Best Tourist places to visit in Andhra Pradesh - India

Tirupati/Tirumala:

Tirupati/Tirumala is a sacred temple town famous for Sri Venkateswara Temple also known as Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple. This is one of the Pilgrim centers in Chittoor district, the city is at a distance of 71 km from Chittoor, 413 km from Vijayawada, 556 km from Hyderabad, 763 km from Vizag, 134 km from Chennai and 259 km from Bangalore, Tirupati is a pilgrimage city in the extreme southeast of Andhra Pradesh in Chittoor district.

Tirupati is one of the most ancient and sacred pilgrimage sites in India. Tirumala, the home of Lord Venkateswara is at a distance of 22 km from Tirupati. 

They say that the initial temple at Tirumala was built by the Tamil king Thondaimaan. The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century), Cholas of Tanjore (10th century), Pandyas of Mathura and Vijayanagara Kings (14th & 15th centuries) regularly visited the temple and contributed largely to the temple. Especially, Sri Krishna Devaraya of Vijayanagara Empire contributed a lot to the temple.

Lepakshi: 

Lepakshi is a small village which lies 14 km east of Hindupur in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is the one of the important heritage sites in Andhra Pradesh highlighting the legacy of Vijayanagara Dynasty. It is one of the famous Tourist places in Andhra Pradesh and also one of the popular one day trip from Bangalore.

Lepakshi is at a distance of 125 km from Anantapur, 124 km from Bangalore City Junction, 225 km from Tirupati, 478 km from Hyderabad & 569 km from Vijayawada. 

Lepakshi was founded in the 16th century during the reign of the Vijayanagara king. Lepakshi is the centre of some of the finest temple architecture and paintings. It consists of three important shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Veerabhadra of which Veerabhadra temple is the most important place to visit in Lepakshi.

Araku Valley:

Araku Valley which is also popularly known as Araku is a scenic hill station in the Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. The hill station is at a distance of 112 km from Vizag, 432 km from Vijayawada, 85 km from Vizianagaram, 26 km from Anantagiri and 635 km from Hyderabad. 

Araku is spread over an area of 36 sq. km and is a perfect tourist destination with pleasant climate, lush greenery, waterfalls and streams. It is popular for its famous coffee plantations. 

Interesting places to visit include Borra caves, Tyda, Katiki Falls, Tribal Museum & Padmapuram Botanical Gardens. Besides, these the coffee plantations are a must visit for those who want to indulge themselves in the flavors of nature.

Srisailam:

Srisailam is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva situated on the banks of River Krishna in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the most important pilgrimage centers of Lord Shiva in India and also one of the top Places to visit in Andhra.

This Pilgrim center is at a distance of 160 km from Nandyal, 181 km from Kurnool, 229 km from Hyderabad, 263 km from Vijayawada and 527 km from Bangalore. 

Srisailam is famous for Srisailam Dam and Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The sanctum enshrines Lord Mallikarjuna in the form of a linga protected by a three-hooded cobra. This ancient temple built in the Dravidian style with lofty towers and sprawling courtyards is one of the finest specimens of Vijayanagara architecture.

Srisailam is a perfect combination of temples and scenic spots. Srisailam Dam built over River Krishna is one of the largest dams in South India. Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Bhramaramba Devi Temple, Akka Mahadevi Caves, Pathala Ganga, Shikaresvara Temple, Sakshi Ganapathi Temple and Mallela Theertham are the other attractions.

Mantralayam:

This is the place where the Vaishnava saint Sri Guru Raghavendra took Jeeva Samadhi (tomb) and is also one of the popular Places to visit in Andhra. Mantralayam is situated near the border of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh along the banks of River Tungabhadra, a chief tributary of River Krishna.

The Pilgrim center is at a distance of 74 km from Kurnool, 148 km from Nandyal, 49 km from Adoni, 43 km from Raichur, 253 km from Hyderabad, 301 km from Hubli, 402 km from Bangalore and 416 km from Vijayawada, Mantralayam. Mantralaya is situated in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

Papikondalu:

Papi Kondalu is a beautiful hill range bounded by River Godavari in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Papi hills are a set of three hills which form a beautiful gorge on the Godavari River spread across East Godavari and West Godavari districts. The area is covered by tropical rain forests and declared as a protected National Park and is one of the top places to experience the Tourism in Andhra Pradesh.

