ronald reagan turnpike toll Indian Airlines (%2283992; Tirumala Bypass Rd; h9.30am-5.30pm), 2km from town, has daily flights to

Only a couple of buildings remain from this 15th-century fort (Indian/foreigner 10/100; h8am-5pm), 14km west of Tirupathi. Both the Rani Mahal and the Raja Mahal, which houses a small museum (h10am-5pm Sat-Thu), were constructed under Vijayanagar rule and resemble structures in Hampi s Royal Centre. There s a nightly sound-and-light show (admission 35; h8pm Mar-Oct, 7.30pm Nov-Feb), narrated by Bollywood great Amitabh Bachchan. Buses for Chandragiri ( 10) leave Tirupathi bus station every half-hour. An autorickshaw is 200 return.

MMTS trains (www.mmts.co.in) are convenient, particularly for the three main train stations. There are two main lines: Hyderabad (Nampally) to Lingampalli (northwest ronald reagan turnpike toll of Banjara Hills) has 11 stops, including Lakdikapul, Khairatabad, Necklace Rd, Begumpet and Hitec City; the Falaknuma (south of Old City) to Secunderabad line passes by Yakutpura, Dabirpura, Malakpet and Kachiguda among others. Trains will be labelled with their start and end point: HL is Hyderabad Lingampalli, FS is Falaknuma Secunderabad and so on. Trains are efficient but only run every 30 to 40 minutes. Tickets are 3 to 10.

Indian Airlines (%2283992; Tirumala Bypass Rd; h9.30am-5.30pm), 2km from town, has daily flights to Delhi via Hyderabad. Kingfisher Red (%9849677008) plies the same route, including Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam. Book with Mitta Travels (%2225981; Prakasam Rd; h9am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-12.30pm Sun), next to Manasa Fast Foods, 2km from the train station.