Driving to Bangalore: distances, time and cab fares
Bangalore (Bengaluru) is about 145 km from Mysore, typically 3 hours on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, and around 345 km (about 6 hours) from Chennai. A RutzIndia.com sedan from Mysore costs Rs 5,220 Pay Now to Reserve one way and an Innova Crysta Rs 8,270 Pay Now to Reserve, before 5% GST, with tolls and parking at actual cost. Inside the city, an 8 hr / 80 km sedan hire is Rs 7,560 Pay Now to Reserve.
Most people think of Bangalore as a place you fly into, and with one of India's busiest airports that is fair. But a large share of visitors arrive by road: families driving up from Mysore after a palace weekend, business travellers on the Chennai highway, students returning from Manipal, and holidaymakers coming back from Coorg, Ooty or the coast. And almost everyone, once in the city, spends a great deal of time in cars. Bangalore sprawls across a plateau at about 900 metres, and its neighbourhoods, tech parks and attractions are far apart.
This guide looks at Bangalore from the road: the main highways into the city, what to see once you are here, how traffic shapes a day of sightseeing, and what our chauffeured cars cost for inbound trips, airport runs and full-day city hire.
What to see in Bangalore
Lalbagh Botanical Garden. Laid out in the eighteenth century under Hyder Ali and expanded by Tipu Sultan, Lalbagh covers about 240 acres of lawns, rare trees and lakes around a Victorian glasshouse modelled on London's Crystal Palace. Its flower shows, held around Republic Day in January and Independence Day in August, draw enormous crowds. The Lalbagh rock, among the oldest rock formations on earth, has a small Kempegowda tower on top.
Cubbon Park and Vidhana Soudha. The leafy central park is lined with colonial buildings, including the red Attara Kacheri (High Court) and the State Central Library. Opposite rises the granite Vidhana Soudha, seat of the state legislature, floodlit on Sundays and holidays.
Bangalore Palace. Built in the late nineteenth century for the Wodeyars and inspired by Windsor Castle, with turrets, timber interiors and hunting trophies. It is privately managed; check current timings and tickets before you go.
Tipu Sultan's summer palace. A two-storey teak palace near the old fort in the city market area, with carved arches and a small museum.
Basavanagudi. The Bull Temple with its monolithic Nandi and the Dodda Ganesha temple nearby are the heart of old south Bangalore. In November or December, the Kadalekai Parishe groundnut fair fills the streets.
Malleswaram and V.V. Puram. Old Bangalore at its most charming: temple streets, flower markets, darshinis serving idli and filter coffee, and the V.V. Puram food street for evening snacks.
Modern Bangalore. MG Road, Brigade Road, Church Street and Indiranagar for cafes, bookshops and breweries; UB City for luxury shopping; the ISKCON temple in Rajajinagar; and the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum for families.
The state's official Karnataka Tourism portal lists city attractions and events.
Roads into Bangalore
From Mysore: the expressway
The ten-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway (part of NH275) has transformed the southern approach. It bypasses Srirangapatna, Mandya, Maddur, Channapatna and Ramanagara, with service roads for local traffic, and ends near the Nice Road junction on Mysore Road. Two-wheelers are not permitted on the main carriageway. The expressway itself is quick; the final stretch into the city centre is where time goes. See the Bangalore to Mysore taxi page for the reverse journey.
From Chennai: NH48 and the new expressway
The busy NH48 via Vellore, Krishnagiri and Hosur enters Bangalore from the south-east, through Electronic City and Silk Board, the city's most notorious junction. The access-controlled Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway is being built in phases to the north of this corridor. Our Bangalore to Chennai taxi page covers the route and fares.
From the north and west
NH44 from Hyderabad and Anantapur arrives via Devanahalli, the airport and Hebbal; NH48 from Pune and Tumakuru via Nelamangala and Yeshwanthpur; NH75 from Hassan and Mangalore via Kunigal and Nelamangala. The Peripheral Ring Road and the NICE corridor help bypass the core.
Traffic windows
Bangalore traffic is heaviest from roughly 8 to 11 am and 5 to 9 pm on weekdays, especially around the Outer Ring Road, Silk Board, Marathahalli, Hebbal and Whitefield. Arriving by road, aim to reach the city edge before 7.30 am or after 9 pm, or between 11 am and 4 pm. Our chauffeurs plan routes around these windows and use elevated roads and ring roads where they help.
Coming back from the hills or the coast
Plenty of our Bangalore-bound passengers are not starting in Mysore or Chennai at all but ending a holiday. Families return from Coorg via Kushalnagar and the expressway, from Ooty through the Bandipur forest, from Chikmagalur and Sakleshpur on NH75, and from Hampi on NH48. Each approach meets the city at a different point, and that choice decides how long the last hour takes.
