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Nampallystation

Dabeerpurastation

FALAKNUMA RD

TALABKATTA RD

AREA OFDETAIL

Nehru Zoological Park

Military area

Lai BahadurStadium

NTRStadium

NTR Gardens

Kasu BrahmanandaReddy Nat’l Park

HyderabadGolf Course

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Indira Park

Sanjeviah Park

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TANK BUND RD

INDIRA PARK RD

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LANGAR HOUSE RD

GOLCONDA RD

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Kavadiguda

Somajiguda

MasthanNagar

Peerancheru

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Banjara Hills

Nampally

Puranapool

Madannapet

Azampura

Jiyaguda

MuradNagar

Attapur

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Yousurguda

Hussain Sagar

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Afzal Gunj

Ghansi Bazaar

Moghalpura

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AndhraPradeshHigh Court

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5INDIA

DELHI

HYDERABAD

Sunday morning: go to mosqueThe Qutb Shahi tombs (13), Fort Road (00 91 1800 4254 5454), are a haunting complex of 16th-cen-tury mausoleums that form the final rest-ing place of seven of that dynasty’s rulers and their families. The beautiful structures are notable for their onion-shaped domes. The Great Mosque stands out for its intri-cately carved spires. Open daily 9.30am to 5pm, entry R100 (£1).

Take a rideHyderabad is hard at work building an un-derground railway. For now, your best bet for getting around is the black-and-yel-low three-wheeled auto-rickshaw. Fares are R16 (16p) for the first kilometre and R9 (9p) for each sub-sequent km. Many drivers resist using the meter, so be pre-pared to negotiate a price at the outset.

Out to brunchHip Hyderabadis have been flocking to Olive Bistro (14) at Road No 46, G Ram Reddy Marg (00 91 40 6999 9127; olivebarand kitchen.com) since it opened last year. A stone pathway leads to a casual oasis:

wrought-iron chairs, pastel-green shutters, mismatched cush-ions and sweeping water views are more Santorini than south India. Sunday brunch with fritto misto, eggs florentine and wood-fired pizzas costs R2,150 (£21)pp.

A walk in the parkNecklace Road forms a garland of sorts alongside the Hussain Sagar Lake. It is home to Lumbini Park (15) (Tuesday to Sunday 9am-9pm), where you can hire a boat for R50 (50p) and float out to the Buddha statue in the middle of the lake.

Cultural afternoonTucked away off Road No 1, Banjara Hills, Lamakaan (16) (00 91 96 4273 1329; lamakaan.com) is a non-profit space in a converted house host-ing plays, lectures and literary festivals. Hyderabad’s creative set descend at all hours to work on their latest magnum opus over steaming chai and samosas (10am-10.30pm, daily except Monday).

Icing on the cakeThe beautiful stone complex of the 1935 Mozamjahi Market in Jambagh Road, Kattel Mandi, is the back-drop for a cluster of popular ice-cream shops. The most revered is Famous (17), a family-run institution known for its hand-churned mango, sapodilla and custard-apple fla-vours. Double scoops cost R25 (25p).

From here, head north up Khil-wath Road and veer right into Laad Ba-zaar (6). Do a circuit around the city’s looming Charminar monument (7), the four-towered arch and mosque. Next, stop at the 17th-cen-tury Mecca Masjid (8), one of the larg-est mosques in India, then take a closer look at the domes of the 1938 Government General Nizamia Hospital (9) oppo-site. Walk north up the Patthargati Road promenade, fringed by towering stone marketplaces.

Lunch on the runHyderabadi biryani

has built a reputation as one of the most flavourful versions of the fragrant rice dish. Sample it at Hotel Shadab (10) at Madina Circle, High Court Road (00 91 40 2456 5949), where a heaped platter of mut-ton biryani costs R150 (£1.50).

Take a viewTurn your attention back to the Charmi-nar (7), Hyderabad’s answer to the Arc de Triomphe, built by Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 when he transplanted his capital from the diamond hub of Gol-conda. Climb the 149 steps in a winding stairwell to the view-

ing deck, where you can gaze out over the Old City. Tickets cost R100 (£1) (daily 9am to 5pm).

Window shopping Hyderabad is known as the City of Pearls for good reason – the arteries surround-ing Charminar (7) are packed to the rafters with hundreds of jewellery shops. Hag-gle for some gems to take back. You could walk away with an el-egant strand of pearls for under £100.

For less pricey sou-venirs, head to the Laad Bazaar (6). Ban-gles cost around R500 (£5) for an armful. Shops generally open 11am until late, daily.

An aperitifTaj Falaknuma Palace (1) may be in the thick of the Old City, but it feels hundreds of miles away, thanks to its perch high up on a hill. Trade in your taxi at the gate for a horse and car-riage, then retreat at sunset for high tea on the Jade Terrace (R1,500/£15), to take in the views, along with the melodic call to prayer.

