[kap04]

I'm planning a trip to Tirupati from Blr (starting from Marathahalli) next weekend. The agenda is to start early about 5 AM on Sat ,reach destination by around 10 . And start back to Blr on Sunday early morning.

Which is the best route to take. Intend to have breakfast on the way.

And could anyone recommend a neat and maintained hotel where we can stay a night?

[NPV]

Originally Posted by kap04

I'm planning a trip to Tirupati from Blr (starting from Marathahalli) next weekend. The agenda is to start early about 5 AM on Sat ,reach destination by around 10 . And start back to Blr on Sunday early morning.

Which is the best route to take. Intend to have breakfast on the way.

And could anyone recommend a neat and maintained hotel where we can stay a night?

Since you're leaving early you can take NH4 - from Marathahalli get onto old airport road towards whitefield and proceed straight past kundalahalli junction, whitefield hope farm junction, sai baba ashram and turn right onto NH4 (old madras road). This is better than other options like taking ORR, then joining Old Mds Rd.
4 laning is complete till Mulbagal and road is good. At Kolar on right side you can stop at Woody's for breakfast.
After Mulbagal it's a 2 lane singlr road but road is good.
For more information regarding route (it's straightforward and not confusing) see my earlier posts #236 Pg 16, #251 Pg 17 on the same thread. There are several other very useful posts on this thread by many of our friends and you can get lot of help on accomodation, etc You can also plan a visit to Sri Kalahasti temple.
At Tirupati I stayed at Sindhu International which is good and is on the highway itself at the junction of Tirumala road (good location). Other good hotels are Bhimas (there are 2 of them adjacent to each other) and this is on the way to Tirumala.
Hope this helps.

EDIT:Since you may reach kolar before 6.30am in case Woody's does not have breakast ready you can stop after Mulbagal on Andhra side where couple of decent restaurants are there (forgot the name though).

[ampere]

Originally Posted by kap04

I'm planning a trip to Tirupati from Blr (starting from Marathahalli) next weekend. The agenda is to start early about 5 AM on Sat ,reach destination by around 10 . And start back to Blr on Sunday early morning.

Which is the best route to take. Intend to have breakfast on the way.

And could anyone recommend a neat and maintained hotel where we can stay a night?

As @NPV said, if Woody's is closed, there is a Coffee Day, if you want a break early. Else the other option is take a late break at Chitoor.
You have Hotel Bans at the bypass. Very good place and decent parking.

At Tirupathi, Bhimas is very good. Do note there more than one Bhimas (all run by the same management).
The one I refer to is the Bhimas Paradise, which is close to Bus Station. They also have good parking.

Another point related to getting out Tirupathi is to get on towards Alivelu Mangaipuram and then latch on to the by-pass.
This is a much-much easier approach. The route is link shown below:


NH 205 to NH 205 - Google Maps


If you are starting by noon, there is also a coffee day at Chandragiri
overlooking the fort.

[kap04]

NPV/ampere , you guys are awesome . Thanks a ton. Ill go ahead and plan as you have suggested.

[sdp1975]

How is the condition of Chittoor bypass ? Should it be avoided ?

[kap04]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

How is the condition of Chittoor bypass ? Should it be avoided ?

I just came back yesterday after a 2 day trip to Tirupati. Better to avoid the chitoor bypass, the road is in a very bad condition. If you want to do a stress test on your car to check if it can withstand the rough patches and not give any rattling, it's the road to take. Else, avoid :-)

[sdp1975]

Originally Posted by kap04

I just came back yesterday after a 2 day trip to Tirupati. Better to avoid the chitoor bypass, the road is in a very bad condition. If you want to do a stress test on your car to check if it can withstand the rough patches and not give any rattling, it's the road to take. Else, avoid :-)

Thanks kap04 for the update.

I am assuming that the remaining stretches from Blr->Tirupati are in good shape ? I will be traveling this Sunday with my 2 babies.

[kap04]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Thanks kap04 for the update.

I am assuming that the remaining stretches from Blr->Tirupati are in good shape ? I will be traveling this Sunday with my 2 babies.

The remaining roads were in good shape. The stretch till Mulbagal is 4 lane and you can cruise easily at 80-100km/hr. After that, its a 2 lane , road is good, but you have to pass through some traffic at towns occasionally on the way. Except the chitoor bypass, i didn't encounter any rough patches.

And if you want to get down at Woodys at Kolar which is on the right side, don't miss the service lane , they have kept a board on the road though.

