We often talk about the beauty of Kerala as God’s own country and admires greenery of Kerala a lot. But very few of us are familiar with the natural and scenic being of a very beautiful city called “Visakhapatnam”. Before knowing about the Best Places to Visit in Visakhapatnam, let us go through its history.
Visakhapatnam is a coastal city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is considered as the commercial capital of Andhra. This city is often called City of Destiny or The Jewel of the East Coast. Visakhapatnam is a beautiful city famous for its Beaches as well as a Natural Harbor and many more in Tourist Attractions in surrounding areas. And let me add here the city of this Eastern Coast was ranked number 3 all over India in Swachhta Sarvekshan (cleaning inspection).
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History of Visakhapatnam
The history of city dates back to 4th century and a few Buddhist sites dates back way long back then that too surrounds this beautiful city of Visakhapatnam and makes it a notable city among tourists.
Since this beautiful Vizag city (the name given to Visakhapatnam by English officers as the longer name was tough to pronounce for them) holds a natural harbor too so the port here is playing a crucial part in growth of the city. The City is home to headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Navy and South Coast Railway zone. The port of Visakhapatnam is said to be 5th busiest cargo port of India.
As mentioned in the beginning, tourists often consider Kerala as destination for holidays because so far less known are the facts and tourists attractions of this beautiful city Visakhapatnam to them. The city is 30-40% covered with greenery and off course that crystal clear beaches are winning over hearts of tourists gradually.
Despite being an industrial center, this port city is well known amongst the travellers for its beautiful and clean beaches, museums, temples, surrounding vista points and culture. Once a person is bitten by the travel bug, there is no looking back and Vizag checks all the points on our travel list to make it a must visit. Many agencies are offering best and affordable Vizag Tourism Packages. So today we will list down the top Tourist Spots of Visakhapatnam.
Places to Visit in Visakhapatnam
So let me try to introduce The City of Destiny – Visakhapatnam to our readers in detail to make a plan to visit this city.
INS Kursura Submarine Museum – Visakhapatnam
If you are a patriotic by heart then this one if it’s kind of attraction to see in this beautiful city, An original submarine of Indian Navy is being converted into museum and makes you feel proud of Indian Navy.
This 300 feet long Submarine was commissioned in year 1969 in Indian Navy and played a crucial role during 1971 Indo-Pak war. The current museum gives visitors a detailed knowledge about the inside mechanisms of Submarine, the cabins, basins to bedrooms, the mess area of officers to cadets.
The control panel units and observation and propelling rooms it all gives a feel that how the Naval -the brave Naval Staff protects our nation under water and keeps us safe.
Now, let us know about some beaches in Vizag.
Beaches in Vizag – One of the Best Places to Visit in Visakhapatnam
Are you thinking of Vizag, then unknowingly you are thinking of Vizag Beach. Yes, this is true! You can roam around these best places to visit in april and escape the summers.
Rushikonda Beach
The Rushikonda beach is a beach with modern facilities such as water sports equipment. Ample water sports and Jet Ski or beach volleyball are popular among youngsters .It is a neat and clean family beach with good number of eating points nearby. The water is clear and enchants the sound of waves to hearts of tourists. A must visit place while exploring the beautiful city of Visakhapatnam specially the beaches in Vizag. The beach is popular amongst the tourists as well as locals; hence you will always find a good number of people enjoying this Natural Beauty.
Yarada Beach
The village called Yarada is approximately 15 kilometers far from Visakhapatnam – The City of Destiny. Yarada beach is a hidden paradise; it is very clean, surrounded by mountains and is the perfect picturesque spot to enjoy the sunset. The soft sand, shallow waters and soft waves make it a dream location for tourists. There are no eateries around, so it is recommended to carry your own food stuff with you, also you will have to arrange your own transport to reach this location.
Bheemili Beach
The nearby village Bheemunipatnam is place of Bheemili Beach which is around 20 km from the city of Vizag. This beautiful beach is having black sand on its bank which makes it more attractive for visitors of distant tastes. The best part of this beach is calmness of its steady waves and makes it first choice of swimmers as a spree of pleasant winds blow across most of the times of the day.
Rama Krishna Beach – Popularly Known as RK Beach
This one is getting famous slowly as the nick name of RK beach and becoming a famous place, as this particular beach is in more proximity of city skirts so it makes it observe heavy footfall which is making this beautiful beach a littering prone beach and not a top contender for the best beaches in Vizag.
Gangavaram Beach
I can say undoubtedly that this particular beach is one of the best or an uncrowned king of beaches in Vizag. Not as famous as other beaches but one of the most beautiful beach of the city, covered with beautiful palm trees. It’s having a charm of own and a very peaceful place and often the southern movies being shoot here. More scenic and more natural impact this beach adds to line up of beaches in Vizag and carries a repeat element kind of appeal.
Lawson’s Bay Beach
The Lawson’s bay beach is said to be the extension of the RK beach. Lawson beach is more soothing and relaxing path for nature enthusiastic people of Vizag, as it provides a long strip of sand for long morning walks or jogging all the way to RK beach and backward. This beach is paradise for Yoga lovers too and few youngsters are making it home to volleyball beach games too off lately and make this beach more enjoyable and relaxing.
