1. There are a lot of temples and churches to visit, or if that doesn't interest you, relaxing at the beach is a good idea. 2. For the adventurous, the western ghats near Mangalore provide an ideal location to get lost in the dense jungles. 3. 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 etc., all in one place.

Temples

Venkataramana Temple, Gokarnanatha, Kadri, Mangaladevi

Churches

St. Aloysious, Milagris

Beaches

Mangalore has two beautiful beaches:

• Someshwar Beach is located 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 swinmming. 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.
• Tannirbhavi Beach is located 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.

By plane

Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) (ICAO: VOML), at Bajpe, about 30 km from the city centre. Currently there are daily flights to Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai (with a stop in Bangalore), Goa, Kochi and Calicut in the domestic segment and weekly/bi-weekly flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat (Oman), Doha (Qatar) and Bahrain in the international segment.

Alliance Air (a subsidiary airline of Indian - one of the national carriers), Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Air Deccan and Air India Express currently operate flights to Mangalore.

By train

Mangalore has two big railway stations.

• Mangalore Central (IR station code : MAQ) is located at Hampankatta, in the heart of the city. It is a terminus and is used only by the trains which terminate at Mangalore.
• Mangalore Junction (IR station code : KNKD) is situated in Kankanady, about 5 km from the city centre. Most long-distance trains and all trains not terminating at Mangalore stop at this station.

Here is a list of useful trains to reach Mangalore:

Also see Rail travel in India

By bus

There are two bus-stands in Mangalore for long-distance bus services.

• One is the state-run KSRTC bus-stand in Bejai, located towards the North of the city, but not far off from the city centre. The bus-services are run by the [www.ksrtc.in Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation]. They operate scheduled bus services to Mumbai, Bangalore, Mysore, Goa, Hubli-Dharwad and many other areas within and outside Karnataka. Services run by the Kerala State Transport and Tamil Nadu State Transport and Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation also call in Mangalore at this very bus-stand.

• The other one is behind the Town Hall. It is known as the 'State Bank' stand by the locals, because of its proximity to a branch of the State Bank of India. It is the last stop for most of the private bus services to Mangalore (mostly Inter-District viz. Mangalore-Udupi and Inter-taluk buses).

• There is a third bus-stand (not exactly a bus-stand but an 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 etc.

• Various other pick-up points and drop points are there in Mangalore city according to your convenience!

There are numerous 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 (towards Goa and Mumbai) - NH-17, South (towards Kerala) and the East (towards Bangalore) - NH-48.

By car

Mangalore is well connected to Goa, Mumbai, and Kerala via NH-17, to the state capital Bangalore via NH-48, and to Hyderabad via NH-13. Highways are only two-laned and very narrow, but make for extremely scenic drives as they all pass either through the Western Ghats or along the coastline. There is a lot of heavy traffic load on the highways owing to the increasing number of buses plying on these routes, as well as a lot of goods-transport trucks owing to the location of many plants and factories as well as New Mangalore Port on NH-17. So exercise caution while driving during periods of heavy traffic.

NH-48 from Sakleshpur to Mangalore, which had been completely unmotorable thanks to government apathy, is now repaired and somewhat motorable. Work is going on to convert NH-48 into a four-lane highway. Until they do this, one needs to go to Mangalore from Bangalore either through the potentially dangerous Charmadi Ghat road, or via the equally pathetic Mysore-Madikeri-Suliya route.

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 - 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 - 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 Rs. 3.25 If you are a student then you can avail concession on bus fares,that is, you just have ot pay 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 Rs. 14 to Rs. 35 for a distance up to 65 km.

By cab

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), etc. Prepaid cabs are available from the airport to the city - this is generally at a flat rate of Rs. 350-400.

Car-Rent facilities are also available in Mangalore.

By Autorickshaws

They are available all throughout Mangalore City - starting fare is Rs.13. 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 a one-and-a-half fare; this is roughly around Rs.150, depending on the amount of money you have spare to blow. Although, one would prefer using buses to reach these areas as a cheaper mode of transport.call 9845548140 for maxicabs for site seeing.