The trick is to match the entry point to your final address. If home is in Whitefield or Sarjapur, coming in on NH75 and the Tumakuru Road can mean crossing the entire city at dusk; your chauffeur may instead use the NICE road or the Peripheral Ring Road to skirt the core. For Hebbal, Yelahanka or the airport hotels, approaching from the north-west through Nelamangala is usually quicker than the Mysore Road side.
Sunday evenings are the worst time to return from any weekend destination, because thousands of cars converge on the same few entry points between 5 and 10 pm. Leaving the hill station after an early lunch, or waiting until after dinner, usually saves an hour or more. For long weekends, a Monday-morning return before dawn often beats Sunday night entirely, and the driver night allowance for the extra night is small next to the time saved.
When to visit
Bangalore's altitude gives it a famously mild climate. October to February is the best period, with sunny days and cool evenings; December and January nights can be chilly. March to May is the warmest time, though rarely extreme. The south-west monsoon, June to September, brings frequent showers, sometimes heavy enough to cause waterlogging in low-lying areas; the north-east monsoon adds rain in October and November.
Festivals and events include the Karaga festival around March-April, one of the city's oldest traditions; the Lalbagh flower shows; Kadalekai Parishe; Ganesh Chaturthi; Deepavali; and a year-round calendar of concerts, tech conferences and sporting events. Big events can snarl traffic around stadiums and exhibition centres.
Chauffeured services in and to Bangalore
RutzIndia.com operates across Bangalore for arrivals by road and air, full-day city hire, corporate travel and weddings. Every car is within four model years, and our chauffeurs know the city's shortcuts and parking rules. Book online, pay by card or UPI, and receive a GST invoice.
| Bangalore service | Compact sedan | Innova Crysta | Tempo Traveller |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mysore to Bangalore, about 145 km | Rs 5,220 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 8,270 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 11,310 Pay Now to Reserve |
| City hire, 8 hr / 80 km | Rs 7,560 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 13,230 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 20,490 Pay Now to Reserve |
| City hire, 4 hr / 40 km | Rs 4,530 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 7,950 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 12,300 Pay Now to Reserve |
| Kempegowda airport transfer (up to 40 km) | Rs 4,170 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 7,290 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 11,280 Pay Now to Reserve |
| Chennai to Bangalore, about 345 km | Rs 12,420 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 19,670 Pay Now to Reserve | Rs 26,910 Pay Now to Reserve |
Figures shown are pre-tax; 5% GST is added at checkout. City fares include Bangalore's local-rate adjustment; outstation legs use the flat per-km rate. We pass through tolls, permits and parking at the exact receipted amount. Multi-day round trips bill at least 250 km for each calendar day and include a chauffeur night allowance of Rs 1,500 per night.
Change of plan? Cancelling earlier than 72 hours before pickup costs nothing. Between 72 and 48 hours out we retain 10%, between 48 and 24 hours 50%, and in the last 24 hours or for a no-show the full fare, as the cancellation policy explains.
Airport arrivals are tracked and met with a name board. International flights get a full hour of free waiting after landing and domestic flights 30 minutes, after which the hourly rate applies. Details and terminal information are on the Bengaluru airport website and on our Bangalore airport taxi page.
A two-day Bangalore plan with a car
Day 1: Old Bangalore (about 50 km of city driving). Start at Lalbagh at 7 am for a walk before the heat, then breakfast at a Basavanagudi darshini. Visit the Bull Temple and Dodda Ganesha, then Tipu's summer palace and the old market. After lunch, Cubbon Park and Vidhana Soudha, followed by the Bangalore Palace. End the day in Malleswaram or on V.V. Puram food street.
Day 2: Beyond the centre (about 130 km). Leave at 4 am for sunrise at Nandi Hills by road, stop at Devanahalli fort on the way back, then spend the afternoon at the ISKCON temple and the museums, or shopping on Commercial Street. Evening on Church Street or in Indiranagar.
Onward trips. Bangalore is the gateway to South Indian road trips: Mysore by road, Coorg, Chikmagalur, Ooty, Hampi and the temple of Lepakshi by road are all within a day's drive.
Weddings, corporate travel and groups
Bangalore is a major wedding and conference city. For weddings, our wedding car rental in Bangalore covers decorated sedans and SUVs, and luxury car rental in Bangalore offers Mercedes, BMW and Audi models for guests and couples. Companies use our car rental with driver in Bangalore for executive travel and employee pickups, with monthly GST invoicing. Groups travelling to offsites or weddings outside the city book a Tempo Traveller in Bangalore.
Practical tips
- Parking. Commercial areas like MG Road and Brigade Road have paid multilevel parking; your chauffeur drops you at the entrance and waits nearby.
- Metro combination. On heavy-traffic days, the Namma Metro can be faster for a hop across the centre; your chauffeur can meet you at the other end.
- Weather. Carry an umbrella from June to November; showers can arrive suddenly.
- Temple etiquette. Remove footwear and dress modestly at temples.
- Airport timing. Allow at least 90 minutes from the centre to the airport at peak hours.
- Local hire. For everyday trips, see our Bangalore taxi service.