Now, let us look into Beautiful and best places to visit in Visakhapatnam apart from beaches in Vizag
Awesome Borra Caves – The Magical World Near Vizag
This will give you the once in a lifetime experience of seeing the caves that are not just magnificent, enormous and beautiful, but also you will be seeing something that was formed million years ago. As soon as you walk into the entrance you will have your jaws drop by the sheer size and enormousness of this Natural Wonder and as you proceed to see the wonderful formations of stalactites and stalagmites, you will only get more entranced. This one is a definite must-visit on your Visakhapatnam tour.
Simhachalam Temple – The Famous Chandanotsavam and Giri Pradakshina
The Simhachalam Temple of Visakhapatnam is equally famous amongst the locals as well as tourists. This peaceful and calm temple is located on a hill top. This Narasimha Swamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu has a huge complex that is breathtaking and the sculptures on the walls and pillars are extremely beautiful. One must definitely visit this temple.
Kailasagiri – Beautiful Hill Top Park
A beautiful park built on the foothill; this is a park like no other. There is a rope-way that runs from the foothill to the hill top. This offers a gigantic view of the sea beach and the city. You get to see the beautiful views and if you are lucky enough to witness the sunset while on hilltop, it will be one the most memorable scenes of your trip. The park has a toy train that offers the park ride and there are food and gift shops as well. Do make sure to visit this park while visiting Visakhapatnam.
These are our top must visit places in and around Visakhapatnam. There is a lot more that you can see and do depending upon the time for which you plan your trip.
Do share your experiences of your visit with us in the comments below.
Vizag Sightseeing Packages
Many people including online sites offer many offers to visit best places in Visakhapatnam. You can make your tour according to:
- The number of days you want to spent in Visakhapatnam
- The number of places you want to visit in and near it
- The amount of money you wish to spent
You can choose AC/ Non-AC transportation as you wish. And sometimes, offers are also given. So do check them on various sites before confirming your tickets.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to reach Visakhapatnam from Delhi in Detail?
There are 3 ways to travel from Delhi to Vizag. Rail, Road and Air. Out of which, Rail and Air travel are popular. Nobody prefer buses and even, there are no direct buses from Delhi to Visakhapatnam.
Here I am listing out the available trains which run between these 2 stations and their routes.
- Andhra Pradesh AC Express (via Agra, Bhopal, Nagpur, Vijayawada)
- Samata Express (via Bhopal, Nagpur, Raipur, Rayagada, Vizianagaram)
- Dakshin Express (via Agra, Bhopal, Nagpur, Vijayawada)
- Swarna Jayanti Express (via Agra, Bhopal, Nagpur, Vijayawada)
- Hirakud Express. (via Jhansi, Katni, Bilaspur, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, Vizianagaram)
There are limited flights operating in between these two cities daily. It takes about 2 hours to reach the destination.
What is famous in Visakhapatnam for shopping?
Many people say that shopping is not a popular activity in Visakhapatnam, I will not agree with them. The City of Destiny is famous for its wide variety of Pochampally and Ikat Sarees even their weaving process is completely not done there. There are many famous road side shops and famous shopping malls like CMR, South India, Shoppers Stop etc which gives amazing shopping experience especially for women.
If we talk about famous markets in Vizag, the list never ends… Old Book Market, Jagadamba Center, Kurupam Market, Daba Gardens, Rama Talkies etc.
Very popular thing you should never forget to shop is Etikoppaka Toys (Handicrafts) popularly known as Etikoppaka Bommalu in the regional language telugu.
Etikoppaka is a small village in Visakhapatnam district located on the banks of Varaha river. This is very near to the popular town Narsipatnam of Visakhapatnam District. It takes around 120 minutes to travel from Visakhapatnam to Narsipatnam by bus.
This traditional wooden toys making is more than 400 years old approximately and this is handed over to the current artisans by their ancestors. This art is generally called turned wood lacquer craft.
These toys have gained significance all over the world. And lot many stores and outlets are present in many cities. You can also observe that these toys are also sold in the trains since few years especially around Vizag, Anakapalli, Yellamanchili, Tuni.
Where is Araku Valley?
Araku Valley is one of the stunning hill stations in Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the Eastern Ghats and very close to Odisha border. Araku Valley is about 110 kms from The City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam and is a must see vacation spot in Andhra.
In the year 2017, the first vistadome coach to Araku from Visakhapatnam has started. One should experience this amazing train journey and I am sure that your journey will become truly mesmerizing and memorable. And even the road ride offers equally enchanting views.
Is Visakhapatnam worth visiting?
Visakhapatnam is indeed a worth visiting place. It is the biggest city and also one of the best tourist destinations in Andhra Pradesh state.
The City of Destiny is a natural beauty with lot of sightseeing places like RK Beach, Kailasagiri, Simhachalam, Araku Valley, Rushikonda Beach, Ramanaidu Studios, Kambala Konda, INS Kurusura Submarine Museum, Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority Park now VMRDA Park, Indira Gandhi Zoological Park near Kambala Konda is one of the biggest zoos in India, Yarada Beach, Ross Hill church, Bojjanna Konda and many more. Vizag is a very beautiful place to visit and can plan for a trip with a minimum of 3 to 4 days stay so that you can cover the most.
What is the new railway zone created recently?
South Coast Railway Zone is the recently created zone by Indian Railways headquartered at Visakhapatnam. This new railway zone was announced on Feb 27, 2019 by then Railway Minister of India, Piyush Goyal.
Railway Zone in Andhra Pradesh is a long-standing demand. Few major political parties have kept this issue in their 2014 election manifesto too. 2014 Election Manifesto is huge for the people of Andhra Pradesh as the state got bifurcated.
