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Route · Karnataka
Bangalore to Chikmagalur: Distance, Every Way to Get There and What It Costs
Chikkamagaluru town is about 250 km from central Bengaluru by the fastest road, which goes north-west through Tumakuru, Tiptur and Arsikere. The slower way through Kunigal, Shravanabelagola, Hassan and Belur is about 261 km and passes the Jain hill at Shravanabelagola and the Hoysala temple at Belur. Here is every way to get there, what it costs and where to stop.
Photo: iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Bangalore to Chikmagalur is about 250 km by road, roughly 3 hours 10 minutes of driving on a clear road (a free-flow routing estimate; real trips take longer). The cheapest way with a confirmed fare is the KSRTC express bus, ₹363 from 5 November 2026 (it was ₹295). A second-sitting train to Kadur costs about ₹115, but the bus fare for the last 45 minutes is not confirmed. The fastest is your own car, with about ₹1,850 of petrol one way.
How we worked it out. On 12 November 2026 we routed from central Bengaluru (12.9716, 77.5946) to Chikkamagaluru town (13.32, 75.77) with OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), plus a slower route through Shravanabelagola, Hassan and Belur, and checked the towns along each line. Routing times assume an empty road, so treat them as a floor. Bus fares come only from official notices or dated news reports. Open the route on Google Maps for live traffic.
Every way to get there
| Way | Route | Time | Cost, one way | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSRTC express bus | Bengaluru → Chikkamagaluru | 5–6 h (our Chikmagalur data) | ₹363 (was ₹295 before 5 Nov 2026) | OneIndia, 4 Nov 2026 |
| KSRTC premium buses | Bengaluru → Chikkamagaluru | 5–6 h | Check the live fare (no official or news fare found) | Fares vary by bus type |
| Train + bus | Bengaluru → Kadur by train, then a bus of about 45 min | 2.5 h + 45 m | Train about ₹115 (second sitting) or ₹400 (chair car); Kadur bus: check the live fare | ConfirmTkt, read 5 Nov 2026 |
| Own car | 250 km via Tumakuru, Tiptur and Arsikere | 3 h 10 min free-flow | About ₹1,850 petrol; tolls not included | Petrol ₹111.68/l in Bengaluru, 11 Nov 2026; 15 km/l assumed |
- The new bus fare. Karnataka raised KSRTC fares from 5 November 2026; OneIndia's list of express fares puts Bengaluru–Chikkamagaluru at ₹363, up from ₹295. Premium buses (Airavat, sleepers) cost more; check KSRTC's own site for the bus you pick.
- By train. Daily Intercity, Vishwamanav and Jan Shatabdi trains run to Kadur; one daily unreserved train, the 16240, runs into Chikkamagaluru station itself (our Chikmagalur data). Stations, times and fares are in our Chikmagalur by train guide.
- The car maths. 250 km ÷ 15 km a litre (our assumption for a petrol hatchback; yours may differ) × ₹111.68 a litre = about ₹1,850, or about ₹460 a person split four ways. There are toll plazas on the highways out of Bengaluru, but the NHAI toll site did not answer on 12 November 2026 and we found no dated figure, so we add none.
- Booking. KSRTC sells its own tickets online and at the counter. Aggregators such as redBus and AbhiBus list the same buses with private ones; Trip Under does not link to them and takes no commission.
The road and where to stop
Infographic · the route
The fastest road, by OSRM
About 250 km. The route via Shravanabelagola, Hassan and Belur is about 261 km.
OSRM's fastest route leaves Bengaluru on the Nelamangala expressway and the Pune highway (NH48), turns off past Tumakuru and runs through Gubbi, Tiptur and Arsikere, then through the Kadur taluk past Sakharayapattana into Chikkamagaluru. The other way runs west on the Mangaluru highway (NH75) past Kunigal, turns off to Shravanabelagola, rejoins NH75 round Hassan and goes up through Belur: about 261 km by OSRM and roughly 55 minutes slower on a clear road. It is the one to take if you want to stop at the places below.
- Shravanabelagola (about 141 km from Bengaluru): the 57-foot Gomateshwara statue on Vindhyagiri hill, carved from one block of granite. The roughly 600 rock-cut steps are climbed barefoot by custom and get very hot by midday, so go early (our Shravanabelagola page).
- Belur and Halebidu: the Hoysala temples, famous for their stone friezes. Belur's Chennakeshava Temple is about 26 km before Chikkamagaluru by OSRM, and Halebidu is 16 km from Belur (our Hoysala temple trail). October to February for comfortable sightseeing.
