ferry landing coronado Andhra plays hard to get: its charms are subtle. But if you look closely, you ll find a long, fascin

Tirumala Link buses have two bus stands in Tirupathi: next to the main bus stand and outside the train station. The scenic 18km trip to Tirumala takes one hour ( 54 return); if you don t mind heights, sit on the left side for views. ferry landing coronado A prepaid taxi is 350.

Most buses and trains will stop en route at Bhongir, 60km from Hyderabad. It s worth jumping down for a couple of hours to climb the fantastical-looking 12th-century Chalukyan hill fort (admission 3; h9am6pm). Looking like a gargantuan stone egg, the hill is mostly ringed by stairs.

Andhra plays hard to get: its charms are subtle. But if you look closely, you ll find a long, fascinating ferry landing coronado history of arts, culture, spiritual scholarship and religious harmony. In Hyderabad s Old City, Islamic monuments, Persian-inspired architecture and the call of the muezzin speak of the city s unique heritage.

Salar Jung Museum MUSEUM (Map p900; www.salarjungmuseum.in; Salar Jung Marg; Indian/foreigner 10/150; h10am-5pm Sat- Thu) The huge and varied collection, dating back to the 1st century, was put together by Mir Yusaf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III), the grand vizier of the seventh nizam, Osman Ali Khan (r 1910 49). The 35,000 exhibits from every corner of the world include sculptures, wood carvings, ivory (including a sadly ironic set of carved elephants), devotional objects, Persian miniature paintings, illuminated manuscripts, weaponry, toys and more than 50,000 books. The impressive nizams jewellery collection is sometimes on display. Cameras are not allowed. Avoid Sunday, when it s bedlam. From any of the bus stands in the Abids area, take bus 7, which stops at Afzal Gunj bus stop (Map p 900 ) on the north side of the nearby Musi River bridge.