Best Places to Visit in Hampi in 3 Days

Hampi, was the Capital of one of the richest kingdoms – The Vijaynagar Empire in Karnataka between the fourteenth and the seventeenth centuries. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1986 owing to its temples, monolithic sculptures and monuments. Most of the city is now in ruins after it was attacked and looted by the neighbouring emperors in the seventeenth century. Here is a comprehensive guide to the Places to Visit in Hampi in 3 days.

The Hippie Island is an island located on the other side of the Tungabhadra river. A lot of foreign tourists prefer to be on the island side of Hampi to experience the true Hippie culture. The island comes alive after dust with most of the Guesthouses hosting Live Music, Singing, Movie Nights, etc. along with non-vegetarian food and drinks. However, there is much more to the island that can be covered with the other historic places to visit in Hampi.

View of the Virupaksha Temple from Guesthouse
View of the Virupaksha Temple from Guesthouse

An Introduction to Hampi & Hippie Island

Best Time to VisitOctober to March
Distance from Major CitiesPune: 533 Km
Mumbai: 690 Km
Bangalore: 340 Km
Modes of Transport1) Overnight Buses and Trains to Hospet (45 minutes from Hampi – Rs. 200/- per auto)
2) By rented / own car
3) Nearest airport to Hampi is Belgaum. However, connectivity-wise, Bangalore is the nearest.
Getting to Hippie Island1) Boat from Hampi mainland
Boat Timings: First Boat – 9 AM, Last Boat – 5:30 PM
Time Taken to reach the other side: 5 minutes
Cost per person: Rs. 30 / – (Luggage: Rs. 10/-)
2) By Road from Hampi mainland
Time: 1 hour
Stay Options Do not book any accommodation which is outside 1 Km from the center of Hampi
1 Night at Hippie Island (There are a lot of Guest houses / camps)
1 Night in Hampi (Look out for an option close to the Virupaksha Temple)
Mesmerizing Sunset above the Tungabhadra Dam waters
Mesmerizing Sunset above the Tungabhadra Dam waters

Places to Visit in Hampi & Hippie Island: Highlights

Must Visit PlacesVirupaksha Temple, Vijaya Vittala Temple
Places to watch Sunrise / SunsetAnjanadri Hill, Sunset Point at Hippie Island,
Matanga Hills, Hemakuta Hills
Places with Monolithic SculpturesKadalekalu Ganesha, Sasivekalu Ganesha, Lakshmi Narasimha Temple,
Monolith Shivlinga, Monolith Bull
Other Significant PlacesDurga Temple, Ganesha Cave Temple, Anegundi Village,
Krishna Temple and Market, Hazara Rama Temple, Queen’s Bath,
Mahanavami Dibba, Pushkarani Stepwell, Archeological Museum,
Zanana Enclosure, Elephant Stables, Lotus Mahal
Things for the Adventure EnthusiastsCoracle Ride, Cliff Jumping in Sanapur Lake,
Rock / Boulder Climbing, Bike Ride
Must Try Food ItemsLakshmi Dosa at the Banks of Tungabhadra River from where we get Boats for Hippie Island,
Idli at the base of Anjanadri Hill,
North Indian / South Indian Thali, Egg Curry, Desserts at Mango Tree Restaurant

Hampi is all about experiencing and seeing the ruins of rich cultural heritage of Vijaynagar Kingdom. You can follow the below itinerary to visit the must visit places in 3 days.

Places to Visit in Hampi: Day 1 – Hippie Island

Reach Hospet early morning by Bus or Train. You can hire an auto to reach the Tungabhadra river boat point. We (7 friends and I) reached a little early and were very hungry. There was a small stall where a young lady (Lakshmi) was preparing fresh Dosas at Rs. 30/- per plate having 2 dosas. Isn’t this super cheap? All of us dug in on the Dosas and refreshing Tea.

Delicious Dosa - Lakshmi Dosa point @ just Rs. 15/-
Delicious Dosa – Lakshmi Dosa point @ just Rs. 15/-

1) Tungabhadra River

Places to visit in Hampi - View of the Tungabhadra River Boat Point
View of the Tungabhadra River Boat Point

Get on to the boat and check in to your accommodation in the Hippie Island. Freshen up and hire a 2-wheeler (Rs. 300/- to 400/-) as this is the best way to travel around the Island. Here is photo guide of the 29 places to visit in Hampi.

