India Guide
Andhra Pradesh
Arrival
The old city of Hyderabad straddles the River Musi; most places of interest lie south of the river, while much of the accommodation is to the north. Further north, separated from Hyderabad by the Hussain Sagar lake, is the modern twin city of Secunderabad, where some long-distance trains terminate, and where all through-trains deposit passengers. If you do have to get off at Secunderabad, your ticket is valid for any connecting train to Hyderabad; and if none is imminent, many buses including #5, #8 and #20 ply between both stations. Hyderabad railway station (also known as Nampally) is close to all amenities and offers a fairly comprehensive service to major destinations. The well-organized long-distance bus stand occupies an island in the middle of the River Musi, 3km southeast of the railway station. The spanking-new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport opened in March 2008 at Shamshabad, around 20km south of central Hyderabad, replacing the old one at Begumpet. At the time of writing it was unclear how soon the proposed rail links to the city would be operating; expect dedicated taxis, which are meant to have a fixed rate of Rs15 per km, to cost around Rs300.