[A] Tourist and Spiritual Places in and around Vijayawada (Within 50 Km):
1. Kanaka Durga Temple: The most popular place in the city that attracts millions of pilgrims from across the state and the country. Dedicated to Goddess Kanaka Durga, the temple can be reached by a car as well as by the buses of the Devasthanam. This temple is open from 5 AM - 10 PM.
2. Prakasam Barrage : A 65-year old barrage constructed on River Krishna. The road abutting the barrage stretches for 1.3 km and one can have a good view of the river and road cum rail bridges from the barrage.
3. Bhavani Island: Situated in an area of 130+ acres in the upstream of Prakasam Barrage, this is one of the major tourist destinations near the city. The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department offers boating service as well as accommodation to/on this island.
4. Undavalli Caves : Located 6-km South West of Vijayawada and dating back to 5th century AD, these caves were built on a sandstone during the reign of Vishnukundina kings.
5. Gandhi Hill: Situated close to the Vijayawada Railway station, this hillock named in memory of Mahatma Gandhi offers picturesque and aerial views of Vijayawada city and a good trainspotting place too.
6. St. Mary/Gunadala Mary Matha Church: A historic church that attracts thousands of devotees from across religious lines. The museum inside the church is another major attraction.
7. Bapu Museum: Situated on the arterial MG Road of the city and named after eminent Telugu cartoonist, author and director Bapu, it is an archeological museum having an huge collection of paintings and artifacts of Hindu and Buddhist relics.
8. Mulapadu Forest and waterfalls : Located around 25 km from Vijayawada near Ibrahimpatnam, this is a tourist place and a trekker's paradise that's not been explored much. There are district buses that ply from Vijayawada to Mulapadu.
9. Mangalagiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple: Situated around 15-km from the city, this is one of the most popular temple dedicated to Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. Almost all the buses from Vijayawada to Guntur pass through Mangalagiri. The temple remains closed for about 3 hours in the afternoon.
10. Amaravathi: A cradle of Hindu and Buddhist cultures, this historic place (situated 37 km from Vijayawada) houses the Sri Amareswara Temple as well as the Amaravathi Buddhist Stupa. There are frequent buses from the Vijayawada bus terminus to Amaravathi.
11. Kondapalli Fort: Located around 15-km from the city, this 14th-century fort was built by Prolaya Reddi Verma. It later went into the hands of Gajapati Kingdom, Vijayanagaras, Qutub Shahis and British. The fort is open from 8 AM - 5 PM.
12. Paritala Hanuman Temple: Located around 30-km from Vijayawada, this shrine was inaugurated two decades ago and has one of the world's tallest statue of Lord Anjaneya. There are frequent buses from Vijayawada to Paritala and the temple remains open from 6 AM - 8 PM.
[B] Tourist/Spiritual Places (greater than 50 Km from Vijayawada):
1. Dwaraka Tirumala Temple, Eluru Distt (AP): The most popular and ancient Lord Balaji Temple in the Coastal Andhra region, it is also referred to as Chinna Tirupati (Mini/Small Tirupati).
The distance from Vijayawada to Dwaraka Tirumala is 102-km and there are buses from PNBS to the temple town. Though, frequency of buses from Eluru (62-km from Vijayawada and 40-km from Dwaraka Tirumala) are more compared to that of Vijayawada. The nearest major railway head is at Eluru. The temple is opened from 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM & 7 PM - 9 PM on weekdays and on weekends from 5:30 AM to 5:30 PM and 7 PM - 9 PM.
If you pass through Eluru by road, do not miss the Kolleru lake (15-km from the town). Sandwiched between the Godavari and Krishna Deltas, it is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India.
2. Machilipatnam, Krishna Distt (AP): This is a historic port town situated around 70-km from Vijayawada. The town in the past came under the regime of Dutch, Portuguese and British. There are several colonial structures still remaining in the town. The major attractions though remain the Manginapudi Beach (10-km from the town) and Hamsaladeevi (30-km from the town where the mighty Krishna River merges into the Bay of Bengal). There are frequent buses and trains from Vijayawada to Machilipatnam and the journey time shouldn't take more than 2 hours.
3. Mopidevi Temple, Krishna Distt (AP): Dedicated to Lord Subramanyeshwara, this ancient and popular temple is located around 70-km from Vijayawada and 30-km from Machilipatnam. There are buses that ply from the city to Mopidevi. The temple remains open from 5:30 AM - 1 PM and 4 PM - 8 PM.
4. Bapatla (Bapatla Distt, AP): Located 75-km from Vijayawada, this town houses the historic Bhavanarayana Temple (Constructed in 1265 AD by the Chola King Krimikantha Chola) as well as the Suryalanka Beach (9-km from Bapatla Town). There are several government and private accommodation options at Suryalanka Beach. There are many trains and buses that ply from Vijayawada to Bapatla.
