[sanchari]

I have tried Paakashaala near Anantpur and it was decent food. The toilets were clean too

[mtnrajdeep]

Am driving from Bangalore to Hyderabad next week. Will be starting from Whitefield, taking STRR till Devanahalli and then the standard highway.

Is there anything new that I need to watch out for?

[raviemailid]

I have been driving on this route a lot in last 3 years. Last drive was last month. Here is my drive log. My drives are mostly for work and alone, so I don't go looking for stops a lot. This one is also a non stop drive completed in less than 7 hrs.

https://youtu.be/dEA_RQWhtOk?si=BxfEk0AsUXjMk_5E

[gops619]

I got a speeding ticket captured at Jinkala Palli near Kurnool. Just that others can be vary off, its a straight stretch most step on the gas, quite clever these policemen.

[arindambasu13]

Hi all- planning a quick weekend drive over the Good Friday weekend with no specific agenda other than the drive and some good food in Hyderabad. From that perspective :

1. Which area of Hyderabad to stay in ? Not keen on staying in crowded or overly commercial parts. Any hotel recommendations for staying with family?

2. How is the route and anything specific to look out for when doing this drive?

[Paddy19]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Which area of Hyderabad to stay in ? Not keen on staying in crowded or overly commercial parts. Any hotel recommendations for staying with family?

Suggest staying in the Gachibowli/Financial District area. It's right off ORR and will save you when getting in and getting out. There's a Holiday Inn, Courtyard Marriott, Lemon Tree, and Bloom in that area. There's also Hyatt and Sheraton as well as Oakwood service apartments. No personal experience with any.

[nagarjun]

I have been driving on this highway for almost 12-15 years. Day by day we are slowing down quite a bit.

Yesterday, I left Kurnool at 3PM and reached home in Bangalore at 10PM with 2 breaks(both lasting about 1hr in total). There is a significant increase in traffic between Anantapur and Bangalore. Too many trucks and each driving at their own pace and creating clusters. I avoid these clusters by maintaining a gap as much as possible. This further slowed me down.

They better upgrade this highway soon. I am worried about the completion of the greenfield section of the Bangalore-Vijayawada expressway, then it will make the Bangalore to the start point of this expressway a nightmare with more traffic.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Which area of Hyderabad to stay in ? Not keen on staying in crowded or overly commercial parts. Any hotel recommendations for staying with family?

I recently stayed at Red Fox by Lemon Tree Hotels, Hitech City. It is essentially an "economy" brand under Lemon Tree Hotels but honestly speaking, I found nothing lacking in terms of basic comfort and amenities. Biggest plus point for me - they have a huge parking lot! Of course, if you want to splurge then there are ample options in the area like Radisson, etc.

How is the route and anything specific to look out for when doing this drive?

Road conditions are excellent for the most part barring a few diversions but as noted by nagarjun below, truck traffic was exceptionally high. I have driven Bangalore - Hyderabad multiple times in the past, last one being about a year and a half back but when I drove the stretch last week, truck traffic was just insanely high in comparison - they were all over the place, varying sizes and varying speeds. Due to this, one just cannot keep up a steady pace. I came across innumerable instances of 2 trucks driving side by side at x kmph and (x+1) kmph, testing your patience as you twiddle your thumbs over the steering wheel! I thanked my stars for driving an AT car I was also on the lookout for speed traps, as reported by many members here but could not locate any, maybe due to the odd time of my drive (I started from Bangalore around noon).

I stopped at Paakashala @ Anantpur for a quick lunch. Food & service were okay but the overall upkeep of the place left much to be desired. There were quite a few new joints that seem to have come up since I drove last on this stretch but no first-hand experience to share.

All in all, a pleasant drive which can possibly be marred by high truck traffic.

Originally Posted by nagarjun

Day by day we are slowing down quite a bit

Could not agree more! It was not too long ago when I could do Devanahalli - Shamshabad (Nehru ORR entry point) in 6.5-7 hours hours, all the while driving at steady speeds of 100-110 kmph and one lunch break. This time it took me almost 8.5 hours, mostly due to insanely high truck traffic. I thought it was just a one off but going by your post (and you being a regular on this route), looks like times have changed, for the worse. This highway desperately needs to be widened to a 6 (or even 8) laned one.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Could not agree more! It was not too long ago when I could do Devanahalli - Shamshabad (Nehru ORR entry point) in 6.5-7 hours hours, all the while driving at steady speeds of 100-110 kmph and one lunch break. This time it took me almost 8.5 hours, mostly due to insanely high truck traffic. I thought it was just a one off but going by your post (and you being a regular on this route), looks like times have changed, for the worse. This highway desperately needs to be widened to a 6 (or even 8) laned one.

The truck traffic is especially very bad on the Kurnool - Hyderabad stretch. And I don't see any sign of 6-8 lane conversion which is very much required.