- At the end of the road: Mullayanagiri, Karnataka's highest point at 1,930 m, about 25 km from town and a short walk from the road, and the Baba Budangiri range beside it, where coffee first came to India.
Leeches come out from June to September, and estate roads are unlit and unsurfaced. Do the last stretch into the estates in daylight (our Chikmagalur page).
When to go, and what a day there costs
Infographic · month by month
Chikmagalur month by month
Month-by-month as text
Jan: Good · Feb: Good · Mar: Passable · Apr: Passable · May: Passable · Jun: Good · Jul: Best · Aug: Best · Sep: Best · Oct: Good · Nov: Best · Dec: Best
Two windows. June to September is monsoon — the estates are at their greenest, the falls are running and rates fall by a third. November to February is dry, cool and busy at weekends.
Best months by our scores: Jul–Sep, Nov–Dec. On the ground, a day in Chikmagalur costs about ₹1,000 on a shoestring, ₹1,700 mid-range and ₹3,400 comfortable, per person, with the bed, food, local transport and entry fees (our cost model). Weekend room rates are often double weekday rates. Full breakdown on the Chikmagalur page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the distance from Bangalore to Chikmagalur?
About 250 km by road from central Bengaluru to Chikkamagaluru town by the fastest route (OSRM, 12 November 2026), via Tumakuru, Tiptur and Arsikere. Via Shravanabelagola, Hassan and Belur it is about 261 km.
How long does it take to reach Chikmagalur from Bangalore?
About 3 hours 10 minutes of driving on a clear road by routing estimate; allow more for traffic and breaks. The KSRTC bus takes about 5 to 6 hours.
What is the KSRTC bus fare from Bangalore to Chikmagalur?
₹363 for the express bus from 5 November 2026, up from ₹295 (OneIndia, 4 November 2026). Premium buses cost more; check the live fare.
Can I go from Bangalore to Chikmagalur by train?
Yes, partly. Trains to Kadur cost about ₹115 in second sitting or ₹400 in chair car (ConfirmTkt, 5 November 2026), then a bus of about 45 minutes. One daily unreserved train runs into Chikkamagaluru station. See our Chikmagalur by train guide.
Which is the best route from Bangalore to Chikmagalur?
The fastest is via Tumakuru, Tiptur and Arsikere, about 250 km. If you want to see Shravanabelagola or the Belur temple on the way, go via Kunigal, Shravanabelagola, Hassan and Belur instead, about 261 km and roughly 55 minutes more on a clear road.
How much does it cost to drive from Bangalore to Chikmagalur?
About ₹1,850 of petrol one way at ₹111.68 a litre and an assumed 15 km a litre, plus tolls, which we could not confirm.
What is the best time to visit Chikmagalur?
Jul–Sep, Nov–Dec by our month scores: June to September for green estates and lower rates, November to February for dry, cool weather. Weekdays are far cheaper than weekends.
Sources and how we priced this
- Distance, drive time and roads: OSRM driving routes (router.project-osrm.org) from Bengaluru (12.9716, 77.5946) to Chikkamagaluru (13.32, 75.77), and a second route with via-points at Shravanabelagola and Belur, 12 November 2026; towns from OpenStreetMap Nominatim reverse lookups along the route, 12 November 2026.
- Bus fare: OneIndia, "Karnataka Bus Fare Hike: KSRTC, BMTC Ticket Prices Increased By Up To 35%; New Rates From Midnight" (4 November 2026), express fares from Bengaluru. No official or news fare found for premium buses or the Kadur–Chikkamagaluru bus.
- Trains: ConfirmTkt route listings, read 5 November 2026 for travel on 6 November (our Chikmagalur by train guide and Chikmagalur data).
- Fuel: petrol in Bengaluru ₹111.68 a litre on 11 November 2026 (Upstox fuel price page); 15 km a litre is our assumption. Tolls: NHAI TIS (tis.nhai.gov.in) did not respond on 12 November 2026.
- Stops, season and daily costs: Trip Under's Chikmagalur and Shravanabelagola pages, the Hoysala temple trail and our cost model.
Keep reading
Plan the days once you are there
Homestays, Mullayanagiri at sunrise, the monsoon and what a weekend in Chikmagalur costs: see the full Chikmagalur page.
Open the Chikmagalur page →Fares and fuel prices are as read on the dates given and change often; check the live fare before you travel. Distances and drive times are routing estimates. Daily costs come from Trip Under's place data and cost model (see methodology). Trip Under is not an agency and takes no commission on any booking.