Take an evening stroll at RK Beach, it shall be a thrilling experience, it offers good pedestrian tracks, beautiful parks, museums, beaches and some wonderful open air restaurants.

Must want is the sunrise or a moonrise on a full moon day at Tennati Park on the Vizag-Bhimili Beach Road it's truely a feast to the nature lovers. The sea looks orange in colour and is a wonderful sight.

A must visit is Kailashgiri 6 km away from the city centre. There is a park on the hill top, from here one can see a beautiful view of the city, the sea and Eastern Ghats merging into the sea. One can take a ropeway directly facing sea and city. On the hill top there is a beautiful toy train that give a glimpse of the beauty of nature that one can think of. There are several view points that give a pleasant look of the nature. This place unlike other hill stations is not yet commercial. One can have a very leisure time without being disturbed by tourist guides. Once you come down from Kailashgiri one should visit Tenneti Beach Park. Its picture perfect scenic beauty along with luxuriant carpet grass intertwined with concrete pathways makes it the most revered place for romantic couples. There are several points from which the beautiful rocky beach down beneath can be seen. That location is favorite for cinema shootings. Many Telugu, Tamil and Hindi movies are shooted. The climax scene of Hindi Movie " Ek Dhuje ke liye", in which Rati Agnihotri after getting raped drowns into the sea. Actually most of the people may not be aware that the movie is Shooted in Vizag but not in Goa as they say in the movie. This movie was a remake of Telugu movie "Maro Charitra". One more view point is there in the park which is about 50 ft in elevation that gives a beautiful view of the sea, beach road and the beach park.

Also, if you have a couple of days in your pocket, don't miss the train journey from Visakhapatnam to Araku which is the most enjoyable train route in the state. There is only one train to Araku(popularly called as "Andhra Ooty")from Vizag which starts at 7:40am at Vizag railway station. That is a 4 hour journey in the eastern ghats which covers many tunnels and valleys on the way. Don't forget to remember take a snap at "Shimiliguda" railway station in the route, which is the highest railway station in India on broad gauge track.

Vizag is truly an amazing city, and those interested in nightlife, visit Chrome. Chrome is the hottest night club in the city, and is the number one place to be on a saturday night.

Vizag is a city that is advancing fast, and with these new advancements, the local people of the city are smoothly adapting to the changes. For example, vizag recently got its first Cafe Coffee Day (a nationwide chain of coffeehouses that serve good coffee, food, and play music that attract customers), and within the first month of opening, the cafe was packed, and it was hard to find a table.

The last two years(2006 and 2007) have probably been the most improving and advancing years for Vizag(untill now which is the end of 2007), with the construction of new hotels, restaurants, museums, and clubs.

Vizag, the city of destiny, is truly worth visiting.

Beaches

More than anything else, Vizag is known for its beaches. It boasts a number of beaches that are both scenic and uncrowded. A few virgin beaches span along the eastern side of the city and stretch for miles. Do not go swimming, however, as the water is quite polluted with industrial waste. A spectacular beach only the locals are aware of is called the "Yarada" beach. Unfortunately, except for the occasional RTC bus, there is no public transport available. Still, the adventurous will find it rewarding if they can make an effort to get there. Its a private beach coming under Agrigold plantations therefor you need to pay a fee of Rs. 10/- to get onto the beach, but its worth.

• Ramakrishna Beach, also known as R.K. Beach. R.K.Beach is the most popular beach in the sense that, you can find the locals hanging out during the hot summers, and relatively less hot winters. On weekends and holidays, one can see that the entire beach comes alive, but not in a western sense where people take a plunge in the water, or surf. You can see people dressed in their best clothes, just sitting on the benches, or walking along.

CAUTION!!! A lot of people have died while swimming.

• Rushikonda. 11 km away from the city, this has become a popular tourist spot that even the locals frequent. A lot safer to wade into than the R.K. Beach, cradled among hills, this used to be an excellent beach away from the madding crowds. AP Tourism Development Corporation is having its Beach Resort (Punnami) on the hillside overlooking the beach.

CAUTION!!! A lot of people have died while swimming in this beautiful beach.

• Gangavaram. 10 to 12 km away from city, this is most beautiful beach, the most interesting thing is we can see rock like structure in between see like a small island which attracts lot of people. It's a hot spot for local people mostly lovers.

• Bhimili About 25 km from the city and is what used to be a small village also called Bheemunipatnam. Apart from the beach, the village has Portuguese remains in the form of a cemetery and a church.