I also see the number of speed breakers going up every-time.

[Revvatron]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

The truck traffic is especially very bad on the Kurnool - Hyderabad stretch. And I don't see any sign of 6-8 lane conversion which is very much required.

I also see the number of speed breakers going up every-time.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Could not agree more! It was not too long ago when I could do Devanahalli - Shamshabad (Nehru ORR entry point) in 6.5-7 hours hours, all the while driving at steady speeds of 100-110 kmph and one lunch break. This time it took me almost 8.5 hours, mostly due to insanely high truck traffic. I thought it was just a one off but going by your post (and you being a regular on this route), looks like times have changed, for the worse. This highway desperately needs to be widened to a 6 (or even 8) laned one.

I accidentally started on Sunday(Ram Navami) around 9am from Kadapa so reached Kurnool post 12. I was dreading the traffic especially around Jedcharla but surprisingly there was none. I think it was the combination of afternoon heat due to summer so two wheelers and three wheelers were non-existent. Also very minimal trucks probably due to lunch time. Then last Sunday one of my relative started from Hyderabad around 2 pm and surprisingly they too reached Kurnool within 3 hours.
I think afternoon time is the new "early morning beat the traffic" slot

[mtnrajdeep]

I did the drive on 6th April. I started from Whitefield at 5:00 AM and reached home in Secunderabad at 2:40 PM. Surprisingly, city traffic was minimal due to the festival. We had 2 stops, breakfast at Blue Moon and a coffee break at Food Pyramid. I maintained max speed of 99 (GPS speed using Torque App). I was able to drive using cruise control for quite a lot.

Speeds dropped after Kurnool mainly due to the fear of interceptors. I ran Radarbot app in the background and slowed down wherever I got a warning. Thankfully - did not get any challans till now.

Between Jadcherla and Hyderabad, there is road expansion work in progress with deep excavations on the left. Thankfully, this did not result in any bottlenecks.

[vkivaturi]

Hyderabad to Bangalore drive - 5 places with good food and family friendly restrooms
I have done a Hyderabad-Bangalore-Hyderabad recently (May 2025). Previous trip was in 2021. This time, there are surprisingly multiple options for food and family friendly restrooms. Here is the list:

1. Kanchi Cafe, near Kurnool - This place looked clean and hygiene. Reviews are also good. Decent parking.

2. McDonalds, near Anantapur - This is a very clean place. Looks new. Very well organized, professional staff. Restrooms are little cramped but very clean. This outlet is attached to a petrol. That petrol pump also has clean restrooms and it has a convenience store + cafe as well. A good place to stop.

3. Cube Stop, between Anantapur & Penukonda - This food court looked very neat. There is a KFC as well.

4. Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B), Kia Factory - Large building, air conditioned and looked very clean. It is right next to Kia factory.

5. Big Bay, 1 hour before Devanahalli - This is perhaps the best of all. Very clean restrooms and a large number of quality food outlets. Absolutely lovely place.

Hyderabad to Anantapur stretch has just 1 good option (Kanchi cafe). Anantapur to Bangalore stretch has plenty of options.

[Porsche_123]

Hello everyone! I recently joined the Team—BHP Community and wanted to share my experience of traveling from Hyderabad (HYD) to Bangalore (BLR).

We started our journey at 9 AM after checking the tire pressure on all four tires with a compact air compressor that my dad had bought. The tire pressure was a precise 33 PSI on all tires. We took this precaution because we had received online updates about floods in northern Karnataka.

As we hit the road, I began counting the cool cars on the highway. I spotted three Porsches, along with countless Mercedes and BMWs. About 200 km from Hyderabad, while we were listening to old Hollywood country songs, we experienced a drizzle. Assuming that the storm had passed, we continued to cruise at 90-100 km/h. The road was clear, and my dad was giving me driving tips while we noted how some drivers chaotically handled their cars. Lane discipline in India can be quite messy, with constant lane cutting, and the lack of government regulation only adds to this issue. The road quality is often poor, and there's always the risk of encountering cows or unexpected bikers.

As the storm rolled in, I turned on the hazard lights and switched the music to heavy metal. The storm intensified, reducing visibility to about 10-20 meters. We could barely see the speed breakers, and the conditions were quite frightening.

As we got closer to Bangalore, the sun began to break through the clouds, and we stopped for a quick restroom break at a restaurant, where I enjoyed a much-needed cup of coffee. I must mention that the Bangalore-Mumbai highway is significantly better, featuring three lanes and improved traffic distribution. In contrast, the road we travelled on had only two lanes and was much more congested with heavy trucks.

We reached home at 8:30 PM. Overall, it was quite a fun ride, and I learned some valuable lessons along the way.

[Mortis]

You are not supposed to turn on the hazard lights unless the car is at a stop.