Let's get this out of the way. I've been to Hampi SIX times and that's probably the most number of times I've been to any place other than a city where I've lived in India. So I think I know what I'm talking about when I say Hampi is a must-visit for anyone traveling to South India. However it's a travesty that other than history nerds or the followers of the hippie trail in India, I barely see any interest in Hampi. My own family that's settled in Bangalore forever and loves a weekend trip has never stepped foot in Hampi because "Eww we'll get bored seeing historic places!" Ugh! I wish I could explain why Hampi is not just about A Temple or A Ruin.

A brief overview of Hampi

What makes Hampi absolutely breathtaking is that it's arguably the only site in India where an entire ancient city, even larger than the Angkor Wat (covered in my one-week Cambodia itinerary) has survived almost 700 years through Mughal and British invasions, weathering natural calamities, internal wars, ageing, and still is relatively as well-preserved as it is. A visit to Hampi would be like time traveling and getting a glimpse of a life of this once prosperous kingdom through the physical-realness of the grand buildings, temples, courtyards, and palaces that still stand, albeit having seen better days, 650-700 years later.

Even though all of Hampi, which itself is a village carved out from giant boulders, is dotted with ruins of temples, palaces, and other monuments and structures from the Vijayanagar empire as well as many other natural spots that deserve their own time, for a 3-day Hampi itinerary, I'm only going to cover my favourites.

How to travel to Hampi from Bangalore

Hampi is well connected by road from major cities such as Hyderabad, Mysore, Chennai and Bangalore. To get from Bangalore to Hampi about 350~ kms away, within the state of Karnataka, a 6-8 hour overnight sleeper bus makes the most convenient option. You can start late at night around 11pm and reach Hospet at about 6-7 in the morning which is perfect to grab a morning cuppa at one of the little stalls in Hospet town before negotiating with the local autorikshaw drivers to get you to Hampi, about 12 kms away.

Note: there's also a public bus from Hospet town to Hampi that drops right outside the Virupaksha temple and it's the cheapest option but the bus frequency is questionable and if you're a couple of people or more, an autorikshaw ride is a good option. (<Rs. 200)

Best time to visit Hampi

Being located in the plains, Hampi has a typical seasonal weather with very hot summer, a mild winter and a raging monsoon season. Since most of Hampi sightseeing involves being outdoors during the day, the months of October through March make the most conducive time to travel to Hampi. If you're looking to just hunker down and chill for a few days, then even Monsoon is great.

But being in Hampi during the Hampi Utsav in late Jan is a great time as lot of cultural events are held around the heritage sites which are decorated with special lights, making Hampi even more magical, if a lot more crowded.

Arriving in the temple side of Hampi

Most travelers to Hampi would arrive in the 'temple side' or where all the major temple ruins including the Virupaksha temple are located. However, if your itinerary allows, definitely budget as much time as the temple side to go the other side to witness the non-touristy, chilled out, heck, 'hippie' side of Hampi.

Day 1: The temple ruins and other remnants of the glorious Vijayanagar Empire

Immediately after reaching Hampi, check in to one of the many guesthouses or lodges (modest, low-budget digs) in the temple side, grab a quick breakfast and head out. The key to covering the temples by evening is to start as early as possible. (Ideally by 9am)

The best way to do a temple/ruins tour in Hampi would be to rent a bike which could cost about Rs. 500 per day excluding fuel. The second best would be to hire an auto rikshaw for the day. If you're adventurous and have ample time on hand, no need to cram all the temples in one day, instead space them out over a course of a couple or few days. But since I have here a 3-day Hampi itinerary, I'd suggest covering 3-4 of the below mentioned temples in the same day and moving to the other side of the river the next 2 days.

To start your Hampi temple run, add the following stops to your Google maps as shown:

1. Virupaksha Temple

The Virupaksha temple is a 6th century Shiva temple located at the bank of the Tungabhadra river. With an intricate Gopuram or entrance gateway 220 feet tall, covered with intricate carvings and idols of gods and goddesses at levels, the Virupaksha temple is the icon and guiding beacon of Hampi and is visible pretty much from everywhere. Inside the towering gate is a sprawling courtyard with another set of smaller temples, a large hall and a set of beautifully ornate pillars setting the tone for the rest of your Hampi trip.

2. Hazare Rama Temple

Just 5 minutes from Virupaksha temple is the expansive Hazare Rama temple. It's popular for the lovely relics and panels depicting the story of the epic Ramayana. Having been mostly demolished, the temple now mainly consists of a sprawling open complex framed by rows of ornate pillars, with tall and swaying palm trees in the background.

3. Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

After visiting Virupaksha and Hazare Ram temples, rent a bike or auto rikshaw. The first stop to navigate to is the Vithala temple at a distance of around 4kms. On the way there, stop by at the Lakshmi Narasimha temple, famous for a large stone Shivlinga and at the entrance, a 7-meter tall monolithic statue of Narsimha, half lion, half man, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Due to damage to the roof, the statue has suffered considerable defacing and yet serves as one of the finest examples of stone sculptures in the Vijayanagar empire. You can spend a few minutes admiring the size and yet the intricate details of the idol, built without any modern construction or architectural technology and tools of today.

After exiting the temple, grab a freshly squeezed sugarcane juice to prepare for the ride ahead.

4. Vijaya Vitthala (stone chariot) temple

The pièce de résistance of the architectural glory of the Vijayanagar empire, the Vijaya Vithala temple is actually a complex consisting of a cluster of many different temples. But of course the highlight of the Vijaya Vitthala temple is the iconic Stone Chariot, a symbol that finds a pride of place on the 50-rupee currency note in India. This magnificent chariot, frozen in time for six centuries and heart breaking for the damage it's suffered at the hands of Mughal invaders, is a testament to the grandeur of Vijayanagar architecture, rightfully earning it a UNESCO World Heritage site status.

One can spend hours admiring the magnificent stone craftsmanship in the temple, with intricate stone statues, animal and human busts, ornate pillars, carved ceilings and arches everywhere the eyes look.

Then there are also the famous musical pillars, tapping on which produces different musical notes, signifying not only an architectural, but a mind blowing engineering feat of the Vijayanagar empire.

5. Elephant stables

If time and energy permit you can do another 5km ride to the elephant stables, one of the very few structures that have not suffered extensive damage during the Mughal attack on Hampi that led to the downfall of the Empire in 1565 A.D. Though most of the structures and monuments in Hampi were built using the Vijayanagar style of architecture, the elephant stables display hints of Indo-Islamic architecture with their distinct domes and mughal-style gardens.

6. Sunset on the hill at Virupaksha temple

If you're done with the elephant stables well before sunset, come right back to where you started - in the Virupaksha temple courtyard area. Do a 5-minute hike to get on top of the boulder overlooking the temple and watch a stunning sunset over Hampi's famed boulder-temple-palm tree skyline. The atmosphere here at sunset is no less charming than at a European square with many tourists, locals, and performers gathered around on a little hill. If you're there an hour before sunset, stand mesmerized as the sun light casts a beautiful golden glow on the beige temples, making everything feel magical.1

7. Shop at the boho Hampi market

Since after sundown, sightseeing is not really an option in Hampi, the two things you can do at night is settle yourself at a nice cafe shack in the temple side and do some shopping in the central bazaar. The Hampi market of today is set up exactly where the original Hampi market was during the rule of the Vijayanagar empire. If back then, gold, silver and even gemstones were traded here, today, one can find boho and local handicrafts such as macrame lamps, silk dresses, Kashmiri shawls, silver jewelry, dreamcatchers and more. The prices are decent and shopping helps boost the local economy of the place and helps keep the place maintain its vibe.

If you have more time on hand than just 3 days, I definitely recommend splitting the temple ruins in 2 days instead of cramming it all in one day. If you choose to do that, then I recommend visiting the queen's bathhouse, Lotus Mahal, Zenana enclosure, and the elephant stables on day two.

But play around with your itinerary. I bet you'll come to Hampi again and again like I did.

Day 2 - Cross over to the 'Hippie island"

Just when you have been mighty impressed by the majestic temple ruins, Hampi surprises you with its totally ‘chill’ side on the other side of the Tungabhadra river with its expansive and lush paddy fields, boulders, tall palm trees, lakes, and mini forests, hiding amidst which are some of the coolest cafe shacks.

To cross the river on the other side of Hampi, there are two options:

1) Take the public ferry (It runs when full between 9 am to 5pm)

2) Continue with your rented bike and drive 25kms to Sanapur (If you do this, then instead of checking into a hotel on the temple side on Day 1, do the temple run as mentioned but instead of coming back to the temple side, continue driving towards Sanapur.)