Dining with the localsCandle-lit tables spill out across lovely gar-dens at Our Place (11) at Charan Pahadi 8-2-602/E, Road No 10, Banjara Hills (00 91 4023353422 ; our

place.nowfloats.com), where the paneer tikka (R250/£2.50) and “Chicken 65” (R270/£2.70) will have you licking your fingers. Musicians serenade diners with ghazal songs.

If you’re hoping to spot a star from the Telugu-language film industry, head to N Grill (12) at 788 Road No 36, Jubilee Hills (00 91 99 4999 9160; ngrill.com). The Zen-inspired res-raurant is owned by Tollywood legend Nagarjuna. Expect to spend about R1,200 (£12) each for salt-and-pepper prawns, Thai green curry or New Orleans-style blackened chicken. Your carriage awaits: Taj Falaknuma Palace afp/getty

Why go now?Hyderabad, capital of the southern Indian state of And-hra Pradesh, has the feel of an ancient city transplanted into the 21st century: crum-bling vestiges of elegant estates on the one hand; ultra-mod-ern office parks and shopping malls on the other. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is a local boy and the city is striding forwards on its hi-tech credentials.

Yet a quiet movement is under way to reclaim what’s left of the past – with spectacular resto-rations of the Taj Falaknuma Palace (1) and Chowmahalla Palace (2).

Through it all, the city feels refreshingly untouched by tour-ism. Who knows how long it will be before word gets out that some of India’s best

cuisine and most in-triguing historical sites are found in this bustling metropolis?

Touch downThe only non-stop flights are on British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) from Heathrow. Connec-tions from various UK airports are avail-able on Emirates (0844 800 2777; emirates.com) via Dubai, Etihad Air-ways (0845 608 1225; etihadair ways.com) via Abu Dhabi and Qatar Airways (0844 846 8380; qatarair ways.com) via Doha.

Rajiv Gandhi airport is 25km south-west of the city centre. Pushpak air-port buses (hyderabad .aero) have drop-offs along four routes ap-proximately every 30 to 60 minutes from 4am to mid-night, for R200-250 (£2-£2.50).

Taxis charge R21 (21p) per km; even with a 25-per-cent night surcharge, the journey to the centre should cost no more than R800 (£8).

Greaves India (020 7487 9111; greaves india.co.uk) offers

customised itineraries in Hyderabad includ-ing accommodation and transport.

Get your bearingsHyderabad was ruled by the Islamic Qutb Shahi dynasty and later the Mughals, one of whom – Asaf Jah – cre-ated his own dynasty, the Nizams, who pre-sided until 1947.

The city sprawls over the banks of the Musi River, with the Old City to the south and the newer reaches to the north and west. The mod-ern city is a congested expanse of drab 1970s concrete high-rises, crowded flyovers and shiny shop-ping centres. Newer, better-planned neigh-bourhoods have sprouted in what’s known as Cyberabad, where Facebook, IBM and Deloitte have gleaming offices.

The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Develop-ment Corporation office (3) is at Tourism House, Himayatnagar (00 91 40 2326 2151; aptdc.gov.in). It opens 7am to 8pm daily.

Check inThe extraordinary

Taj Falaknuma Palace hotel (1) at Engine Bowli, Falaknuma (00 91 40 6629 8585; tajhotels.com) opened in 2010 after a dec-ade-long restoration. It is one of India’s most luxurious prop-erties, where visitors are made to feel like guests of the erstwhile ruling nizam – the former inhabitant – and have free rein over the library of rare texts and the king’s 101-seat dining table. Doubles from R27,069 (£271), room only.

Business travellers descend on Hydera-bad by the planeful these days and there’s no sleeker address for them than the Park Hyatt (4) at Road No 2 in posh Banjara Hills (00 91 40 4949 1234; hyderabad.park.hyatt.com). Doubles from R10,800 (£108), room only.

The newly opened Trident Hotel (5) in HiTech City near Cyber Towers, Mad-hapur (00 91 40 6623 2323; tridenthotels.com) is a less pricey option from Oberoi Hotels, with three restaurants and a spa. Doubles from R8,219 (£82), room only.

Day One

Take a hikeStart in the heart of Hyderabad’s Old City at the 19th-century Chowmahalla Palace (2), which has ele-gant courtyards and fountains, a throne room and some of the nizams’ vin-tage cars on display (00 91 40 24522032; chowmahalla.com; R150/£1.50; open Saturday to Thursday 10am-5pm).

48 hOurS In...

hyderabadThis magnificent southern Indian city won’t stay off the tourist map for long, writes Sarah Khan

Arch arrival: a car waits near the Charminar corbis

Shop and go: auto-rickshaws at Laad Bazaar alamy