The beaches are lovely, but, there are no activities like water sports, or beach cafes/restaurants/huts like you have in Goa. Recently a water sports centre was started in Rushikonda. There are very few beach resorts. Vizagites are traditionally quite conservative and though the beaches and the hills are beautiful, there is not much here to interest the average tourist. There has been some change in the recent times with the influx of employees of HSBC, HPCL, etc., and Naval Officers, who are interested in going out with their families and enjoying the golden sand and pollution free waters of Vizag's beaches.

Other places

• Kambalakonda.

A gorgeous nature preserve that many people in Vizag itself seem to be unaware of. The solitude and the peace that one can experience at Kambalakonda located within 20-25 minutes drive from the city center is priceless. A nominal entrance fee of 10 Rupees is charged per adult. The greenery, the hiking trail and the fantastic view of the ocean from the rather flimsy viewing tower give a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

• Jagadamba Center.

Also called Jagadamba junction. Can be considered as Downtown and is a must visit place. There is all forms of entertainment available here, from scenic beauty to the noisy crowds. All the famous shopping centers and malls can be found here. Named after the Jagadamba movie theatre, one of the best movie auditoriums of the country when it was constructed and even today.

• Kailasa Giri

A local favourite, a short ride on to this hill gives you a spectacular view of the sea, RK.Beach and Rushikonda Beach on right and left hand side. There is a huge sculpture of Shiva and Parvathi. With a children's play area, a people-mover akin to a ski lift called a ropeway. Beautiful scenic view can be obtained from the ropeway, specially in the evening, when the city comes alive with all the lights. The up and down fare for the ropeway is Rs. 44. (As of Dec.2006). An under construction doll museum and a couple of eating areas, this hilltop gives a nice birds eye view of the city also. Has several "viewpoints" affording wonderful views of the city on one side and winding beaches adjoining green hills on the other side. Visitors often fall in love with the "beach" city especially after vistiting Kailasagiri.

• War Memorial

• Matsyadarshini Aquarium

This aquarium is situated on the left side of Kali temple of R.K. Beach. It has a good collection of marine as well as freshwater fishes. Entry fee is Rs. 20 per person. (As of Dec. 2006). The exit gate of the aquarium resembles the open mouth of a huge white tipped shark. 'Kala Shrusti' a handicrafts sales shop is on the top of the aquarium.

• Araku Valley.

A little further away from the city, but worth visiting for the scenic valley. A slow, passenger train leaves the Vizag station early in the morning, and the train ride is actually very enjoyable. Definitely not a day trip, but the recently constructed APTDC facilities can serve as a decent over night stay. Padmavathi botanical gardens is worth taking a look at.

• Borra Caves.

Reputedly fantastic caverns that had their native charm earlier (one had to crawl to get in), these caves have been modernized recently by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).There is a entry fee of Rs. 25 in Borra Caves. Separate charges are there to enter with still or video camera.

• Simhachalam

A must see on a trip to Visakhapatnam, for its architectural splendour although some of the sculptures were defaced during the Islamic invasions. The temple inscriptions date the earliest donors to the 10-11th centuries. The exact date of construction is unknown. It is located 15 km from the city and is dedicated to the half man half lion avatar of Lord Vishnu. The temple bears reference to the Chola and Chalukya styles of architecture.

• Ross Hill

A unique site to see is the area around Ross hill which has three hills dedicated to three different faiths in proximity to the port. Ross Hill, named after a certain Monsieur Ross who built a house on it in 1864, it has now been converted into a chapel Mother Mary's Church. The pathway to the shrine strewn with Catholic icon. Darga Pahad has the tomb of the Muslim saint, Sayed Ali Medina alias Ishak Medina, visited by Hindu and Muslim devotees alike. Attached to this is a mosque. Sri Venkateswara Konda, the third hillock, has a temple dedicated to the Lord. It is believed to have been built by an Englishman, Captain Blackmoor, in the 19th century. From this hillock you can see the port channel, which was the entrance of the inner harbor for ships and liners.

Museums

• Submarine Museum is a one of its kind museum created in a real (now de-commisioned) submarine of Indian Navy.This is the first of its kind in eastern asia. This submarine is one of the earliest submarine procured from Russia. One gets to interesting facts of working in the submarine. The museum is manned by retired naval people. Entry fee for the museum is Rs.25 for the adults and there is a fee to take any camera or video camera inside.
• Naval Museum is one more museum about maritime history of India. Again its a lovely museum displaying pictures, models and content of Indian maritime history.

