Qutb Shahi tombs on one side, glass towers on the other, biryani in the middle.
The old city around Charminar is the historic core: the Mecca Masjid, Laad Bazaar's bangle shops, Chowmahalla Palace and the mile of shops selling pearls. West of it, Golconda Fort and the Qutb Shahi tomb complex cover a hillside in granite and stucco domes.
The new city — Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, HITEC City — is where the restaurants, malls and offices are. Between them sits Hussain Sagar with its Buddha statue on an island.
Budget a day for the old city, a day for Golconda and the tombs, and a third if you want Ramoji Film City, which is enormous and firmly aimed at families.
Ranked by how much each place adds to a visit — not alphabetically, and never paid for.
1
The four-minaret gateway of 1591 that anchors the old city, built to mark the end of a plague and now surrounded by the busiest bazaar in…
2
A granite hill fort with acoustics so precise that a clap at the entrance is heard at the summit pavilion 380 metres above.
3
One man's collection, and it is enormous: 40,000 objects from Mughal daggers to a Veiled Rebecca marble and a musical clock that draws a…
4
Thirty domed tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans in a landscaped necropolis, restored over the past decade and unusually peaceful.
5
The lane running west from Charminar, lined with lac bangle shops, pearls, wedding wear and perfume sellers.
6
The Nizams' ceremonial palace of four courtyards, with a Belgian-chandeliered durbar hall and a vintage car collection.
7
The world's largest film studio complex by area, running as a theme park with sets, shows, rides and a full day of scheduled…
8
One of India's largest mosques, begun in 1614, with bricks from Mecca set above the central arch and the Nizams' tombs along one side.
9
A 16th-century lake between Hyderabad and Secunderabad, with an 18-metre monolithic Buddha on a rock in the middle.
Distance is what breaks itineraries. See how the city actually lays out before you commit to a day.
The Nizam's hilltop palace, restored — arrive by horse carriage, dine at a 101-seat table.
Reliable business hotel in the technology corridor with easy Metro access.
Flagship tertiary hospital with 24-hour emergency and international patient services.
Old city institution for biryani and, in Ramadan, haleem.
The name most people give when asked where to eat Hyderabadi biryani.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD), 32 km
One of India's best-run airports, with wide domestic and Gulf connections. The airport express road reaches the city centre in about 45 minutes.
Secunderabad (SC), Hyderabad Deccan/Nampally (HYB), Kacheguda (KCG)
Secunderabad is the main junction, with services from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.
Bengaluru is eight to nine hours, Vijayawada four and a half, Nagpur eight.
The Metro covers three lines and reaches most modern areas but not the old city core, which is best done by cab plus walking. App cabs are cheap and plentiful.
Per person, per day, excluding travel to the destination. A three-day trip for two is shown for comparison.
Clean budget stays, local food, shared or public transport.
Well-rated 3–4★ hotels, sit-down dining, private cabs.
April and May are hot, often above 40°C. The monsoon from June to September is moderate. October to February is pleasant, with cool evenings on the Deccan plateau.
Hyderabadi dum biryani is the headline, cooked sealed with the meat raw at the start. Alongside it: haleem in Ramadan, Irani chai and Osmania biscuits at cafés, double ka meetha, and Deccani kebabs. The old city does this best and cheapest.
Pearls at Laad Bazaar and Basheerbagh — Hyderabad has been the pearl-drilling centre of India for centuries. Also lac bangles, Bidri metalwork and Kalamkari textiles.
Concentrated in Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. The old city is early to bed.
A comfortable city with low street crime. Traffic is the main hazard. The old city lanes are crowded around Charminar in the evening — keep bags in front.
Charminar can be climbed but the queue moves slowly; go at opening. Golconda's sound and light show runs in the evening and is worth staying for. Ramoji Film City needs a full day and advance tickets. Friday afternoons around Mecca Masjid are extremely busy with prayers.
Modest dress in the old city and at Mecca Masjid, where non-Muslims may visit the courtyard but not the prayer hall during prayers.
Two days: the old city (Charminar, Chowmahalla, Laad Bazaar, Salar Jung) on one, and Golconda with the Qutb Shahi tombs on the other. Add a third full day only if you want Ramoji Film City.
Paradise in Secunderabad is the famous name; Shah Ghouse and Bawarchi are where locals argue the real thing is. All serve dum biryani cooked sealed, which is what makes it different.
Salar Jung Museum, Chowmahalla Palace and the Qutb Shahi Tombs all close on Fridays. Charminar and Golconda stay open.
Featured
The ruins of an empire scattered across 26 square kilometres of boulders.
Featured
Eight cities stacked on one plain, and all of them still open for business.
Featured
A planned pink city with a fort on every ridge and a bazaar behind every gate.
Featured
One building most people travel a continent for — and three more that deserve the same trip.
Featured
A city that built a skyline, a shoreline and a shopping habit in fifty years.
Featured
Gilded temples, a river of ferries, and the best street food on earth.