I've lived in Hyderabad, India for 6 months now and I have so many reccomendations for people visiting Hyderabad for pleasure or business. To get to Hyderabad you can fly from Frankfurt internationally on a non stop flight which is the best option via Lufthansa Airlines. Within India, almost every major airport flies to Hyderabad since it is now such a huge tech and business hub. The other nice thing about Hyderabad is that you can now get direct flights to places like Dubai, Bangkok, The Maldives, Kuala Lampur and many other large international airports. Hyderabad is also connected to many nearby cities via train. Also, Secunderabad, Hyderabad's sister city, is only about 15 minutes from the Hyderabad airport and also has a train station.
Hyderabad is much different than other Indian cities because it has a large expat influence with international companies so you will see many large high rise buildings and can go to many non Indian restaurants. Traffic in Hyderabad is terrible during rush hour (after 6pm). There is really only one major road getting people to the office buildings and since Hyderabad grew so fast over the last 10 years the infrastructure has not kept up with the population growth. It is now the 5th largest city in India. The two languages spoken here are Telagu and Hindi. I tried to learn some Hindi but then I realized that most people I am around speak Telagu so it didn't really help.
When traveling to Hyderabad you will fly in to Begumpet Airport. It's in north Hyderbad (apparently they are building an international airport about 2 hours outside of Hyd, that should be open in April 2008). When you arrive you will basically be in the center of the city. Most of the large international companies are located about 30 minutes away (without traffic) in High Tech City. On the way to this area you will drive through Jubilee and Banajara Hills. These are the most affluent areas of Hyderabad where there are many nice hotels, restaurants and shopping.
Places To See:
Charminar is the top place to visit in Hyderabad as it is in the old city. It is 90% Muslim, so don't go there on Friday's as that is prayer day. You should not go alone, take a driver with you if possible that can show you around. It is very crowded and can be overwhelming. Women should dress very conservatively in this area, and hold on to your valuables. If you go around 10:30 am, this is the best time as shops are just opening so it isn't as busy. This area is know for bangles and Indian clothing so if you want either of these this is the place. The actual Charminar is a squarish structure with four towers in the four corners of the square, each of whose sides is 20 metres in length. Every side opens into a plaza through giant arches, which overlook four major thoroughfares and dwarf other features of the building except the minarets. To go to the top expats pay 100 rupees (it is much cheaper for Indian nationals) and you can see a wonderful view of the entire city. It is definitely worth it.
Charminar
Mecca Masjid
Golkonda Fort is the other main attraction in Hyderabad. It's in west Hyderbad, about 1.5 hours from the City Center. It is where Muslim rulers use to live with their armies for protection. It's very beautiful and from the top has an amazing view of all of Hyderabad. I believe the cost to get in for foreigners is 100 rupees. Once there you will be approached by several tour guides, don't take the ones standing outside the fort. Get one that is inside and hired by the fort. Make sure to negotiate the price beforehand, I paid 300 rupees which was still way too much but the guy started at 800 rupees. I am normally not a tour guide type person but it helps in the fort. The tour guide walks really fast up to the top of the fort so it is a really good work out. If you go when it is really hot make sure you bring water as it is a tough hike.
Golkonda Fort
Hyderabad has a large lake called Hussain Sagar Lake. It has a road that you can drive on around it called Necklace Road. The lake is very close to the airport. There are many parks around here that you can lounge in and just hang out and relax. During October/November during the Ganesh Festival's you can watch people do their traditional drive to the lake with large Ganesha's in the back of trucks and then they drop them in the lake. It's fun and interesting to see people dancing in the streets and celebrating. Also on the lake is a nice restaurant called The Waterfront Restaurant. It has Indian and Chinese food and a great view of the lake.
Every November there is the Hyderabad 10K and Half Marathon Race aroud Hussian Sagar Lake. It's really fun and a great way to get out with the locals and get some exercise. I ran it this year and it was one of most fun things I have done while in Hyderabad. As November gets closer you can go to the web site (linked above) and find out where to register. It was only 150 rupees to register and I got a really nice red dri-fit top. And if you don't want to register you can just show up!
Hyderabad 10K RaceEating:
Here are other restaurant suggestions, although most are on the high end for India, 500 INR per person. Also alcohol is very expensive in India, $5 - $10 U.S. per drink unless you order beer.
