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If you are game for a 6 - 6½ hours drive, Bangalore-Hampi is a great drive, totaling about 340km.

Bangalore to Hampi route and distances are like this:

 Bangalore → 70km → Tumkur → 51km → Sira → 40km → Hiriyur → 40km → Chitradurga (bypass) → 82km → Kudligi → 45km → Hospet → 11km → Kamalapura → 4km → Hampi!

( See the route map below on the page )

Let's divide the Bangalore-Hampi driving into 4 sections, and see how each stretch looks like.

First, Drive out of Bangalore City; Second, drive towards Chitradurga; Third, drive to Hospet from Chitradurga; and then the final stretch from Hospet to Hampi.

Now let's see the driving conditions and what to expect on each these 4 stretches.

Exit Bangalore City!

Head towards the Tumkur road (old NH4, now called NH48), wherever you are starting from the city.

Those coming from the Electronics city side will find the NICE Ring Road pretty convenient. The NICE Ring road ends on NH48.

Traffic gets smoothened and moves fast once you hit Bangalore city outskirts, around Nelamangala.

Bangalore to Chitradurga

This 180 km or so stretch between Nelamangala to the outskirts of Chitradurga (you'll bypass the city), is a pleasure to drive. It's a 6 lane highway all the way, with good number of wayside drive in restaurants.

At the outskirts of Chitradurga, NH48 bypasses the city, by taking a rightward bend.  Just follow the NH48 without heading straight into the city.

All goes smooth, you'll reach Chitradurga bypass in about 3 hours from Bangalore, including a short pitstop.

At Chitradurga bypass, you'll leave NH48 and take a right turn into NH50, that goes towards Hospet.

A few things to note at this point, before you get into NH50. There are limited high wayside facilities (unlike on the NH48) now onwards, till you reach Hospet town, which is about 3hours drive away.

Take the service road and get to one of the restaurants at the NH48-NH50 intersection (under the flyover), if you prefer.

Chitradurga to Hospet

The road is now 4 lane with lots of slow moving trucks on it. This is very much a good condition road, with 4 laning work still in progress at alternating stretches.

The Chitradurga to Hospet route is uneventful, but for those slow trucks, which you'll struggle to pass and the diversions due to the highway making in progress.

Hospet to Hampi

This is your final lap. Drive through Hospet town. There are many good hotels and restaurants inside the town, if that's what you are looking for at this moment.

Aks for the Kampili road, that will take you to Hampi.

Hampi is about 15km from Hospet via Kamalapura. An alternative route is to drive via Kadirampura (13km).

About 10 kilometers from Hospet, you reach a busy village center called Kamalapura. By this time the sights on either sides give you lavish hints that your final destination is not too far.

Under 30 minutes you'll reach the Hampi's parking area from Hospet town, whichever route you've taken.

Once in Hampi...

If your hotel destination is KSTDCs Mayura Bhuvaneshwari, Clarks Inn or Evolve Back ( Orange County ), take the Kamalapura route. Otherwise drive through Kadirampura village.

To reach the parking area near Hampi Bazaar, take the left road from the Kamalapura village square. The Road ends at the Hampi bus stand, the starting point for your hampi exploration itinerary.

A tailpiece! Avoid night driving to Hampi. Bangalore-Chitradurga stretch is okey; Chitradurga - Hospet stretch could be lonely and without much facilities around.

Local 'guesthouses' in Hampi village has no parking facility, as these are located where motor vehicle traffic is restricted. You've to park at the public parking lot near the Hampi Bazaar area.

The upscale hotels in Kamalapura area has good secured parking facility ( also, chilled beer! )

If you are staying at Virupapur Gadde , the so called 'party central' of Hampi, the same story again ... you've to park car near Hampi Bazaar parking area and ride a coracle across the river!

Also beware, during the festival seasons the parking area gets overpacked or moved to the outskirts of Hampi.

Another alternative (less prefered) is to the take the roundabout road route from Hospet to Virupapur Gadde via Sanapur. If you have booked at the Hampi Boulders resort, take the Sanapur route from Hospet town.

In short, if you are heading to a  hotel/guesthouse in Hampi, tweak the final driving direction a bit suitably.

Road Trip Vs Train Journey to Hampi? It's a dilemma.

Hampi is well connected by train and bus from Bangalore.

The plus point of the road trip option is that you can add a few more destinations to your itinerary. For example you can stretch your tour a bit more by adding cluster Badami , Aihole , Pattadakal in Karnataka.

Or on the wayback take a Chitradurga Fort detour.

If you are still more creative, you may end up adding the hidden gems like Mahakoota and Lakkundi. And there’s no end to this ever creeping list.

On the other other hand, there is nothing like the convenience of a berth in the Hampi Express, that's if you managed to get one in advance!