Mangaluru

Understand

Name Due to the city's cultural diversity, the city of Mangalore (mang-guh-LOHR) is known by different names across the languages spoken:

Mangaluru (ಮಂಗಳೂರು Maṅgaḷūru) in Kannada Kudla (ಗುಡ್ಳ Kuḍḷa) in Tulu Kodiyal (Koddiyal / ಗೋಡಿಯಲ Koḍiyal) in Konkani Maikala (ಮೈಗಲ Maikala) in Beary Mangalapuram (മംഗഴാപുരം Maṅgalāpuraṁ) in Malayalam The city is named "Mangalore", "Mangaluru" or "Mangalapuram" after the Hindu deity Mangaladevi, the patron goddess of Mangalore. The Tulu name Kudla literally means "junction", as the city is at the confluence of the Netravati and Gurupura rivers.

History Traditionally, Mangalore was an important trading port with ties with the Persian Gulf states dating back to the 14th century. With its strategic location, it was occupied by a number of dynasties and colonial rulers, namely the Portuguese in the mid-16th century. In the 18th century, its control was contested by Mysore rulers Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan on one hand and the British on the other. Mangalore became a strategic shipbuilding base under the Mysore rulers in 1763, which was ceded to the British in 1799 after numerous sieges. Mangalore is one of the fastest developing non-metro cities in India, with many multinational and domestic corporations opening their branches here. Many reputed builders are bringing huge development projects. There is very good growth in the retail sector and many new shopping malls are being built. Infosys has 2 development centres in Mangalore with over 3,000 employees. Cognizant has its development centre on MG Road. MphasiS has its India Training Center based near Mangalore Club. Corporation Bank and Karnataka Bank have their headquarters inside the city, and Syndicate Bank in Manipal. Polaris, Thomson Reuters Omnesys, MRPL, MCF, BASF, KIOCL, Ultratech Cement Plant are some of the other industries in the city. Mangalore is also known as the "Cradle of Education" in Karnataka for its 16 engineering, 6 medical, 3 dental, 12 MBA, 11 physiotherapy, 8 hotel management and 58 graduation colleges in and around the city.

Climate

Getting there

By plane 1 Mangalore International Airport (IXE IATA) (at Bajpe, about 20 km (12 mi) from the city centre). There are daily flights to Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Surat, Delhi and Kozhikode in the domestic terminal, and weekly/bi-weekly flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Kuwait and Bahrain in the international one. Air India, SpiceJet and Air India Express operate flights to Mangalore.

By train

Mangalore has three major railway stations.

2 Mangalore Central SR (station code: MAQ), Hampankatta (at city centre). The terminus for Mangalore-bound trains. (updated Mar 2026) 3 Mangalore Junction SR (station code: MAJN), Kankanady (5 km (3.1 mi) from city centre). Most long-distance trains and all trains not terminating at Mangalore stop here. (updated Mar 2026) 4 Surathkal KR (station code: SL) (18 km (11 mi) from city centre). Most long-distance trains from North or South India stop here. (updated Mar 2026) Here is a list of trains to reach Mangalore:

By bus There are many bus services from Mangalore to all the nearby towns in Karnataka and Kerala. The long-distance bus services to major cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Hubli-Dharwad and Goa run along the national highways radiating to the north, south and east, like NH 17 towards Goa and Mumbai, and NH 48 towards Bangalore and Kerala. There are two bus stands in Mangalore for long-distance bus services:

5 KSRTC Bus Stand, Bejai (north of the city, but not far off from the city centre). KSRTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC operate scheduled bus services from Bejai to Mumbai, Bangalore, Mysore, Goa, Hubli-Dharwad, Kasaragod and many other areas within and outside Karnataka. Services run by KSRTC (Kerala), TNSRTC and APSRTC also call in Mangalore at this very bus stand. (updated Mar 2026) 6 State Bank (at city centre, behind St Paul's Church and State Bank of India (SBI) branch). It is the last stop for many private bus services to Mangalore, mostly inter-district (Mangalore-Udupi) and inter-taluk buses. (updated Mar 2026) Not exactly a bus stand, but there is a major alighting point for passengers in front of Milagres Church where most private tour and bus operators: Ideal Travels, Canara, Canara-Pinto, Vishal Travels, Anand Travels, VRL etc. have their offices. They operate buses of semi-deluxe, sleeper and Volvo types to various destinations viz. Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Thrissur, Hubli-Dharwad. There are various other pick-up points and drop points in Mangalore as well.

