Attractive Tourist Places
Hyderabad
Tourists who visit Hyderabad can witness the blend of ancestral heritage and modern technology. The deep rooted cultural history of Hyderabad is evident from its monuments, mosques, temples, varied art forms and crafts. The monuments, minarets and mosques of Hyderabad with its impressive architectural style attract visitors. Charminar, Jama Masjid, Golconda Fort, Salarjung Museum, Osmania University, Paigah Tombs, Qutub Shahi Tombs, Raymond Tomb, Birla Mandir, Hussain Sagar, Ramoji Film City, etc. are some of the popular attractions of the city of Hyderabad.
Visakhapatnam (Vizag)
Visakhapatnam or Vizag is situated near the Eastern Ghats facing the Bay of Bengal to the east of India. “The jewel of the east coast” has tourist attractions such as the War Memorial, Borra caves, the Matsyadarshini Aquarium, Simhachalam, Ross Hill, Jagadamba Centre, Kailasagiri, the Submarine Museum, Naval Museum, Bojjana Konda and the Buddhist remains in addition to the beaches. The city is also a fast growing health tourism centre.
Araku Valley
Araku Valley is an extremely scenic hill station surrounded by green hills, lush valleys in different shades of green, and forests all around. The natural beauty of the valley is the main attraction of the place. The Ananthagiri hills, which is known for its coffee plantation is also on the way to Araku Valley. And not just coffee plantation, the hill is also popular for its forests, lovely orchards and the serene environment.
Tirupati
Tirupati is an important pilgrimage centre for Tirupati Temple. Apart from the Tirupati Temple, Tirupati also has the Sri Venkateshwara Zoological Park, which houses birds and animals of various species. Other places of tourist interest in the region include the Padmavati Temple, the Govindaraja Temple, Srinivasa Mangapuram and Shilatoranam, which is a rock garden.
Vijayawada
Vijayawada is located at the head of the Krishna delta and surrounded by the Budameru River on the north and the Indrakiladri Hills on the west. The major attractions of Vijayawada are temples like Kanaka Durga and Mangalagiri temple. There are popular Buddhist sites such as Amravati, Gudivada, Ghantasala, etc. The Krishna Pushkaram is a popular festival here that is held once every twelve years. Apart from these temples, other tourist attractions here are Prakasham Barrage, Gandhi Hill, Mogalarajapuram Caves, Victoria Museum, Hazarat Bal Mosque, Rajiv Gandhi Park, Gunadala Matha Shrine, and Bhavani Island.
Srikalahasti
Srikalahasti, a town on the banks of River Swarnamukhi, is one of the Pancha Bhoota Sthalams of Lord Shiva, one of the holy centres in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.. The temple town is a combination of traditions, customs, myths and folklore, which is famous for the Srikalahasti shrine. Srikalahasti has an ancient Shiva temple that has several mentions in Skanda Purana, Shiva Purana and Linga Purana.
Srisailam
Srisailam is situated in the Nallamalai Hills a popular weekend getaway owing to the presence of a forest sanctuary and a Shiva shrine. Located on the southern banks of the River Krishna at an altitude of 1500 ft. above sea level, Srisailam is known for the Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy Temple which is dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy. As per legends, ancient saints like Adi Sankara visited this temple and Akka Mahadevi, the acclaimed social reformer and poet, gained salvation in the caves of Srisailam. The pilgrimage town of Srisailam is also a famous forest sanctuary which is home to India’s largest tiger reserve.
Guntur
Guntur is one of the learning centres of the state; it holds historical significance; it is a textile and transportation hub of the country and it also holds agricultural importance because of the production of cotton and tobacco. Guntur also has an ancient temple by the name of Agasthyaeswara Sivalayam, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The city largely remains a historical place which is seeing slow modernisation. Some of the tourist places of interest in Guntur are the Kondaveedu Fort, Sitanagaram, Undavalli Caves and the ancient relics of Amaravathi.
Nagarjuna-sagar
Nagarjuna-sagar is a small town located between Guntur and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The biggest attraction of the place is the Nagarjuna-Sagar dam. Steam boat rides are available to the dam where the turbines can be seen in action. Apart from the dam, there is the island of Nagarjuna Konda to see here. It is a scenic town on an artificial lake. There is also the Buddhist Museum in Nagarjuna-Konda which houses the various relics of the Buddhist saint, Acharya Nagarjuna, along with other important Buddhist information.
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is better known as the ‘cultural capital and born city’ of Andhra Pradesh. Today, Rajahmundry is primarily a pilgrimage centre, due to the presence of a large number of temples in the city. Pattiseema, a scenic spot here, sees the shooting of many a Telugu movies every year. Apart from the temples and the Tollywood tryst, the place is also known for Pulasa Fish.
Kurnool
Kurnool is located in the southern banks of rivers Handri and Tungabhadra. The popular celebrations held here include the Car festival of Kurnool. Other than the festivals, the popular places to visit in the city are the ruins of the historical fort of the 15th century with several Persian and Arabic influences. Other popular tourist destinations include the ancient prison of Kurnool Fort by the name of Kondareddy Burz. The places with religious importance are the temples of Nagareswarasawami, Peta Anjaneyaswami, Venugoplaswami, Iswaraswami, Saibaba and Birla Mandir or Satyanarayaswami.