Team-BHP - Bangalore - Vijayawada - Vizag - Bhubaneswar : Route Queries

Going via Hyderabad will be less stressful, though longer. You will need to turn left from the Vijaywada-Hyd highway around 1 km after Ramoji Film City, that comes on your left, in order to get onto the ORR and avoid Hyderabad and its traffic completely. After 45 kms on the ORR, you will reach the exit ramp for Bangalore highway. At that point, continuing straight on ORR will take you towards Gachibowli and taking a right will take you to Hyderabad via Shamshabad airport Junction.

At that point of time, you can decide whether to drive further till Kurnool (200 kms) and rest for the night there. Alternatively, you may turn right towards Hyderabad and stay at one of the economy lodges in Shamshabad area, which is around 2 kms away.

Further journey to Bangalore on the next day would either be 7 hours from Shamshabad or 5 hours from Kurnool

Hi!This is my first post on this forum. I feel Bangalore to Vizag is best via Hyderabad and Vijayawada. When I travel on this route I start off in the evening in Vizag at around 6pm and halt at Rajamundry for the night. I start off from Rajamundry at 8 in the morning and reach Bangalore by dinner time. I drive liesurely and take generous halts for the sake of my wife. With minimum halts, this journey can be done in 15 hrs. My friend made this journey in February in 15 hours flat. He started off from Bangalore at 4am and reached Vizag by 730 pm. Minimum halts and he drove at speeds around 120 kph in his Skoda Rapid. The whole stretch from Bangalore to Vizag via Hyderabad and Vijayawada is a dream to drive after the inauguration of Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway in late 2012.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar (Post 3137285)

Now that the NH9 between Vijaywada & Hyderabad is fully 4-laned & the Hyderabad ORR is superb, it is best. The Hyderabad route is longer by just 150 kms, but will be superfast & fully 4-laned.[/url]

I will take this suggestion

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranjitp1 (Post 3137363)

I would suggest do Vizag-VJA-Hyd on Day1 to reach Hyd by early evening.

And Day2,even if leave by 4 in the morning,you would reach easily reach Hebbal by 11 in the morning.

Vizag-Hyd-Blr one stretch drive can turn out to be stressful as Vizag-Hyd is a 11-12hr drive,1hr to bypass Hyd and then another 8hrs to reach Blor.Thats close to 22-23hrs of drive which IMO can get stressful.Suggest you take a break at Hyd and then drive on.

I wish i had the luxury of a night halt but no have to do it in a day and we are 2 drivers who enjoy driving

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 3137489)

Thanks for the details this will really help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepc83 (Post 3137830)

Hi!This is my first post on this forum. I feel Bangalore to Vizag is best via Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

A very helpful first post. thank you.
Only issue is the lack of eating joints and toilet facilities on NHs in AP. Compared to my favorite NH4 in MH and KA

Hi Team, back from a trip to Vizag.

Went--- Bangalore Tirupathi Naidupeta Vijaywada Vizag

and back--- Vizag Vijaywada Hyderabad bangalore

Occupants 4, drivers 2.

Details as follows:
-Onward journey distance 1034 Total time 17:20
Av Speed 59.76 km/hr
Stoppage time 1:12
Multiple diversions due to 6 laning between Nellore to Vijaywada
Heavy truck traffic, heavy 2 wheeler traffic throughout., Very few decent eating places, temperatures 36-42 celcius

Return journey

distance 1220, total time 18:08, Av Speed 67.33, Stoppage time 1:46
comments. Much better. V'wada Hyd road super. Hyd Bang road super. Hyd ORR better than many foreign roads. Temperatures lower than the going route 33 - 36 degrees. Okish eating places at Kurnool and Anathapur and chickbellapur.

Enjoyed the return trip as much as as I disliked the onward trip. :-)

Thanks to all team BHP members for their valuable suggestions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by goandude (Post 3140293)

Hi Team, back from a trip to Vizag.
=============
Thanks to all team BHP members for their valuable suggestions.