By car Mangalore is well connected to Goa, Mumbai, and Kerala via NH-17, to the state capital Bangalor

Getting around

By bus There are numerous private bus companies which run bus services within the city of Mangalore and its suburbs. They have names like Padmambika Bus Co. Ltd. emblazoned in large letters in English on the front windscreen of the bus and on its sides. These buses also connect to all the minor urban centres surrounding Mangalore. Most of them originate from the Central Bus Stand at Mangalore behind the Town Hall: It is known as the 'State Bank' bus-stand. Even though the buses are operated by different private companies, the bus numbering scheme is unified and quite useful. The destinations and routes are, however, all written in Kannada. The best way to use these buses is to ask around and the people are most helpful. If you are armed with a city map, one can get the hang of things within a day or so. The minimum bus fare is ₹5. If you are a student, you have to pay just half the bus fare. In addition city bus service, there is limited stop (usually called express) bus service (the majority of these are run by various private bus companies) for inter-town/city travelling to neighbouring places. You may find these useful to visit places like Udupi, Manipal, Kaup, Karkala etc. Bus fare ranges between ₹14 and ₹35 for a distance up to 65 km. KSRTC operates AC Volvo buses to few destinations like Manipal.

By cab Ola and Uber services are available in Mangalore. White Ambassador Cabs/Indicas are available: usually used by passengers on long-haul routes. Shared cabs are also available for travel between the city and other talukas viz. Bantwal (BC Road). Prepaid cabs are available from the airport to the city: this is generally at a flat rate of ₹350-400. Car-rental facilities are also available in Mangalore.

By auto-rickshaw They are available all throughout Mangalore, the starting fare is ₹36 and ₹18/km for trips longer than 2 km. Pre-paid autos were available from the City Railway Station and the KSRTC bus stand at Bejai, but not any more. Autos also ply to far-off destinations, the outskirts, for one-and-a-half times the actual fare; this is roughly around ₹150, depending on the amount of money you have to spare, although one would prefer using buses to reach these areas as a cheaper mode of transport. Inside the city, common and popular spots they go by meter. But if it is little outskirts, like Panambur beach or Bejai or Someshwar beach, they ask for one and half times, so you need to keep your nerve and bargain with them; otherwise, you may get looted. The auto drivers will charge exorbitant rates if you do not haggle. If there is a problem wit

See

Most of the attractions are places of worship. A few of the important ones are listed below.

Kalangan Konkani Heritage Centre, Shakthi Nagar (7 km from Mangalore). 1 Mariyamma Temple. 2 Sultan Battery. 3 Urwa Marigudi. 4 Kudroli Gokarnanatha. (updated Mar 2023)

Churches 5 Milagres Church, Hampankatta. (updated Mar 2026) 6 Rosario Cathedral (Our Lady of Rosary Cathedral), Bolar. (updated Mar 2026) 7 St. Aloysius Chapel, Lighthouse Hill. (updated Mar 2026)

Temples 8 Adyapady Adinatheshwara, Bajpe. Bhagavathi Kshetra, Kudroli. 9 Carstreet Venkataramana Temple. 10 Kadri Manjunatheswara, 702 Planet SKS Kadri Hills. (updated Mar 2026) 11 Kateel Durgaparameshwari. (updated Mar 2026) Kudroli Gokarnanatha. 12 Mangaladevi Temple (Mahatobar Shri Mangaladevi Temple), Bolar, ☏ +91 824-2415476. 6AM to 1PM and 4PM to 8:30PM. (updated Mar 2026) 13 Sharavu Ganapathi Temple. Shree Shanaishchara Temple, Bajpe.

Do

Adventure: For the adventurous, the Western Ghats near Mangalore provide an ideal location to get lost in the dense jungles. Pilikula Nisarga Dhama is about 12 km from city and is a tourist spot with "Manasa" water theme park, animal park, boating, science centre, arboretum, golf course, all in one place.