Little Italy - Italian/Mexican (one of the favorites)
Our Place - Indian
Angeethi - Indian
Fusion 9 - Indian/Asian Fusion (one of the favorites)
Mochas - American/Indian Food and hookah bar
The Grill Room - American food with a mix of Indian (you can get a steak here)
Zaffron Laguna - Mediterranean
Hyderabad house - Indian (this is probably more for people that have adjusted to Indian food) very cheap, one in Madhapur and one in Jubilee Hills
Pizza Hut - all over Hyderabad
Domino's - all over Hyderabad
Marriott - all types (great brunch)
Sheraton - all types
Novatel - all types
Taj Krishna - all types
Barista - coffee shop like Starbuck's
Cafe Coffee Day - coffee shop like Starbuck's
Bottles and Chimney - popular bar/club with great appetizers
O Fen Bakery - American type bakery that also serves Italian food
Mainland China - Chinese Food
McDonald's - does not serve beef, some of the chicken sandwiches have some Indian flavor to them (same great fries)
Basil - Vegitarean Italian with Indian influence, also serves Chinese
Peshwari - Indian food
Subway Sandwiches - all over Hyderabad
Baskin Robbins Ice Cream
Tex Mex - surprisingly good Mexican food Plot No 217, road No. 2 Banjara Hills
Q Mart - this is a "foreigners" market, it's very expensive but I can get many things from the U.S. and Europe such as cheeses, meats, vegetables etc.
Night Life:
Bottles N' Chimneys: Loud bar/dance club, but fun, plays a lot of techno, near airport
Liquids: Banjara Hills
10 Downing (Irish type of pub, has karoake nights)
Ahala (at the Taj Krishna) Thursday is the best day to go (this is my favorite dance club, but drinks are very expensive) plays some hip hop and other fun techno mixes
FrangiPani in City Center - loud dance club/bar
Shopping:
About 10 minutes from the airport are two large malls, City Center and Hyderabad Central. These don't have much as far as traditional Indian souveniours, it's mostly high end clothing stores and on the top of most malls are really nice restaurants. I wouldn't recommend shopping at these malls if you are only in Hyderabad for a short time and want to take gifts and things back. I'll get to the best shopping in a bit.
Shilparamam located in High Tech City is an outdoor market (my favorite place in Hyd). It costs 20 rupees to get in and once inside there are so many things, pottery, clothing, shawls, paintings, jewelery, wood and marble handicrafts, toys, and much more. It opens at 11am and stays open pretty late, around 9 pm I think. The weekends are the best time to go as more shops are there so you have many more options.
Handicrafts:
Here are some good places to get higher quality handicrafts (but you will have to pay for it): The Kashmir Emporium: G2, 1302 to 1304, Lake View Plaza, Opp. Taj Banjara Entrance, Beside Tata Motors, Roa No. 1, Banjara Hills
Handicraft - de' - India: G2-A Alpha Business Centre, Near Nagarjuna Circle, Road #1, Banjara Hills (this one is pretty pricey but high quality)
Kashmir Cottage Emporium: #6-3-456/24/1, Dwrakapuri Colony, Near Model House, Pnajagutta.
Saga: Municipal No: 8-2-601/A2, Plot No. 2, Road No. 10, Banjara Hills (this has nice carpets and will ship them back to wherever you live)
Jewelery/Pearls: Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls and it has really nice pearls at good prices, so I really suggest you take a look at some shops.
Mystique Designs: This is a jewelery shop that has all sorts of beautiful stones, you choose the stones you like and they string you a necklace or earrings right there. 8-2-601/G, Road No. 10, Banjara Hills.
Shri Cauvery Pearls: Don't buy pearls here, they aren't that high quality, but they have really nice stones like saffires, rubies etc. to make jewelery with. You can tell them exactly what you want. Shop No. 30, Topaz on Amrutha Hills, Panjagutta.
Swati Pearls: This has great pearls at a good price. 5-8-328/3A, OPP Hotel Anmol International Chappel road.
Vaishnavi Pearls: Don't know the address but it is behind Abbots Market.
Music and Books: Walden Books is a great book store chain in Hyderabad. It has a lot of Indian books as well as international best sellers. Any driver should know where one is. There is a large Walden Books by the airport that also has DVD's and is connected to a handicraft shop called Cottage Industries, it's nice but a little expensive.
Himalayan Books is located near Hyderabad Central and has a decent selection of nice books as well.
Music World has a good selection of Hindi movie soundtracks and regular Hindi music as well as some popular American music and DVD's. Shop No 136 & 137 1st Floor,Babukhan Estate, Basheer Bagh.
Hotels:
I am not an expert in hotels here since I have an apartment, but there are quite a few high end places. If you will be working in High Tech city or near Madhapur you would want to try and stay at the Novotel. But if you want to be more in the action, near the restaurants and clubs, then you would stay at the Taj Krishna, Sheraton Kakatiya, or Marriott. These are all very pricey though. The Taj Banjara is in the action and is slightly cheaper as well as Hotel Green Park and Quality Inn Residency Hotel (these all run about 4000 INR per night, $100). If you are looking for cheap guest houses you may want to check a travel book or lonely planet as I don't have the expertise in this area. This is a good site for some cheaper hotel listings:
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