I stayed at Bhima Deluxe, near the railway station. Had booked through makemytrip, the rooms were neat and well kept, and the food at the restaurant is also amazing, a bit expensive though. You would find difficulty in getting parking at the hotel if you arrive at lunchtime on Sat/Sun, as the parking lot would be occupied by the visitors to the restaurant. Except the parking , i found the stay at the hotel comfortable.

The ride from Tirupati to Tirumala uphill was also a breeze, as it was one way. But the ride downhill was tough and took time as traffic was allowed in the opposite direction, and at every hairpin they were controlling the traffic.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by kap04

I stayed at Bhima Deluxe, near the railway station. Had booked through makemytrip, the rooms were neat and well kept, and the food at the restaurant is also amazing, a bit expensive though. You would find difficulty in getting parking at the hotel if you arrive at lunchtime on Sat/Sun, as the parking lot would be occupied by the visitors to the restaurant. Except the parking , i found the stay at the hotel comfortable.

There is Bhimas Paradise too which is also good. You can call them and book without paying any amount.
A day before they call to confirm your arrival. So make sure that you keep telling them you would be there. Since there is no money paid, reservation is based on trust.

[sdp1975]

Returned from a Bangalore Tirupati trip yesterday. Roads till Mulbagal are complete and 4-laned. Can easily maintain speeds of 100+. Toll collection is yet to start.

Roads in Mulbagal->Palamner->Chitoor->Tirupati section are 2-laned but in good condition. Avoided Chitoor bypass since it's not in good condition as advised by kap04.

Stayed in a TTD cottage in Tirumala( 1500/-). Rooms are good and clean, but need to be booked well in advance.

[ajitkumarlb]

All set to head out tomorrow morning to Tirupati in my brand new Scorp AT 4x4...

When will they ever fix the Chittor bypass, its been several years since its been bad certainly good for stress test as as kap04 puts it. I have made the mistake of taking it twice.

This is the first time I am going without planning stay, Bhima Paradise seems to be the best bet as of now...

[roamingrao]

Ajit, We had been to tirumala last week. Despite a small stretch of bad road on the chitoor byepass ( probably 3-4 kms ), i still feel it is worth driving on to avoid nasty chittoor town.

Road through chandragiri town is closed for repairs. This means a round about route to alipiri. Continue on the byepass and turn left towards town as directed by boards. Have a good darshan and enjoy riding your new scorp !

[prabhusati]

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Despite a small stretch of bad road on the chitoor byepass ( probably 3-4 kms ), i still feel it is worth driving on to avoid nasty chittoor town.

I agree with this. Travelled to Tirumala on 21-Sep-11. Passing through Chittoor town is not advisable as the roads are very narrow and can get jammed. The bad stretch of Chittoor bypass should not take more than 10minutes of driving at slow speeds.

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Road through chandragiri town is closed for repairs. This means a round about route to alipiri. Continue on the byepass and turn left towards town as directed by boards. Have a good darshan and enjoy riding your new scorp !

On NH205, you will find a Cafe Coffee day (on the RH side when you are travelling towards Tirupati) right next to a HP petrol station. Just after this is the diversion into Chandragiri town which is closed for repairs. If you continue a little further (less than 1km), you will find a cement arch on the left side. It is a mud road, which goes into a layout, but no houses constructed yet. You can only see mostly the empty sites, but if you travel straight on this for mud road about 200 metres it will join the same road which passes through Chandragiri town and will reach Alipiri. This is much better than taking the other routes further down on the NH205.

[tckanth]

Hi Guys,

I am planning a day trip to Tirumala this Saturday, 01 Oct 2011, and would need your suggestions on the route.

1. Did anyone travel by the Bangalore -> Chintamani -> Madanapalle -> Piler -> Tirupati route recently? I have always traveled by the traditional route, Bangalore-Kolar-Palamner-Chittoor-Tirupati, and I want to explore this route. Is it advisable to do so?

2. Do you guys think the below plan is do-able? considering that it is the time of Brahmostavam.


Thanks a lot for all your help and suggestions.

Regards,
CT

[srimath]

Originally Posted by tckanth

Hi Guys,

I am planning a day trip to Tirumala this Saturday, 01 Oct 2011, ...........

Your plan for darshan in Tirumala is not going to work as there will be lakhs of devotees during the Bhramostavams. You need atleast 1 day in Tirumala to be able to have darshan & even thats a very very optimistic estimate.