There is no dearth of malls and shopping complexes in Mangalore. Apart from Hampankatta , Balmatta, Kankannady and posh Falnir , most of the new malls are coming up on the MG Road which is a dual carriageway. The "Empire Mall" has the Nilgiris supermarket, Coffee Day, Pizza Corner, Dollar store and few other retail chains .

The "Bharath Mall" has Adlabs 4 screen Multiplex, Big Bazaar,Food Bazaar, PlanetM, Pizza Hut, Pantaloons, Coffee Day, Subway, Adidas, Reebok, Provogue, Planet Sports, Swawroski, Lewis just to name a few. The Saibeen complex is also located on MG Road. Another mall, the "Mohtisham City Centre Mall", is coming up on K S Rao road. It has a retail space of almost 800,000 square feet. Spencers, McDonalds, Westside, Reliance Fresh, Landmark, Shoppers Stop have already booked their spaces. The mall will also feature a 6 screen multiplex called 'Fun Cinemas'.

The Bangalore based Prestige group is investing about 300 crores for their upcoming 625,000 sq feet mall 'Forum' near AB Shetty Circle and is targeted to be fully functional by November 2008. Another mall is expected to be built opposite to the TMA Pai International convention centre on MG Road.

'Excel Mall', 'Mischief Mega Mall', mak-mall,spectrum,'Time Square', 'Pio Mall', 'Golden Harvest Mall','Mangalore Central Mall' are the upcoming malls in Mangalore.

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.

One of the more famous Udupi-style restaurants is the Woodlands situated on Bunts Hostel Road which has preserved its old-world quaintness. The gentry of Mangalore drive into its courtyard and remain seated in their cars. Nimble-footed waiters with their white mundus hitched up scamper around to serve them their food which is eaten inside the cars.

The lunch menu in Woodlands is particularly tasty if you like typical South Indian food. Lunch includes two varieties of rice - Normal rice and Boiled rice (Kerala style). The tiffin menu (evening) also is delicious with several choices. The dinner menu is very plain and contains many repeat dishes.

• Taj Mahal, located in three different locations in Mangalore (Car Street, Hampankatta & Town hall). 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.

• Hotel Ayodya is famous for authentic Mangalore style food items. Try appa, ghee dose, vastad roti, parota/tingalavare song.

• Janata Deluxe is also serves authentic Udipi style food items.

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 (Veg-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).
• Chicken Tikka Halal (Saibeen complex)
• Biryani Paradise (Kankanady-Pumpwell road).
• 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.

• Narayana Hotel at Bunder is famous for delicious Mangalore style fish fry with fish curry rice.
• Anupama (Bunts Hostel)
• Maharaja (near Jyoti)
• Kings Court (highway near Kottara Chowki)
• Madhuvan Village (Yeyyadi)
• Phalki (Jyothi circle)

Kerala cuisine

Another category of small eateries is the Malayali joints. As Mangalore is adjacent to Kerala, it has a fair share of Malayalis who patronize these places. You will see that these eateries have their names written in large letters in the Malayalam script. They provide a selection of non-vegetarian food prepared in typical Kerala-style. A famous place to cite in this category would be Kairali Restaurant - near the Railway Station behind Milagres Church.

Premium Restaurants

If you're ready to spend a little more money to give yourself and your family that perfect tummy treat while in Mangalore, visit the various restaurants around which offer varied cuisines of your choice and taste - at a price! The 'Chicken Ghee Roast', which is a delicacy specifically of Dakshina Kannada is available at many of the premium restaurants.

Some of the famous restaurants:

• Abhiman Residency, Kadri Road near Bunts Hostel.
• Paalkhi, (Balmatta Road)
• Maharaja, Bunts Hostel Road.
• Kadal, Light House Hill Road (Nalapad Residency).
• Kudla, Balmatta Road.
• Diesel Café, Mischief - SCS Hospital Road, Balmatta.
• Amazon, Mg Road, Empire mega mall.
• Trisha, (Padavinangadi)
• Pegz, K.S.Rao Road, Veg Bar n restaurant.
• Mahduvan Village, Yeyyadi.
• Mughul Treat,Falnir, Highlands.
• Pegasus, Jeppina Moger.
• Royal Durbar, Kankanady.

