Questions visitors ask

October to February is the most comfortable time. The days are warm and the mornings and evenings are cool. December and January are the coolest months, and also the busiest.

March to May is the hottest part of the year, with afternoons close to 40°C. June to September is the monsoon: the boulders turn green and the river runs high, and rocks and paths get slippery after rain.

Early morning and late afternoon. Start soon after sunrise, rest somewhere shaded from about noon to 3 pm, and go out again when the sun is lower.

One full day covers the best-known places, such as the Virupaksha and Vittala temples, if you go by car or auto between them. Two or three days let you add the Royal Centre, a sunrise from a hill and the quieter temples at an easier pace.

Plan your days makes a timed plan for one, two or three days. The ready-made routes are another good place to start.

Plan your daysSee the ready-made routes

Most visitors come through Hosapete (Hospet), the nearest town, and go on to Hampi by road. The Getting here page explains the ways to reach Hampi.

Getting here

Dress modestly, especially at temples where people still worship. Clothes that cover your shoulders and knees are a safe choice, and light, loose cotton is the most comfortable in the heat.

In January 2024 a dress code came in at the Virupaksha Temple that does not allow jeans or shorts inside. The temple has lent a dhoti free to visitors who need one. Rules like this can change, so ask at the gate.

Yes, at temples where people worship. Leave your shoes outside before you go in, at the shoe stand near the entrance if there is one. Shoes you can slip off and on easily save time.

Between the temples, wear closed shoes with good grip. The granite is uneven and polished smooth in places.

No. It is a living temple, where people come to pray every day and festivals are still held. Move quietly, do not touch shrines or offerings, and follow what the priests and staff ask.

Around the open ruins, yes. Temples where people worship may have their own rules about cameras, and these have changed over the years. Read the signs at the gate and ask before you photograph inside.

Always ask before you take a picture of a person.

Most of Hampi is free to walk into. Ten places in three fenced zones, the Vittala Temple complex, the Zenana Enclosure and the Elephant Stables area, share one ticket from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It covers all ten on the date you choose.

Booked online it is ₹35 for citizens of India, SAARC and BIMSTEC countries and ₹550 for other foreign visitors. It costs a little more at the gate, and children under 15 go in free.

How the ticket works

Carry water, a hat and sunscreen, and wear light clothes. There is little shade in the Royal Centre and along the river path, so keep long walks for the morning and late afternoon.

Drink before you feel thirsty. If you feel dizzy or unwell, get into the shade, sip water and ask someone for help.

Carry at least one full bottle and refill it when you can. There is nothing to buy on the hills, and little between the far ruins.

Essentials in the MyHampi app lists drinking water points and toilets near where you are standing. Near temples, keep bottles and food out of sight: monkeys will take a bottle straight out of your hand.

Plan to be back in town or at your stay by sunset. Many ruins are unlit and unpatrolled, and the paths between the boulders are easy to lose in the dark.

If you go up a hill for the sunrise or the sunset, go with others, carry a torch and tell someone where you are going.

Take care. The granite is uneven and polished smooth in places, and rocks get slippery after rain. Wear shoes with good grip, keep to the paths and steps people use, and do not climb alone or in the dark.

No. The Tungabhadra looks calm, but the currents under the surface are strong and the rocks are slick. Do not swim, and do not wade in past your knees.

Coracles, round basket boats, have carried people across the river at Hampi for centuries, and the far bank can also be reached by road. Whether coracles run depends on the river: when the water is high, after heavy rain or when water is let out of the dam upstream, crossings can stop for safety.

The rules change with the river level, so ask locally on the day before you plan around a crossing. Coracles do not cross after dark and the way round by road is long, so do not get caught on the far bank at dusk.

Call 112 for police, fire or an ambulance. It works from any phone in India. Safety in the MyHampi app dials 112 first, and can send your location by SMS with no internet.

By car or auto rickshaw. The monuments are spread over many kilometres, so most visitors hire an auto or a taxi, for the day or for each stretch.

You still walk at the sites themselves, and on the stretches no road reaches, such as hill steps and the river path to the Vittala Temple.

See the ready-made routes

In the MyHampi app, Rides sends your request to the nearest verified drivers on duty. When one accepts, you each get the other's phone number, and you can send your family a link that shows the route, the driver's first name and the number plate.

Agree the price with the driver face to face before you set off, and pay them directly. MyHampi takes no money and holds none.

Bring enough cash with you. There are few ATMs near the monuments, and the closest can run out of money. Hosapete has more. Small shops and stalls are often easiest to pay in cash.

Essentials in the MyHampi app shows the ATMs nearest to you.

Signal can be patchy among the ruins and boulders, so do not count on it. Download Hampi in the MyHampi app once while you are connected, and the monuments, their timings, fees and map pins stay on your phone without signal.

It is a guide to Hampi on your phone. Explore has every monument with its history, hours, entry fee and place on the map, and Plan builds your days around your time.

Rides, Guides and Stays let you ask local drivers, licensed guides and homestays, and Shopping shows local shops and what they sell. Essentials finds toilets, water and ATMs near you, and Safety keeps 112 and your location one tap away.

Guides, drivers and owners are shown as verified only after a person at MyHampi has checked their papers. Nothing is booked until they say yes.

The app is free, for Android phones. MyHampi takes no money and holds none: you agree the price with the guide, driver or owner and pay them directly.

Download the app

The app and this website are in English, Kannada and Hindi.