Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh in Southern India, located on the banks of the Musi River and on the Deccan Plateau. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are "twin cities" near Hussain Sagar Lake (also known asTank Bund in local parlance) but both cities have grown so much that now they have become one big metropolis. The city and district of Hyderabad are coterminous. Hyderabad district is entirely contained within the Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh. Many of the suburbs of Hyderabad were recently merged into the city, now called Greater Hyderabad.
A city rich with history and tradition, Hyderabad now competes with Bangalore, Chennai for the crown of India's IT capital; Microsoft, Google and Oracle have their India headquarters here.
Orientation
The best way to orient yourself to Hyderabad is to think with reference to two water bodies - the Musi river and the Hussain Sagar Lake. The Musi river flows from the west to the east, a few kilometers south of Hussain Sagar Lake.
· The Old city lies mostly on the south bank of the Musi, though this guide will treat Golkonda, which lies on the north bank, as part of the old city. Most historical attractions, including the Charminar lie on this bank.
· Secunderabad lies to the north-east of Hussain Sagar lake. This has historically been a military cantonment, which means that the roads are better maintained and broader. It has nice parks, open spaces and some excellent restaurants.
· The New city, which contains the administrative offices of Andhra Pradesh lies on the north bank of the
· Musi, to the east and south-east of Hussain Sagar.
· Punjagutta to Gachibowli is a vast region to the west and north-west of Hussain Sagar, on the north bank of the Musi. This has developed in the past twenty years. Areas of interest here are Punjagutta and Ameerpet, which are enormous shopping areas. Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills is where Hyderabad's swish set lives, and contain some good parks and restaurants. The newly developed "Hi tec city" and Gachibowli are 9 km to the west of the new city. This is where most technology and business process outsourcing (BPO) firms have their campuses.
Culture and attitudes
In many senses, Hyderabad is the meeting ground between North and South India. The city has
a culture that is distinct from the rest of Andhra Pradesh, showing Islamic influences and a
courtly presence imparted from its period as the capital of the Nizamate. This is more evident in
the old city. The new city resembles many provincial state capitals in India. Secunderabad is
more cosmopolitan, as the Cantonment area is located in this part of the city.
Climate
Like many Indian cities Hyderabad has a tropical climate. The best time to visit the city is from
mid-November to mid-February.Temperatures are mild with abundant sunshine during this time and average temperature range from a low of 15°C (59°F) to a high of 29°C (85°F). March to June is hot and dry with occasional thunderstorms. Highs can reach 45°C (113°F) or more and lack of air-conditioning can make it feel very uncomfortable. July, August, September and October can be quite warm and humid and low pressure systems from the Bay of Bengal during the monsoon season can cause heavy rain for days.
Get In
By plane: Hyderabad's new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is located 22 km from the city. Direct international connectivity from Hyderabad is available for many countries. International carriers operating from Hyderabad are AirAsia, Air India, British Airways, Emirates, Gulf Air, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines,Ethiad airways and Thai Airways.
Domestic connectivity is excellent with Indian airlines operating from here including Air India, Air India Express, Indian Airlines, Indigo Airlines, Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher Airlines, Paramount Airlines and SpiceJet.
By train
Indian Railways has service to Hyderabad from all over India.
There are three major railway stations serving the twin cities: Secunderabad, Hyderabad , and Kachiguda and a minor station at Begumpet. Most of the trains bound for South India and North India originate from Hyderabad, and leave via Secunderabad.
By Road
Hyderabad is well-connected to all parts of the Andhra Pradesh and some parts of South India. "MGBS" is the biggest station run by APSRTC (state-run) situated in Hyderabad and JBS / Jubilee Bus station is in Secunderabad