Surf: India's first surf club "Mantra Surf Club" is located just 24 km from Mangalore at Mulki. Just board an EXPRESS Bus heading towards Udupi and get down in Mulki. Ask for "Hare Krishna Ashram". The auto rickshaws charge around ₹20-30 from Mulki bus stand. Swim: Mangalore has many clean and beautiful beaches: Kapu Beach is about 45 km to the north. It can be reached by local express buses in 45 minutes. The beach has a lighthouse which is open to visitors. Malpe Beach is about 60 km to the north. It can be reached by local express buses.This beach has a resort. Also there is a small island of the beach about 15 minutes boat ride.Local ferry runs every 30 minutes or so. The last ferry back from the island is at 5PM. Panambur Beach is in Panambur, 10 km to the north of the city, near the New Mangalore Port and along the confluence of the Gurupur river and the Arabian Sea. This is comparatively more deserted and is a great spot for safe and secluded swimming. Panambur is well connected by bus and can also be reached by autorickshaw from the city centre. If you are coming Mangalore in January, definitely visit this beach for the kite festival happens for some period during this month. It is a fantastic scene to watch. Someshwar Beach is in Ullal, 11 km to the south of the city, near the confluence of the Netravati River and the Arabian Sea. The beachface is extremely rocky and considered dangerous for swimming. However, it is a great place to relax and watch the spectacular sunsets. Ullal is accessible by bus, train and autorickshaw from the city centre. Suratkal Beach is about 15 km to the north of the city. It has a beautiful lighthouse and few rocks. The biggest thing on this beach is its "sand". It's totally different from all other beaches that it is powder like as compared to sand type feeling at all other beaches. You can confirm it by walking barefoot on beach. This beach has a resort named "Red Rock Residency" where people come every weekend to enjoy. Tannirbavi Beach is one of the best beaches of Mangalore. One can enjoy the sunset view here. It is located at a distance of 12 km from Mangalore. You can also take a ferry from several spots in the city to the beach. One of the most popular ways is to take the ferry from Sulthan Battery. 1 Piliku

Buy

Empire Mall. The "Empire Mall" has the Nilgiris supermarket, Coffee Day, Amazon multi cuisine restaurant and a few other retail chains. It also houses Combinations, a good store for artificial jewellery and cosmetic requirements, not as big as, but similar to Claire's. (updated Sep 2015) Bharath Mall. The "Bharath Mall" has a Big Cinemas Multiplex, Big Bazaar,Food Bazaar, PlanetM, Pizza Hut, Coffee Day, Subway, Adidas, Reebok, Planet Sports, Swawroski, Levi's. (updated Sep 2015) City Centre Mall. The City Centre Mall. It is on K.S. Rao Road. It has a retail space of almost 800,000 square feet. Lifestyle, Westside, Spencers, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Landmark are open at the mall. Mexican-based Cinepolis has a 5-screen multiplex at the mall. Also there is Spar Hypermarket. (updated Sep 2015) Forum Fiza Mall. Opened in 2014, The largest mall of the city, located in Pandeshwar houses a variety of retail stores and showrooms. It also houses PVR Cinemas with 5 screens and various gaming arcades and cafes. (updated Sep 2015)

Supermarkets There are various supermarkets across the city where you can get groceries & other daily items. A few of them are:

Aditya Birla's More for you (Attavar, Deralakatte, Kadri, Valencia, Kankanady, Chilimbi, Bendoor, Kodailbail, Barke, Kudroli) SPAR super market, city centre, K S Rao Road, Mangaluru. Baliga's Supermarket (near K.S.R.T.C., Bejai) Big Bazaar & Food Bazaar (Bharath Mall Bejai, Mangaladevi Road) Big Bazar (opposite KSRTC Bus Stand) Ganesh Bazaar (New Chitra Road) Janatha Bazaar (GHS Road) Jimmy's Supermarket, the official groceries supplier of C.P. and visitors (Nathoor Tollgate and Falnir) Joofry's (Saibeen Complex, Lalbagh) Nilgiri's (Empire Mall, Kankanady, Deralakatte) Neelgiris, More, Reliance shopping marts are found commonly in Mangalore. V Hypermart (Mischief mall K.S. Rao Road) Apart from these, a few more supermarkets such as Spencers, Mark & Spencers, Reliance Fresh are expected to open their outlets in Mangalore.

Eat

Udupi-style restaurants

There are numerous small restaurants where one can gorge on cheap food as long as one likes South Indian food. The most typical ones are the Udupi-style restaurants which serve the staple fare of idli, wada and a variety of dosas. You can wash them down with some home-grown filter coffee or tea.