Ice cream and Snacks

If you scream for ice cream and other snacks - the usual fare of junk food, look no further than Mangalore. This is often labelled 'ice cream town' for the boom in the number of parlours in and around the city. Some of the most famous ones include:

• Ideals', Hampankatta. There are three parlours (2 ideals, proximity located 200 metres of one another. One is located near the Milgres junction and the other one is near the next junction heading towards the market) 3rd one Pabba's, at Lalbagh diagonally facing Saibeen Complex . Ideals is marked as one of the best ice cream in DK, when you are in mangalore this is a must try place.
• Komal's, Hampankatta - adjacent to Ideals (Milagres junction).
• Pabba's, at Lalbagh diagonally facing Saibeen Complex. Is also one of the outlets of Ideals
• Cherry Square, Next to SCS Hospital.
• Dino's, Awesome snacks and pasteries.
• Bon Bons Bakery, Yeyyadi, near Madhuvan Village. Awesome French Cakes and pastries, one should tryout.
• Cream Caramel, Saibeen. Mouth watering pastries, cakes, pizzas & bproducts.
• Complex's, "Joofris" in the ground floor.
• Danish Bakes, Bendorewell Road. (A.R.D'Souza Complex)
• Snack-Shack, (beside Move'n'Pick Supermarket at Valencia)
• Pop Tates, Balmatta.
• Prax, Kadri Road and many others
• Mahalaxmi Sweets and Chaats, Kankanady.
• Cochin Bakery Three outlets throughout Mangalore - at Ceebees tower on Old Pumpwell Road (Kankanady), at A.B. Shetty Circle (near State Bank) and at Nanthoor (opposite Padua High School).
• IceBerg, Souza Arcade, Opposite Jyothi Talkies, Balmatta.
• Freeze, Highlands.
• Minimelts ice cream, available in Saibeen, Bharath Mall and Emipire Mall

International Flavours

If you're in for the other famous & international eating places, try:

• Domino's Pizza (Bendorwell - next to Colaco Hospital)
• Pizza Hut (Bharath Mall)
• Pizza Corner (Empire Mall)
• Yo! China (Empire Mall)
• Cafe Coffee Day (Bharath Mall, Empire Mall & Oberle Towers, Balmatta)
• Hao Ming Chinese Restaurant (Balmatta)
• Bon Bons Bakery (Yeyyadi, near Madhuvan Village) Excellent Cakes and pastries, one should tryout.
• U.S.Pizza

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. Although, this is not recommended if your gut is not immune to such juices! Normal restaurants would definitely be a hygienic alternative!

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' for taste. If you want to have hygienically flavoured sugarcane juice, then you will find a joint in the Bharath Mall. You will wonder how much technology has changed these days!

Another must visit place is the Temple Square (carstreet). The juice shop to check out is the one located between School book company & 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 upto you to explore.The juice shop perfectly complements the fried delicacies served at "Ballu's podi" located right across the street.

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 new outlets opened recently - 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.

Or 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.

Tender Coconut Juice

One thing that you should not miss when you're in Mangalore is the coconut juice (the Bonda) - that'll drive you crazy and you'll be asking for more! Try out chilled coconut juice in case you happen to visit Jimmy's Supermarket (Falnir Road) - there's a tea/coffee/juice stand next to it which serves awesome chilled coconut juice! this shop is known is R B juice corner

Alcohol

And yes... if you're looking for that perfect night out with friends over a couple of beers or vodka, you can either buy your liquor from the many wineshops around - for example, HI-SPIRITS (Bendoorwell-Kankanady) or you can check out the various resto-bars/lounge bars in the city. Some of the famous ones include:

• The Liquid Lounge (Balmatta Road - the general youth hangout!)
• Pegasus (Jeppinamogaru - near Fisheries College). It's very expensive but is a great place to hang out.
• Kainos (at Abhiman Residency - Bunts Hostel Area)
• Zero Degree at the Pailands Plaza (above Jimmy's Supermarket - Falnir Road).
• Village (Yeyyadi road)
• Amazon (Empire mega mall, M.G.Road Lalbagh)
• Mangala Bar n' Restaurant (Opp. Retreat House, Valencia)
• Froth on Top (Balmatta)
• Wine Gate (Balmatta)