2) Ruins of Old Bridge

Ruins of an Old Bridge in Hippie Island
Ruins of an Old Bridge in Hippie Island

3) Durgadevi Temple

Durgadevi Temple
Durgadevi Temple

4) Anegundi Fort / Kishkinda

Places to visit in Hampi - Anegundi Fort
Anegundi Fort

5) Tungabhadra River Dam

Tungabhadra River Dam
Tungabhadra River Dam
Coracle ride in the Dam waters
Coracle ride in the Dam waters

6) Beautiful Sunset from the Rocky Mountain at Hippie Island

Time Lapse of Sunset

Places to Visit in Hampi: Day 2 – Hippie Island / Hampi

7) Sunrise at Anjanadri Hill

View of the Hippie Island from Anjanadri Hill
View of the Hippie Island from Anjanadri Hill
Places to Visit in Hampi - Hanuman Temple at Anjanadri Hill
Hanuman Temple at Anjanadri Hill
Anjanadri Hill (Birthplace of Hanuman) from the Base
Anjanadri Hill (Birthplace of Hanuman) from the Base

8) Krishna Temple and Market

Places to visit in Hampi - Krishna Temple
Krishna Temple
Market Opposite to Krishna Temple - Hampi
Market Opposite to Krishna Temple – Hampi
Beautiful Pond in the Krishna Market
Beautiful Pond in the Krishna Market

9) Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple monolith
Lakshmi Narasimha Temple monolith

10) Badaviling Temple (Shivlinga Monolith)

Shivlinga Monolith
Shivlinga Monolith

11) Prasanna Virupaksha (Underground Siva) Temple

Prasanna Virupaksha (Underground Siva) Temple
Prasanna Virupaksha (Underground Siva) Temple

12) Hazararama Temple

Places to visit in Hampi - Hazararama Temple
Hazararama Temple

13) Mahanavmi Dibba

Mahanavmi Dibba
Mahanavmi Dibba

14) Pushkarani Stepwell

Pushkarani Stepwell
Pushkarani Stepwell

15) Queen’s Bath

Queen's Bath
Queen’s Bath
Inside views of  Queen's Bath
Inside views of Queen’s Bath

16) Coracle Ride in Tungabhadra River

Enjoying the  Coracle Ride
Enjoying the evening Coracle Ride

17) Evening Aarti at Virupaksha Temple

Places to Visit in Hampi - Evening views of Virupaksha Temple
Evening views of Virupaksha Temple

18) Hampi Street Market

Shopping at Hampi Street Market
Shopping at Hampi Street Market
Places to visit in Hampi - An artist painting a masterpiece
An artist painting a masterpiece

19) Mango Tree Restaurant

South Indian Thali - Mango Tree Restaurant
South Indian Thali – Mango Tree Restaurant
North Indian Thali - Mango Tree Restaurant
North Indian Thali – Mango Tree Restaurant
Delicious Egg Curry - Mango Tree Restaurant
Delicious Egg Curry – Mango Tree Restaurant
Banoffee pie - Mango Tree Restaurant
Banoffee pie – Mango Tree Restaurant
Nutella pancake - Mango Tree Restaurant
Nutella pancake – Mango Tree Restaurant

Places to Visit in Hampi: Day 3 – Hampi

20) Sunrise at Matanga Hills

Sunrise at Matanga Hills
Sunrise at Matanga Hills
Bird's Eye View of Hampi from Matanga Hill
Bird’s Eye View of Hampi from Matanga Hill

21) Vijaya Vittala Temple

Places to visit in Hampi - Enroute Vijaya Vittala Temple
Enroute Vijaya Vittala Temple
Musical Pillars at the Vijaya Vittala Temple
Musical Pillars at the Vijaya Vittala Temple
Places to visit in Hampi - Pooja Mandap - Vijaya Vittala Temple
Pooja Mandap – Vijaya Vittala Temple
Stone Chariot - Vijaya Vittala Temple
Stone Chariot – Vijaya Vittala Temple

22) Archaeological Museum

Places to visit in Hampi - Artefacts at the Archaeological Museum
Artefacts at the Archaeological Museum
Stone sculptures at the Archaeological Museum
Stone sculptures at the Archaeological Museum

23) Zanana Enclosure

Places to visit in Hampi - Zanana Enclosure
Zanana Enclosure

24) Lotus Mahal

Lotus Mahal
Lotus Mahal

25) Elephant Stables

Places to visit in Hampi - Elephant Stables
Elephant Stables

26) Sasivekalu Ganesha

Places to visit in Hampi - Sasivekalu Ganesha
Sasivekalu Ganesha

27) Kadalekalu Ganesha

Places to visit in Hampi - Kadalekalu Ganesha
Kadalekalu Ganesha

28) Hemakuta Hills

Places to visit in Hampi - Hemakuta Hills
Hemakuta Hills

29) Monolith Bull

Monolith Bull
Monolith Bull

12 thoughts on “Best Places to Visit in Hampi in 3 Days

  1. This is so helpful for planning a trip and you have also provided all detailed information about the Hampi. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience.

  2. Very well written Prajakta, you have put down every minute details which is helpful while planning a trip. Keep up the touring and blogging πŸ™‚

  3. I was part of this trip.. and must say it was very well organized trip. We had enough time to see the places and relax ourselves. Thanks Prajakta for organizing this .

  4. Wow that’s a really detailed Information any hampi….Very helpful.. and very well described…Kudos to u ..Ma girl

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