Speaking about Hyderabad one cannot ignore the twin city Secunderabad as both these cities are incomplete without the mention of the other. The only factor separating the twin cities is the Hussain Sagar Lake.  

 

If you are a first time visitor, your tour would be almost incomplete without exploring the museum of the Nizam of Hyderabad called the Salarjung museum, which will give you a perfect glimpse into history dating back to a few centuries. The famous two way statue and the Veiled Rebecca, to name a few, show the brilliance of the artists who created structures as beautiful and intricate as those. Each chamber/room has something unique and is definitely worth exploring.

 

You also wouldn’t want to miss out catching up on some coffee or snacks at ‘Eat Street’ which flanks the Hussain Sagar Lake. The Hussain Sagar is a huge man made artificial lake which has a 18 metre tall statue of Buddha in the middle of it. Visiting the place especially on a weekend is a must as you would find a perfect blend of old, young, children and couples simply vying to catch a table at the venue just to spend the evening sitting and relaxing by the lake.  

 

One could go on about all the places to visit- the parks, the coffee joints, the old and famous Char Minar, and other such places of historical relevance, that’s how much Hyderabad has to offer.

 

Spicy food is often associated with Andhra Pradesh. However even though you would come out of a hotel sniffing most of the time, it still wouldn’t deter you from visiting any restaurant again, to try out something new. The most famous dish is the ‘Hyderabadi Biryani’ and a few popular hotels offering a wide choice of Biryani would be ‘Paradise’, ‘hyderabad House’ and ‘Bawarchi’.

 

Hyderabad is also known for Pearls. You would find a large number of people visiting jeweler stores to make bulk purchases of nothing other than the authentic Hyderabad Pearls.

 

Well if I gave too rosy a picture of the pleasantries of Hyderabad so far, I would also like to warn you about the not very pleasant aspects of the city. The rather fast and unruly traffic is something to watch out for, if you are new to the city. Don’t be surprised if you happen to hear the screeching of vehicles behind you almost on the verge of crashing, or a few two wheelers swerving from one end of the road to the other, and yet glaring at you as if it were all your fault.

Also if you are a pedestrian, you would almost be cursing yourself to be out on the roads on foot. Crossing the so called beautiful ‘broad roads’ of the city might be quite a difficult task to accomplish. The lack of signals to control the rash and fast moving traffic and also the absence of sky walks, in parts of the city where it is most needed, proves to be a hindrance.

 

 

Just in case you are visiting Hyderabad, I hope you would have a fairly good idea about what the city holds in store for you. Till then lie back in the comforts of the city you’re in and wait to explore the unfamiliar.