Visakhapatnam
Discover Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam (Telugu: విశాఖపట్నం Viśākhapaṭnaṁ), popularly known as Vizag (vigh-ZAG), is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh. It is primarily an industrial city, but also attracts tourists due to its unspoilt sandy beaches, well built and maintained parks, Buddhist Remnant sites and nearby scenic areas, such as Araku Valley. The city has a population of about 2 million. Visakhapatnam (vih-shah-kuh-puhtt-nuhm) is sometimes called The Goa of the East. Just like its west coast counterpart, it has beautiful virgin beaches, laterite hillocks, smooth roads and stunning landscape. Medical tourism is a fast-developing industry. Vizag is variously called Jewel of the East Coast, Steel City, and the City of Destiny.
What to Experience in Visakhapatnam
Taste of Visakhapatnam...
If spicy fare from Southern India appeals to your gastronomic senses, then Vizag has some excellent restaurants. Many of the eating joints meant or frequented by tourists are in the Siripuram area. A walk around there can give you access to a variety of cuisines. Some interesting bars in the city are in the Five Star hotels mentioned above and typically are expensive even by Western standards. The Park Hotel has a decent bar - try the Screwdriver. Daspalla has another bar and restaurant called Dimple that serves various drinks and can be noisy at time. Two new really cool breweries have opened up in the city. Vizag has both high end hotels and affordable lodges. The Daspalla, The Grand Central Hotel and Green Park are well-known.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple Options17.7215983.2895142 Visakhapatnam Junction ECoR is on the Kolkata–Chennai line and is connected to several cities of the country by rail. All trains including fast expresses stop at the station. Visakhapatnam comes under the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone and is one of the principal divisional headquarters (under the British name Waltair). It has eight platforms, the first in ECoR to have this many, and all of them can accommodate trains with up to 28 coaches. You may want to verify the timings with Indian Railways, since they change from time to time. Train berths can be reserved online. However, this being a major destination, availability of seats is at times difficult even with a one month's advance planning. Visakhapatnam is connected to Chennai and Kolkata via Bhubaneswar and Vijayawada by National Highway 16 (dual-carriageway, 120 km/h)....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Visakhapatnam has no commuter rail service. However, apart from the bus service, taxis or autorickshaws can also be hired. APSRTC operates a lit of buses from 6 principal bus complexes in the city. They are: Dwarka Bus Station or RTC Complex depot is the largest bus station and complex in the city. There are mainly two types of buses operated for suburban travel in Visakhapatnam. The junction and Maddilapalem joins the Asilametta-Ramatalkies road to the National Highway 5. Buses from Madilapalem ply to the extreme ends of the city, including Anakapalle and Thagarapuvalasa. The bus fare to get to Madilapalem from the railway station is only ₹8. Buses operate within a 5 minute frequency in routes with high demand. The minimum frequency in which buses operate is 40 minutes, i.e., every route is covered by an APSRTC bus once in every 40 minutes. Apart from buying tickets on the bus, you may also avail an RTC-Pass, which is a special type of pass that can be renewed once in a month.
Where to Stay
Vizag has both high end hotels and affordable lodges. The Daspalla, The Grand Central Hotel and Green Park are well-known.
Money & Budget
Vizag offers a reasonably large selection of stores selling clothing, jewellery, books, Araku Coffee etc. There are several locations from which clothing can be purchased. However they tend to be concentrated in few locations. One such is Jagadamba Centre. Few of the many clothing stores are: Similar to clothing stores, there are several shops from where jewellery can be purchased. The centres are distributed, but the prominent ones are between RTC Complex and Railway station, Jagadamba Centre and near old Town Kotharoad. Some of the prominent stores are: While definitely not considered a shopper's paradise, Vizag offers some unique handicrafts and can found in by the Andhra Pradesh State-owned handicraft store, Lepakshi, at Jagadamba center.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Visakhapatnam
Beach
a beach with a town by the ocean
a large body of water with a city in the background
Mermaid with Dolphins Sculpture RK Beach, also known as Ramakrishna Beach is an integral part of the city and a favorite among Vizagites and Tourists alike. The view of the sunrise from this beach is truly mesmerizing and one can find a number of people enjoying, some relaxed moments in this beautiful beach enjoying the perfect view. This 3 km stretch, kissed by the sea & ships on one side and flanked by multi-colored apartments on the other makes for a truly rewarding drive. The entire stretch is dotted with beach food snacks.
palm trees on beach shore during daytime
The 70-metre-long Bangladeshi cargo ship ran aground at a Visakhapatnam beach near Tenneti Park due to heavy rains and winds triggered by the deep depression
Visakhapatnam, Patrick Hendry
Estuary
Ship In The Sea!
Vuda Park (Smart City Park) is almost like a Private Park in the City and a best Place to hangout with lovers or couples. This Beautiful park on the Sun-n-Sea Beach is frequented by tourists and locals. One can get beautiful view of old light house on the beachside. This park is maintained by VUDA and Redeveloped in 2022 by Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
Beach
a beach with a town by the ocean
a large body of water with a city in the background