Travel & stay
Guests are coming from across the United States and from all over
India. If something you need is missing here, please just ask us.
Flights
Fly into Bengaluru (BLR), Kempegowda
International. Air India runs a nonstop from San Francisco. From
everywhere else the usual one-stops are Emirates via Dubai, Qatar
via Doha, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Lufthansa via Frankfurt, British
Airways via London, or Air India via Delhi.
Expect 20 to 26 hours door to door from the US East Coast and 18 to
24 from the West. India is 10.5 hours ahead of US Eastern and 13.5
ahead of Pacific, so give yourself a day to recover before things
start.
From within India, BLR is served by IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and
Akasa from every major city.
Visas
Most visitors need an e-Tourist Visa. Apply at
indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa. That is the only official site, so type it in by hand: there are
convincing look-alikes that charge large fees for nothing. You can
apply from 120 days before you travel, and it is worth doing early.
Getting to the venue
Tharavadu Mane is in north Bangalore, near Nagawara Lake, roughly
30 to 35 km from the airport and about an hour by car outside
peak traffic. Uber and Ola cover the area well. We will arrange
shuttles from the main guest hotels.
Please do not book a hotel on distance alone yet. We are still
waiting on the exact street address from the venue and will put it
here the moment we have it.
Where to stay
We will confirm a room block and rates here once they are arranged.
In the meantime, north Bangalore keeps you close to the venue and
the city centre is better if you want to explore between events.
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Near the venue: The Leela Bhartiya City on Thanisandra
Main Road, Radisson Blu on the Outer Ring Road, Novotel Bengaluru
ORR, plus plenty of good budget options in Hebbal, Nagawara and
HBR Layout.
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City centre: The Oberoi and The Ritz-Carlton near MG Road,
ITC Gardenia, Taj West End, JW Marriott on Vittal Mallya Road,
and Lemon Tree or Ibis for something more modest.
February is peak wedding season in India and hotels fill up, so
book early. Rates move a lot: compare Booking.com, MakeMyTrip and
the hotel's own site before committing.
Worth knowing
-
Weather. February is Bangalore at its best: around 27°C
(81°F) by day and 14°C (57°F) at night. Pack light
clothes and something warm for the evenings.
-
Money. Cards are widely accepted, but carry some cash. UPI
runs the country and most foreign visitors cannot use it, so do
not rely on it.
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Water. Drink bottled or filtered water. Street food is
part of the point of Bangalore, so eat it, just choose stalls
with a queue.
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Phones. An Airtel or Jio tourist SIM at the airport is
cheap and makes cabs and maps far easier.
