Mysore Travel Guide: The Palace, Chamundi Hill and Planning Your Days

The palace stands at the centre of the city and Chamundi Hill rises about 13 km away; Srirangapatna, Ranganathittu and Brindavan Gardens lie a short drive out, and Somanathapura further. Karnataka Tourism suggests three days to see them at an easy pace.

Mysore Palace

The palace that stands today is the fourth on the site, the Mysore Palace Board explains: the British architect Henry Irwin designed it after fire destroyed its predecessor in 1897, and it was completed in 1912, three storeys in the Indo-Saracenic style. Inside, the rooms to see are the Durbar Hall and the Kalyana Mandapa, the marriage pavilion under a stained-glass dome. It opens daily from 10 am to 5.30 pm, and Karnataka Tourism finds weekday mornings just after opening the calmest. Shoes come off before you go in; the Board keeps a free footwear stand and lends wheelchairs and umbrellas. Official sources disagree on photography inside, so check at the gate. Our Mysore Palace tour adds a private guide and a car from your hotel.

Chamundi Hill and the Chamundeshwari temple

On top of Chamundi Hill, about 1,000 m above sea level by Karnataka Tourism's figure, the Chamundeshwari temple is dedicated to the goddess the Wodeyar kings took as their family deity, honoured as the slayer of the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Drive up the winding road or climb the 1,008 stone steps that pilgrims use; halfway up stands a Nandi carved from a single block of granite, which the district administration measures at 4.8 m high and 7.5 m long. Mornings bring a quieter darshan, and evenings cooler air and views over the city.

Jaganmohan Palace and its art gallery

Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar built the Jaganmohan Palace in 1861 in a traditional Hindu style; its carved main door shows the ten avatars of Vishnu, and murals inside trace the royal lineage and the Mysore Dasara. Today it is an art gallery, where Karnataka Tourism points to the traditional Mysore gold-leaf paintings and works by Raja Ravi Varma. It is about 2 km from Mysuru Junction, so it fits easily into a morning with the palace.

Devaraja Market

One of the city's oldest bazaars, Devaraja Market dates from the Wodeyar era and is, in Karnataka Tourism's words, famous for fresh flowers, incense, sandalwood and spices. Karnataka Tourism lists it as open from 6 am to 8.30 pm, about 1.5 km from Mysuru Junction along Dhanvantri Road. In Dasara and other festival weeks, go early, and ask before photographing the stallholders.

St Philomena's Cathedral

Karnataka Tourism describes this Gothic church as modelled on Cologne Cathedral and designed by a French architect named Daly; the foundation stone of the present building was laid in October 1933 by the Maharaja, Krishnarajendra Wodeyar, and relics of St Philomena are kept here. Its twin spires rise 175 ft, about 52.5 m, by the district administration's figure, and the interior is lit through stained-glass windows. The cathedral is within walking distance of the city centre.

Mysore Zoo

Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens began in 1892 as a private zoo of Chamaraja Wodeyar X and opened to the public as early as 1920, the district administration records. Shaded paths lead past tigers, lions, giraffes, elephants and rhinos, and a toy train and battery vehicles help those who would rather not walk. Karnataka Tourism lists it as open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, with last entry at 4.30 pm, and closed on Tuesdays; arrive early, when the animals are most active, and allow three to four hours.

Rail Museum and Karanji Lake

Indian Railways set up the Rail Museum in 1979 on the KRS road, opposite the CFTRI gate, the second such museum in the country after the National Rail Museum in Delhi. It shows vintage locomotives and the royal carriages used by the kings and queens of Mysore, and a battery-run mini train gives children a ride; Karnataka Tourism lists it as closed on Mondays. Nearby, the Karanji Lake nature park has walking trails and aviaries, and the Regional Museum of Natural History, with its Discovery Centre, stands on the lake shore.

Brindavan Gardens and the KRS dam

About 21 km from Mysore, below the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) dam, Brindavan Gardens steps down in terraced lawns on either side of a long central water channel. The draw is the musical fountain show after sunset, so Karnataka Tourism suggests arriving between 5 and 7.30 pm to see the gardens in daylight and stay for the lights. Local buses to the KRS dam and the gardens leave regularly from Mysore's city bus stand.

Srirangapatna

This island town in the Kaveri takes its name from the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, one of the Pancharanga Kshetras of Vishnu, which the ASI protects; temple dress is expected. Tipu Sultan made the town his capital, and inside the fort an obelisk marks where he fell when British forces stormed it on 4 May 1799. Outside the fort stand the Gumbaz, the mausoleum of Hyder Ali, Tipu and Tipu's mother, and Daria Daulat Bagh, Tipu's teak summer palace of 1784, its walls painted with battles and court life; shoes come off on the palace floor. Karnataka Tourism puts it about half an hour's drive from Mysore.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Declared a sanctuary in 1940 at the urging of the ornithologist Salim Ali, Ranganathittu covers 0.67 sq km of islands in the Kaveri near Srirangapatna, about 18 km from Mysore. Around 170 bird species have been recorded, from painted storks, cormorants and darters to spoonbills and spot-billed pelicans. Most of the sanctuary is islands, so take the guided boat ride, on which you may also see marsh crocodiles. Karnataka Tourism suggests October to June for a visit.

Somanathapura

About 35 km from Mysore, the Keshava temple at Somanathapura was built in 1268 by Somanatha Dandanayaka, a commander of the Hoysala king Narasimha III. It has three shrines on a raised, star-shaped platform, and its soapstone walls are carved with panels from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. No worship takes place, and the ASI protects it. With Belur and Halebidu, it forms the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas, a World Heritage Site since 2023, and it makes a half-day out with Talakadu.

• By air: Mysuru Airport at Mandakalli is about 10 km from the city. Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, Karnataka's main air hub, is about 170 km away.
• By train: Mysuru Junction is about 2 km from the city centre, with express and passenger trains to and from Bengaluru.
• By road: Mysore is about 140 km south-west of Bengaluru. The 118 km Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway, opened in March 2023, was built to bring the journey down from about three hours to about 75 minutes, though the district administration still gives around three and a half hours, and Bengaluru's traffic adds time. Our Mysore day trip from Bengaluru makes it a full day with a private guide and car; our Bengaluru travel guide covers the city.