5. Bhadrachalam, Kothagudem Distt (TS): Situated around 170-km from Vijayawada, Bhadrachalam has a renowned temple dedicated to Lord Rama. One can take a bus (both APSRTC/TSRTC offer services from Vijayawada to Bhadrachalam) or a cab, the journey time takes 4-4.5 hours. There is no direct rail connectivity between the two places. The major places in Bhadrachalam are Rama Temple, Parnashala, Dummugudem Irrigation Project, Kinnerasani National Park and Kinnerasani Dam.
6. Rajahmundry, East Godavari Distt (AP): Located around 150-km from Vijayawada, this historic city on the banks of the mighty Godavari is also deemed to be the cultural capital of the state and home to numerous ancient doyens of Telugu literature. The Three Godavari Bridges, Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram (on the outskirts of the city), Pushkar Ghats, Sir Arthur Cotton Museum, Damerla Rama Rao Art Gallery and the colorful nurseries at Kadiyam (suburb of Rajahmundry) are the places worth exploring. All the buses and trains that ply from Vijayawada to Visakhapatnam and Kakinada pass through Rajahmundry.
7. Nagarjunasagar Sagar (Spread across AP - TS): Situated around 200-km from Vijayawada and spread across the two states of TS and AP - The Nagarjunasagar Dam on the River Krishna (one of the largest masonry dams in India), Nagarjuna Konda (It is an island of ancient Buddhist settlement in River Krishna), Ethipothala Waterfalls and the recently opened Buddhavanam (one of the largest theme parks on Buddhist history and culture) are the tourist places not to be missed. There are only a few buses from Vijayawada but plenty of buses ply from Guntur and Macherla.
8. Narsaraopet, Palnadu Distt (AP): Located around 95-km from Vijayawada, there are two main attractions near Narsaraopeta - Kotappakonda and Kondaveedu Fort. The ancient Trikoteshwara Swamy Temple at Kotappakonda (17 km from Narsaraopet) is situated on a height of 1587 feet and Kondaveedu Fort (25 km from Narsaraopet) was a 13th century old fort constructed by Prolaya Reddi Varma of Reddi Dynasty. There are frequent buses from Vijayawada to Narsaraopet.
9. Warangal, Warangal Urban Distt (TS): Situated 200-km from Vijayawada, Warangal was the erstwhile capital of the Kakatiya kingdom and the second largest urban agglomeration in Telangana today. The most important tourist sites include The Thousand Pillar Temple, Bhadrakali Temple, Kakatiya Kala Thoranam, Warangal Fort and Padmakshigutta (all within the city) as well as the UNESCO certified Ramappa Temple (65-km) and the Laknavaram Lake (Spread over 10,000 acres). The bus from Vijayawada to Warangal takes a circuitous route, so suggest you to take a train (Almost all the Hyderabad and North bound trains from Vijayawada have a halt at Warangal/Kazipet).
[C] A comparative timeline of Bus/Train sojourns from Vijayawada to various tourist/spiritual places in AP/TS:
Vijayawada to Visakhapatnam (6 hours - 7 hours by train, 8 hours - 9 hours by bus).
Vijayawada to Hyderabad (5 hours - 6 hours by both bus/train).
Vijayawada to Warangal/Hanumakonda (3 hours by train & around 5 hours by bus).
Vijayawada to Bhadrachalam (5 hours by bus, no train).
Vijayawada to Rajahmundry (2 hours - 3 hours by train, 3 hours - 4 hours by bus).
Vijayawada to Tirupati (7 hours by train, 8 hours - 9 hours by bus).
Vijayawada to Srisailam (7 hours - 10 hours by bus, depending on the route and time. Overnight buses tend to take more time).
Vijayawada - Kurnool (11 hours by train - only one train runs, 9 hours by bus).
Vijayawada - Guntur (One hour by bus, there is a bus every 15-20 minutes and good number of trains too ply between these places).
Vijayawada to Gannavaram (Vijayawada Airport Services as on today) : 6.00, 7.00, 7.40, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.30, 15.30, 16.30, 17.30 and 18.45.
Gannavaram (Vijayawada Airport to Bus station services as on today): 7.00, 8.00, 8.50, 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30, 15.30, 17.10, 17.30, 18.30 and 20.20
(The bus journey takes around 45 minutes -1 hour depending on the time/traffic. Note that the city-airport bus services are liable to change).
Note : The distance from Vijayawada Railway Station to the PNBS (Pandit Nehru Bus Station) is 1.2 Km.