• Buddhist excavations Bojjana Konda, Thotla Konda, Bhavi Konda and Salihundam around Visakhapatnam were centres of Buddhism during the second century A.D. Several Buddhist monuments such as stupas and chaityas were erected at these places. It is said that some of the corporal relics of the Buddha were preserved at these places. Hence all these places became sacred places.
  • Bojjana Konda, near Sankaram village in the hamlet of Anakapalli, 40 km from Visakhapatnam, is one such place, where one can find architectural remnants of the Buddhist period, one of the earliest of its class in South India. It constitutes one of the most remarkable groups of Buddhist monuments dated from 200 BC to 700 AD, found during excavations in 1906. On the eastern hill, there are a series of rock-cut caves, numerous groups of monolithic dagobas, standing on rock platform in tiers above each others and, crowning all, a rock-cut stupa with extensive structural remains. On the western side of the eastern hill is a stairway, partly rock-cut and partly structural, which leads up to a large double-storied cave. The cave is entered by a doorway and is flanked on each side by huge dwarapalas. The cave chamber is rectangular in shape and is divided into 20 compartments by four cross rocks of 16 massive pillars. In the centre is the rock-cut stupa standing on a square platform.

By air

By train

Visakhapatnam is on Kolkata-Chennai main line and is connected to both the cities by train. This being a major station, all trains including the super fast expresses have a stop in the station. Visakhapatnam station is in the east coast railways and will be very soon having 10 platforms.The first in east coast railways to have these many platforms.

All platforms can accommodate trains with 28 coaches. Please verify the timings with [[1] Indian Railways], since they change from time to time.

From Hyderabad

• Godavari Express - departs daily from Hyderabad Deccan Station at 5:15PM and from Secunderabad at 5:45 PM, arrives the following morning in Visakhapatnam at 6AM.
• Visakha Express (On route to Bhubhaneswar) - departs daily from Secunderabad Station at 5PM, arrives the following morning in Visakhapatnam at 7AM. Takes a much longer route (via Nadikudi).
• Falaknuma express(On route to Howrah) - departs daily from Secunderabad Station at 4PM, arrives the following morning in Visakhapatnam at 3:30AM. Faster than the Godavari express. Convenient.
• East Coast Express (Hyderabad Deccan-Howrah)

From New Delhi

• Link Express
• Samatha Express
• Swarna Jayanthi Express
• Hirakudh Express

From Mumbai

• Konark Express

From Vijayawada

• Ratnachal Express
• Janmabhoomi Express
• Vijaywada-Visakhapatnam Passenger
• Other weekly trains are also available. Check [[2] the Indian Railways] for details.

From Chennai

• Coromandal Express (This train is the fastest train passing through Andhra Pradesh at 140 kmph. Reserved tickets to Vijayawada and Rajahmumdry are not issued from Chennai.)
• Madras-Howrah Mail
• Other weekly trains are available on some days of the week. Check the Indian Railways for details.

From Bangalore

• Prasanthi express
• Other weekly trains are available on some days of the week. Check [[3] the Indian Railways] for details.

From Kolkata

• Coromandal Express (This train is the fastest train passing through Andhra Pradesh at 140 km/h)
• Howrah-Madras Mail
• Falaknuma Express
• East Coast Express
• Gurudev Express
• Thiruchurapalli Express
• Yeshwantpur Express
• Other weekly trains are available on some days of the week. Check [[4] the Indian Railways] for details.

By road

Visakhapatnam is connected to Chennai and Calcutta via Bhubaneswar and Vijayawada by National Highway 5 (dual-carriageway, 120 km/h).

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Travel Corporation (APSRTC) runs buses from almost every city and town to Vizag, along with some private operators, who run buses from a few of the major cities. Please check with APSRTC for timings. There is also a new Volvo service to Vizag from Chennai, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Kolkata and Hyderabad which is very comfortable and happy going. This is the best way to do it if you wanna travel by bus.

Buses, autos and cabs available for transport.

City buses are available from Dwaraka Bus Complex to almost all places in and around the city. Railway station is just 10 minutes drive from complex. Trains are available for travel to nearby tourist places like Araku

There are many Car Rental Companies available which Provide world Class Services.

• Enterprises Car Rental

• Savaari Car Rental,Savaari Car Rental Visakhapatnam has a reputation for providing quality luxury car rentals Visakhapatnam. For more information on online booking of Rental Car in Visakhapatnam , Website:[5]

• Hertz Car Rental