Here are a few options to cover on the remaining 2 days on the other side:

1. Grab a lazy brunch at Laughing Buddha or one of the few remaining shacks

I hate to break it to you but you'll probably never see the side of Hampi I saw years ago as once the "Hippie island" swarming with hippie cafes and shacks where no rules applied and one could spend hours just lounging about, doing one's own thing, is now almost a ghost town since the government decided to come heavily down on "illegal" constructions and "desecrating a sacred site." Still, many of the more permanent establishments managed to keep the lights on and still exist hidden amidst the paddy fields and forests, in a somewhat subdued glory.

Protip: To go to the hippie shacks, locate "Laughing Buddha" on maps. Most of the others are also dotted around the area. Some of my favourite cafe shacks in Hampi in no particular order:

• Laughing Buddha

• Whispering Rocks

• Gravity cafe

• Rasta Cafe

• Sundown cafe

2. Attend a drum circle on a boulder at Sunset Point Hill

Come sunset and there's a drum circle at the top of a large largest boulder hill on the hippie side. Locate it on the map here. An easy 10 minute trek up take you to a rather stunning visual. You'll find dozens of foreigners and some locals sprawled on the flat boulder, across many levels, chilling, just watching the sunset roll in, or playing instruments, singing, doing yoga, or meditating. Behold a stunning sun setting over the shadows of the rice fields, the palm trees, the slow and lazy Tungabhadra river, and a majestic silhouette of the Virupaksha temple looming over on the other side.

Day 3: Anjanadri Hanuman temple, coracle and Anegundi

The trick to getting the best out of your Hampi trip is to start your day early and avoid being out and about during the hot noon hours. Those are the perfect hours to settle yourself at a cosy forest shack and chill indefinitely over some scrumptious food.

1. Sunrise at the Hanuman Temple

The Hanuman Temple on Anjanadri Hill in Hampi is of great significance as it's said to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. If you have another day in Hampi or you have your own transport, you can visit the Hanuman temple at sunset the same day. But if you have to make it back by the time the last public ferry leaves for the temple side, then your only option is to visit the Hanuman temple at sunrise. Located on a hill, the temple can only be accessed by climbing about 500 white-washed steps. Beware, monkeys abound the temple (Monkeys are also the spirit animal of Lord Hanuman so stands to reason), but some of them can get aggressive. (I'd know, I was bitten by one on one of my trips, on my birthday no less.) but the temple is calming and the views of the Tungabhadra river flowing serenely through Hampi's boulders and paddy fields, from there are beautiful, especially at sunset. (But also sunrise.)

2. Coracle ride in the Sanapur lake

The Sanapur lake is a small clear lake surrounded by boulders, making a unique sight and a good option to refresh yourself after that tiring hike to the Hanuman temple. If one's adventurous enough, there are some free dive spots at the lake, but I've never dived or swum in the lake myself. But a 15-min ride in a coracle, basically giant bamboo (or even plastic) baskets that are boats, are the most fun way to experience it. Up to 3 people can sit in a coracle with one boatman rowing or if you're up to it, you can do a self-row with the boatman watching from a safe distance. Beware, crocodiles are said to lurk around the lake so best no to spend too much inside the waters.

3. Ride to Anegundi village

If you have another day in Hampi or you choose to skip the Hanuman temple, then Anegundi village deserves its own trip. Predating even Hampi, Anegundi is a historic and ancient village associated with many events in the Hindu epic Ramayana. In fact, there are rock engravings and friezes that are mentioned in the Ramayana.

Anegundi is about 12 kms away from Sanapur lake but the journey is both adventurous and scenic. The entire road is a narrow stretch surrounded by open fields on either side which are littered with giant boulders, rice fields, and palm trees - sight that's synonymous with Hampi at this point. If you have another day in Hampi, then a bicycle ride to the Anegundi side is worth a shot. But it's great even on the bike.

Once you arrive at Anegundi, visit the many temples, the fort, sample a glimpse into the customs and simple lifestyle of a tiny village, and be sure to shop from a crafts collective where local women create some beautiful bamboo handicrafts such as lamps, baskets, and more.

The last ferry to come to the temple side leaves at around 5 pm so make sure to arrive at the bank before that. If you're riding a bike, it's still better to arrive at the temple side by 7pm as the ride to Hospet would take another 45 minutes.

In a nutshell, Hampi is a stunning reminder of India's past glory, our architectural and cultural supremacy; it's a paradox with 700-yr-old temples on one side contrasting with hip cafes and yoga studios on another, a photographer's delight, spiritual haven, and a glorious labyrinth with treasures to be discovered at every turn.