Hotel Ayodhya is famous for authentic Mangalore-style food. Try appam, ghee dose, vastad roti, parota/tingalavare song. Janata Deluxe also serves authentic Udupi style food items. Taj Mahal, two locations in Mangalore (Hampankatta & Kodialbail). The coffee served in Taj Mahal is regarded by many to be the best coffee available anywhere — the exact contents of the coffee powder used are kept a secret, Taj Mahal has a lot of patrons who visit the restaurant almost ritualistically thrice a day. Apart from the coffee there are a wide variety of dishes available including the dosas. Woodlands Restaurant (between Jyothi and Bunts hostel road), ☏ +91 824 2443751. Rs.100 for vegetarian lunch.. (updated Mar 2022)

North Indian cuisine If you are looking for North Indian food, you are not spoilt for choice. Some of the larger hotels have a larger menu but the food is not particularly appetizing. One important joint in this category would be the restaurant at Hotel Srinivas on G.H.S Road: awesome food at great prices (vegetarian-only). Otherwise for the Mughlai-tandoori variety, don't forget to check out The Royal Darbar (Bendorewell-Kankanady Road) and the Mogul Treat (at Highlands, opposite Highland Hospital). Biryani Paradise (Kankanady-Pumpwell road). Chicken Tikka Halal (Saibeen complex) Shetty's Kori roti (near Canara College) it supplies Mangalore style chicken curry with Kori roti (rice papads).

Seafood Try such dishes as Kane Rava fry, Anjal Masala fry and Manji Masala fry.

Amantran (Attavar, near the city railway station) is a must try for sea food. Anupama (Bunts Hostel) Bombay Lucky (next door to Bunder Police station) is the best place to eat after late night parting. It's a typical greasy food joint serves tasty ghee rice, rice pathari, biriyani, fried chicken, mutton dishes (a bit greasy but good really good to settle your post party starving). Must try their black tea with lime after food. Coconut Grove (opposite Colaco hospital, Bendore main road). Sanadige - Goldfinch Hotel, Bunts Hostel Road near Jyoti Circle, ☏ +91 824-4245678, [email protected]. Kings Court (highway near Kottara Chowki) Maharaja (near Jyoti) Narayana Hotel at Bunder is famous for delicious Mangalore-style fish fry with fish curry r

Drink & nightlife

Fruit juice and cold drinks An array of mini fruit juice stalls dot every nook and cranny of Mangalore City; at bus stops, near shopping areas, etc. that serve the usual fare of juices and milkshakes. Name it and it's all there for you. But this is not recommended if your gut is not immune to such juices! Normal restaurants would definitely be a hygienic alternative! A must visit place: Srinidhi Juice & Snacks, Opp to Srinivasa Theater (Balaji), B.E.M High School Road, Carstreet, 50 Year old shop, Serves Fresh Fruit Juices, Fruit Chat, Lassi, Maggie, Pav Bhaji & other Snacks. Tendercoconut (Local language called Bonda or Shiyala) is available in plenty. Most vendors charge about ₹20 each. Aerated cold drinks like Coke & Pepsi are also available, just as in any other part of the world. Try out the local varieties, such as 'Zaffa' or 'Joy' for taste. If you want to have hygienically flavoured sugarcane juice, then you will find a joint in Bharath Mall. You will wonder how much technology has changed these days! Another must visit place is the Temple Square (Car street). The juice shop to check out is the one located between School book company and an Ayurvedic medicine shop. This juice shop specialises in dishing out concoctions made up of locally grown berries.Famous flavours include "Nannari", "Jaljeera", "Hingastak", "Birinda", and the rest is up to you to explore.The juice shop perfectly complements the fried delicacies served at "Balli's podi" located right across the street. It's the best place to eat "podis" in Mangalore. The mouth watering hot hot podis are irresistible.

Coffee shops Well there's the usual Cafe Coffee Day with its main outlet at Balmatta and four others at Deralakatte bang opposite the A.B. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences campus, at the ONGC-MRPL Complex at Katipalla, Surathkal (near Infant Mary Church) and two outlets at the Empire Mega Mall (MG Road) and at Bharath Mall (Opposite KSRTC Bus Stand, Bejai). The outlets offer the youth a good hangout and a place to chill. If you're game for just plain filter coffee, without the extra hype, try out any of the Udupi cafes. Like the Taj Mahal hotels at Car Street, Hampankatta and Town Hall areas.

