[Top 7] Best Cycling Routes In & Around Bangalore

Bangalore is an amazing city to enjoy cycling rides. Apart from the bad traffic and roads, everything else is just right to enjoy this sport. 🙂 Bangalore has an amazing climate all year round. You have lakes, hills, forests and a lot of tourist attractions nearby. There is also a healthy cycling community and startups organizing frequent tours around Bangalore. Below are some of the good cycling routes in Bangalore.

Best Cycling routes in Bangalore: Short & Inside City

1. Cubbon Park

This I feel is the best place for a casual bicycle ride. Early mornings are the best time to visit the park. On Sundays, traffic is not allowed on the park roads and is a good time for a cyclist. The trail is a great combination of nicely laid roads and natural beauty.

Cubbon Park cycling routes in Bangalore — Photo Credit – Yair Aronshtam

2. GKVK Campus

This a huge campus and can be explored over the weekends. The campus belongs to Bengaluru’s University of Agricultural Sciences. You will find a wide variety of plants and animals. The trail is well laid out and passes through various sections of different plant families.

Just make sure you follow the rules of the campus and be safe.

3. Colonial Church Route

If you would like to visit the old Bangalore charm and have a look at some colonial architecture, this is a perfect route for you. There are also some old restaurants around where you have some food.

St._Marys_Basilica_Bangalore route — Saint Mary’s Basilica – Wikimedia Commons

You can start your trip at the Saint Mary’s Basilica. Visit other monuments like the St. Andrew’s Church, Holy Trinity Church & St John’s Church en route and return back to where you started.

St. Andrew's church banglaore — Photo Credit – Joseph D’Mello

Use the map below for reference:

4. Residendial areas around Koramangala and JP Nagar:

If you stay around Koramangala or JP Nagar, you can find a lot of old residential areas. The roads mostly are good. The areas are very quite and covered with trees. Best times to cycle would be earily in the mornings or afternoons.

Kormanagal 5th block has lot of such places. You can explore localities aroud the 5th block post office.

5th Block in Jayanagar is again a good place. If you wish to cycle for a longer distance, you can go to Madhavan Park and from there onwards to LalBaugh. This will a good 20 Kms ride both ways.

Best Cycling Routes around Bangalore:

1. Nandi Hills:

This a challenging route and you should take this only if you have some prior experience of climbing hills on your bicycle. If not, you can try an accompany a group of cyclist who has done this route earlier.

Depending on where you stay in Bangalore, this can be a really long ride for beginners. This place is located beyond the airport and the road to it is really good and wide. Just ensure you are very visible to the fast car going by you at high speeds.

Alternately, you can carry your bicycle to bottom of Nandi hills using a good cycle carrier for your car. The hilltop is around 6 to 10 km from the bottom (Depending on where you start). The climb can be difficult for beginners. Ensure you carry a lot of water & energy food like bananas, dry fruits and/or energy bars with you.

There is traffic on this road over the weekends, so be careful around the bends.

Nandi Hills Bengaluru Cycling — Image Credit – Modi Kumar | Image 2

2. Hessarghatta

You can take the Hessarhatta main road to reach this place. If you start early, you will not find a lot of traffic on this road. A lot of cyclist, bike riders and/or athletes come to this place to practice.

Depending on the season, you can explore fields, lakes and good trails for cycling. Do not expect the roads to be paved. Carry enough food and water with you. If possible go with a group of friends.

Hessarghatta - Cycling in western ghats — Image Source – travelhi5

Directions: If u head out of the city on NH4 (Tumkur road) from Gorgontepalya(Where NH4 meets ORR). U’ll reach a turn(right) called “8th mile”. (There should be a petrol bunk on ur right, which could be obscured by construction work). This will get u on Hessarghatta main road. At any fork ( i remember only one major one), just ask the directions to Hessarghatta. Ride on and u’ll get Hessarghatta bus stand. Just before the bus stand, u’ll see a right turn with sign boards to Taj Kuteeram and Nrityagram. (If u r confused, just ask around for directions to nrityagram).

Head on that road for ~4 km and u’ll see a mass of trees on ur left. That’s the canopy u see in the first pic. If u go on the tarmac instead of getting lost in those woods, u should ultimately reach Kuteeram and Nrityagram. Just before u reach there, u’ll see a right turn leading to the horizon. Just keep ur eyes open, u cant miss it. If u do, ask around for directions to this resort called “Our Native Village”. There are plenty of trails around. Explore and enjoy.

(Source – Roastedneutrons)

3. Turahalli Forest

If you stay in or around the Jayanagar area, this can be a perfect destination for you. Turahalli is one of the few forest areas that are still preserved near Bangalore. The ride to Turahalli forest is about 8 to 10 Kms from Jayanagar. The trails can be a bit difficult

Watch the video below to get a glimse of the trails in the forest.

I know there are tons of other places around Bangalore that you can still explore. I will be slowly adding more desitnations to this list.

Which is your favourite desination? Do have a reveiw and pictures that you would like me to post on this blog? Let me know in the comments section below or just use the contact page.