Hi friend, thanks for the info. Btw, can u tell me about two things. 1) if I were to take the Bangalore Hyderabad route to go to vijaywada, will there be enough signs to highlight where I need to take diversion towards ORR before Hyderabad city? 2) how long did it take for you to reach Bangalore from Vjaywada using the Hyderabad route
Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RollingWheels (Post 3200966)

Yes signs are very clearly marked at Shamshabad(Hyd airport junction) on NH7 with the ORR exit numbers for Vijayawada.

http://goo.gl/maps/1zTH8

Blr airport(Devanahalli)-ORR entry is 5.5hrs at sedate speeds

ORR would take you around 30-45mins

End of ORR to Vijayawada would take you around 2.5-3hrs

Quote:

Originally Posted by RollingWheels (Post 3200966)

One of the best-marked roads in India is Hyderabad ORR, leaves nothing to imagination. You will reach ORR just before Hyderabad Shamsabad Arport & take it towards Vijaywada. Every exit is marked clearly.

You should take 6 hours form Bangalore to Hyderabad ORR, then max 4-5 hours from there to Vijaywada assuming some minor breaks en route.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar (Post 3201847)

Thanks a lot sir. This provides me with a lot of clarity as I normally take NH 5 via Tirupathi, but after reading all inputs feels like this new option is much better. Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RollingWheels (Post 3201916)

Thanks a lot sir. This provides me with a lot of clarity as I normally take NH 5 via Tirupathi, but after reading all inputs feels like this new option is much better. Thanks again.

Isn't the BLR-HYD-VJW route longer by almost 200 km (as compared to the regular NH-5)? I know NH-5 is in best of conditions but 200 km is a significant extra distance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cool_dube (Post 3202036)

Isn't the BLR-HYD-VJW route longer by almost 200 km (as compared to the regular NH-5)? I know NH-5 is in best of conditions but 200 km is a significant extra distance.

Actually the shortest route is via Kolar-Chittor-Tirupati, which is about 650kms. But about 250 of that is 2-lane roads.

To use full 4/6 lane road you have to either via Chennai or via Hyderabad, both of which work out to about 150-200kms extra. The route via Hyd is about 50km longer. But there are 6-lane expansion works on various stretches of BLR-CHN as well as CHN-VJW.

So as of now going via HYD seems to be the best option, despite it being the longest route.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cool_dube (Post 3202036)

Isn't the BLR-HYD-VJW route longer by almost 200 km (as compared to the regular NH-5)? I know NH-5 is in best of conditions but 200 km is a significant extra distance.

It is 186 kms longer, going by goandude's post above. But I'd certainly take it just to have a stress-free drive, all through on 4-laned, divided roads.

Driving time would remain the same, but the journey would be a lot more enjoyable. The only flip side is that there are not many eating joints between Bangalore and Hyderabad ORR.

Dear Friends,
Need help in figuring out any good hotels close to Hyderabad/Shamshadbad ORR towards Vijaywada (on either sides is fine), as chances are that I might get to get off early from Bangalore after a half day at work.

So instead of going all the way to Vijaywada, I might be able to do a night halt on either side of ORR. My journey is long (to Patna via Kolkata) so I do not want to miss out on this half day opportunity that I can utilize in travel.

Recommendation of any good hotels, for stay with family is desirable. No lodges or shady places please as there will be women with us.

Also, any inputs on good hotels in Cuttak on NH5 will be of great help.

Cheers,
Rolling Wheels

Quote:

Originally Posted by RollingWheels (Post 3208418)

Also, any inputs on good hotels in Cuttak on NH5 will be of great help.

There are no really good hotels in Cuttack. The one or two that are good are located within the complicated streets of Cuttack. Its much better to stay at Bhubaneswar which has numerable good hotels in pretty much every budget imaginable.

The ones on the NH itself are Hotel Presidency, Hotel Seetal, Hotel Crown. But you can pretty much choose any hotel in Bhubaneswar, even off the highway as its streets are not particularly complicated.

But my question is, what overnight stops are you planning on your Bangalore-Patna journey??

It seems to me like you are planning Bangalore-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar-Patna . The 2nd and third days are both about 1000kms. You and your family are ready for 2 consecutive 16-17hour drive??