Alcohol And yes... if you're looking beers or vodka, you can either buy your liquor from the many wineshops around: for example, Hi-spirits (Bendoorwell-Kankanady), Rajaram Wines (Bolar) or you can check out the various resto-bars/lounge bars in the city. Some of the famous ones include:

Amazon, Empire Mega mall, M.G.Road Lalbagh. Dolphin, Mallikatta. Froth on Top, B

Sleep

Budget There is no shortage of budget hotels in Mangalore. K S Rao road has many affordable hotels.

Ayodhya (Sri Ram Bhavan) (near P V S Circle). Conveniently located and has a very good vegetarian restaurant; 'Ram Bhavan'. Ganesh Prasad, Ganesh Prasad Building, K S Rao Rd, ☏ +91 824-244 041. ₹275+. Hotel Akbar, Market Road, ☏ +91 824 2440098, +91 824 2429275. ₹400. (updated Apr 2015) Hotel Blue Star, Falnir Rd (Bus: Old bus stand), ☏ +91 824 2426680. ₹239 for single. Hotel Das Prakash, Opp. KSRTC, ☏ +91 824 4261982, +91 8050734757. ₹600. (updated Apr 2015) Hotel Navratna. ₹400. (updated Apr 2015) Hotel Rajadhani, Milagres Cross Road, Hampankatta., ☏ +91 824 2423631, +91 824 2426767 2422168. (updated Apr 2015) Hotel Roopa, Balmatta Road, Hampankatta./, ☏ +91 824 2421271. (updated Apr 2015) Hotel Vasanth Mahal, K S Rao Rd (Bus: K S Rao Road), ☏ +91 824 2441179. seems to be a good hotel. Railway Retirement Room (inside the railway station). ₹125. (updated May 2015) Srinivas Hotel, Ganapathy Highschool Road, near Hampankatta Railway Station, ☏ +91 824 2440061. ₹600. (updated Apr 2015) Yash Arcade (opposite the Mangalore Bus Stand near the Adlabs theatre). Excellent quality doubles. ₹500. Youth Hostel, Nehru Avenue, Ballalbagh (Near Mangalore City Corporation, Behind Hindi Prachar Bhavan), ☏ +91 824 2457181. Cheap and clean place for tourists and travellers. No arrangement for food. 1 Family Room @ ₹150/- per rooms per day 1 Dorm of 8 beds @ ₹50/- per bed 1 Dorm of 4Beds @₹50/- per bed.

Mid-range There are many midrange hotels in Mangalore.

Hotel Hindusthan, near old bus stand, k.s. rao Rd, ☏ +91 824 2411333. Check-in: 24 hr, check-out: 24 hr. ₹700-1500 per day. Hotel Surya, Greens compound, Balmatta Rd, ☏ +91 824-2425736-46. Spacious rooms, good ventilation. Prestige, Collectors Gate, Balmatta, ☏ +91 824 2410601. ₹1500 per day. Woodlands Hotel (Bunts Hostel Road), ☏ +91 824 2443751. ₹3000 for Delulxe AC room, ₹2000 for double AC room, and ₹1000 for single room in the old block. Fine vegetarian restaurant attached. Parking for 40 cars. (updated Mar 2022) Hotel Srinivas, GHS Road, Mangalore 1, ☏ +91 824 2440061. Lift, restaurant and good lobby. 1800 ₹. (updated Apr 2023)

Splurge The Gateway Hotel (A part of Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces), Old Port Rd (Near State Bank of India, Pandeshwar), ☏ +91 824-6660420, fax: +91 824-6660585, [email protected]. while the hotel is not bad, the surroundings are definitely smelly and sub-par. ₹2016-6720. Hotel Goldfinch. Four star hotel. Hotel Poonja Inter

Go next

Bakel — site of famous Bakel fort, 65 km. Bangalore — city, 378 km Chikmagalur — Hill station, 151 km Kannur — beach, 143 km Karkala — Pilgrim centre. 61 km Kasaragod — beach town with scenic rivers, 53 km Kozhikode — major beach city with ancient mosques, 244 km. Madikeri — Hill Station, 138 km Moodbidre — Bamboo town, 34 km Mysore — city of palaces and gardens, 255 km Udupi — Temple Town, 54 km Dharmasthala - famous temple Ullal — beach village, 10 km