These hills are at a distance of 60 km from Rajahmundry, 180 km from Vijayawada, 20 km from Polavaram, 260 km from Vizag & 410 km from Hyderabad.

It is believed that the place was visited by Lord Rama and goddess Sita during their exile. 

Rajahmundry:

Rajahmundry which is formerly called as Rajamahendravaram is a beautiful city located on the banks of Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh. It is also known as the 'cultural capital' of Andhra Pradesh. 

Rajahmundry is at a distance of 154 km from Vijayawada, 207 km from Vizag, 186 km from Guntur, 64 km from Kakinada, 151 km from Machilipatnam and 430 km from Hyderabad.

The earliest rulers of the region were the Eastern Chalukyas. They say that the city was built by Chalukya king Rajaraja Narendra during 11th century.

Srikalahasti:

Srikalahasti which is also known as Kalahasti is one of the ancient and most important Shiva Kshetras situated in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. 

Srikalahasti is famous for Srikalahasteeswara Temple (referred as Srikalahasti Temple) built in 10th century. The entire temple was carved out of the side of a huge stone hill.

It is at a distance of 37 km from Tirupati, 113 km from Chennai, 291 km from Bangalore, 375 km from Vijayawada and 552 km from Hyderabad.

Srikalahasti got its name from three words - 'Sri' meaning a spider, 'Kala' meaning a serpent and Hasti meaning an elephant, as these three creatures are believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva at this place and attained salvation.

Vijayawada:

Vijayawada, also known as Bezawada is the second largest city in Andhra Pradesh State. It is located on the banks of the Krishna River to the South, Budameru River on the north and the Indrakiladri Hills on the west. This is the largest railway junction of the South Central Railway, situated along the Chennai-Howrah and Chennai-Delhi rail route. 

They say that Goddess Durga took rest in this sacred place after destroying a Rakshasa and since then the name 'Land of Victory' or Vijayawada came into existence. The discovery of Stone Age artifacts along the banks of River Krishna from Machilipatnam to Nagarjuna Sagar indicates that this area was inhabited long before. The Chalukyas once conquered this place and it was later part of Vengi Kindom, Eastern Gangas, Vijayanagaras and Reddy Dynasty. Finally it came under British Madras presidency. 

The major attractions of Vijayawada are Kanaka Durga temple and Mangalagiri temple. Apart from these, other tourist attractions include Prakasham Barrage, Gandhi Hill, Mogalarajapuram Caves, Victoria Museum, Hazarat Bal Mosque, Rajiv Gandhi Park and Bhavani Island.
City is at a distance of 37 km from Guntur, 273 km from Hyderabad, 354 km from Vizag, 453 km from Chennai and 643 km from Bangalore.

Vizag:

Visakhapatnam (also called Vizag) is a coastal & port city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, located on the shores of Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of Visakhapatnam district and is the base for Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. 

City derives its name from the Hindu God of valour, Visakha. It is at a distance of 602 km from Hyderabad, 355 km from Vijayawada, 168 km from Kakinada, 203 km from Rajahmundry and 444 km from Bhubaneswar.

Talakona Waterfalls:

Talakona Falls are situated in Sri Venkateswara National Park near Nerabailu Village of Yerravari Mandal of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh. The gorgeous waterfall falling deep into a valley from a height of around 270 feet makes it the highest waterfall in Andhra Pradesh.

The waterfalls are placed amidst dense forest surrounded by natural beauty and greenery. It is believed that the water of Talakona Falls is enriched with herbs with healing powers. The waterfalls is  at a distance of 49 km from Bakarapet, 64 km from Tirupati, 120 km from Horsley Hills, 192 km from Chennai, 241 km from Bangalore and 89 km from Chittoor.

Horsley Hills: