Resting among the hills of the Eastern Ghats, overlooking the Bay of Bengal in the east, it is the second largest city in Andhra Pradesh with an area of 550 km². It is primarily an industrial city, apart from being a port city. According to the history, the city was named after the god of Valor-Vishakha. It is often called the best tourist destination in Andhra Pradesh. From Lakes to cool beaches, from beautiful Hill Ranges to Caves and Valleys, Visakhapatnam has them all.

Places to see in Visakhapatnam: Vizag offers its tourists with spectacular sight seeing spots. These include:

Ramakrishna Beach

Also known as the RK Beach, it is just 5 kilometers from the main city.  Developed and maintained by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority and Municipal Corporation of Visakhapatnam, the Ramakrishna Beach pleases visitors of all preferences. The RK Beach satisfies all classes of people with tastes ranging from water sports enthusiast to a person seeking a lazy holiday. Ramakrishna Beach, Visakhapatnam, is also a popular picnic site in Vizag. Several fine tourist spots surrounding the Ramakrishna Beach, are : The Aquarium, Kali Temple, Visakha Museum, Submarine Museum, The Water Memorial.

Yarada Beach

Behind Dolphin Nose, lies the YaradaVillage. Yarada is a private beach maintained by the Agrigold group which is why they charge a nominal fee for visiting it. The Dolphin Nose provides a spectacular view of the beach and the Vizag city. A bus or cab facility can be taken to reach it.

Kailasagiri Hill Top Park

Kailasagiri Hill Top Park, Visakhapatnam, is one of the renowned tourist sites in Andhra Pradesh. It is a park situated on the hilltop, at a height of 360 feet. Kailasagiri Hill Top Park in Visakhapatnam is one of the most popular tourist destinations of the city. Every year, the park witnesses considerable tourist traffic. A number of tourist locations are near the park. Some important attractions located at a vicinity to the Kailasagiri Hill Top Park at Vizag are Floral Clock, Jungle Trails, Shanti Ashram, ArtGallery, Children Play Park, Conference Hall, Shiva Parvathi Statue, 7 Wonders of Vizag, Titanic View Point, Gliding Base Point, Telescopic Point and Shanku Chakra Naama.

War Memorial

In remembrance of the victory at sea achieved in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a war memorial had been constructed in Vizag. It exhibits a fighter plane, a tank and other copies of a missile. It does not charge any entry.

Matsyadarshini Aquarium

It is an aquarium that has an interesting exit in the form of a huge white tipped shark’s open mouth. It charges an entry fee of Rs. 20 per person and contains a good collection of marine and freshwater fish.

Ross Hill

It is an interesting site as it consists of three hills that are dedicated to three different faiths. It has a church, a mosque and a temple. Ross Hill has a chapel known as Mother Mary’s church, Durga Pahad has the tomb of Muslim saint Sayed Ali Medina and the third hill Sri Venkateswara Konda has a temple.

Submarine- ‘Kursura’

It was the first one of its kind submarine to be created in eastern Asia. This museum was created in a real submarine of the Indian navy and today is manned by retired officials of the navy itself.

Naval Museum

Also known as Swarna Jyoti Museum, it showcases the maritime history of India through pictures, models and written content.

Tenneti Beach Park

It is a beautiful park that has played as a background setting for a number of Indian movies. It gives out spectacular views of sunrise and sun set along with beaches and clear sea.

Kambalakonda Sanctuary

This natural sanctuary is half hour’s drive from the city. It charges an entry fee of Rs 10/- person and provides fantastic views from the viewing tower along with providing people a chance to hike and flex their muscles.

Port of Visakhapatnam

It is listed amongst the country’s leading ports. It is dissected into three harbors, namely outer harbor, inner harbor and fishing harbor with their respective capacities of vessel accommodation.

Nearby attractions from Visakhapatnam: There are many places around Visakhapatnam which is worth a visit. These include:

Sankaram

It lies 41 km from Visakhapatnam. It is among the most significant Buddhist site in Andhra Pradesh consisting of antiquity dated stupas, rock-cut caves, early historic pottery and finally Satavahana coins that are believed to exist since the 1st century AD.

Simhachalam

This temple is located 15 km away from the city. It acts as a dedication to Lord Vishnu’s ‘half man half lion’ avatar. It has an impressive architectural design along with a serene environment.

Bavikonda

It lies at a distance of 15 km from Vizag. Literally, it means ‘Hill of Wells’ and as its name suggests it is indeed a hill that contains wells for collecting rainwater. It is counted amongst Asia’s oldest and most sacred Buddhist sites as it consists of ruins of the great Buddhist civilization.

Araku Valley

This is a scenic valley that requires a 6 hour long enjoyable train journey from the city. Amongst others, Padmavathi botanical gardens are a treat to look at, when present here. Further trip to the Borra caves is also a must. An entry to these caves costs Rs. 30 per person, with separate charges for carrying a camera.

Bhimili

It is a village lying about 25 km from the city known for its beach and remains of a Portuguese church and Dutch cemeteries.

Thotlakonda

It is situated at a distance of 16 km from Visakhapatnam. It falls under Andhra Government’s list of ‘protected monuments’. It contains historically significant Buddhist structures such as a Mahastupa, rock-cut cisterns, votive platforms, roman silver coins, terracotta tiles and much more.

Things to do in Visakhapatnam: Apart from other sight seeing locations, you must make a visit to the submarine museum, created as a replica of the real submarines of Indian Navy. Enjoy a walk along the splendid beaches of Vizag with the cool and fresh natural air. Also enjoy excursions to some destionations located near to Vizag.

Best time to visit Visakhapatnam: Best time to visit here is from October to March.

How to go ?

By Air

Visakhapatnam airport is connected to many cities in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad. Airport is nearly 16 km away from the heart of the city. Pre-paid taxis are available from airport to city.

By Train

Visakhapatnam has an important railway station lying on Chennai – Delhi main line. This station is connected with all cities in India by rail. Tourists can get direct trains from Delhi (Samta Express), Mumbai (Konark Express), Kolkata (Coromandel Exp), Chennai (Dbrg Ypr Expres) and Bangalore (Hwh Ypr Express).

By Road

Vizag is well connected by the road transport public bus services. Many tourist bus service providers offer deluxe, super deluxe and A/C bus services from Visakhapatnam to many major cities in South and Central India, including Chennai, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bangalore and Mumbai.

Where to stay ?

There are plenty of accommodation options in Vishakhapatnam. Some options are:

Hotel Harita (APTDC): +91-1800 -4254 5454
Hotel Daspalla:  +91-98663 19728
Hotel Grand Bay: +91-0891- 6600101  Website: www.itchotels.in
Hotel Supreme: +91- 0891-278472, 73, 74 Website: www.hotelsupremevizag

Note : Phone numbers given above are according to the information available with us. If you find any contact number/s given above is/are incorrect or not in use, please let us know.