Amaravati

Introduction

Amaravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh, set in Guntur district on the right bank of the Krishna River. It sits close to two larger urban centres, roughly 15 kilometres southwest of Vijayawada and 25 kilometres northwest of Guntur, so you can approach it from either direction.

The city takes its name from the nearby historic site of Amaravathi, which served as the capital of the Satavahana Empire nearly two thousand years ago. That link gives your visit a sense of deep history alongside its present role as a seat of state government.

Before you go

Amaravati (uh-muh-RAH-vuh-tee), whose name means the "abode of immortals", is a city being built as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, opposite Vijayawada. Its story reaches back much further than the new construction: the Satavahana dynasty's capital stood at Dharanikota from the second century BCE, and the Buddhist stupas of Amaravati were a major centre of art and education, with the Mahayana school especially prominent. The village around the stupa was founded by Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, zamindar of Chintapalli.

Before you plan a visit, it helps to understand the city's unsettled present. After Telangana split from Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the state was left without a capital, and in October 2015 the government announced Amaravati as the new capital. Construction halted after the 2019 change of administration, when the government favoured three capitals (Amaravati, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam) instead of one, prompting years of protests in the Krishna Valley that reached the High Court and then the Supreme Court. After the 2024 election the administration changed again and construction resumed, with the aim of making Amaravati the sole capital. Expect a city in the making rather than a finished one.

Getting there

The most convenient way to reach Amaravati is by bus. APSRTC runs services to Amaravathi Bus Station from Vijayawada, Guntur, Mangalagiri, Sattenapalle, Piduguralla, Narasaraopet and Hyderabad, so you can approach from several directions depending on where you're coming from.

Amaravati has no railway station of its own. The nearest is Krishna Canal Junction, though not all trains stop there; Mangalagiri is slightly further but is considered more tourist-friendly. The most convenient rail option is to arrive at Vijayawada Junction in nearby Vijayawada and continue by bus or taxi. Note that neither Amaravati nor Vijayawada is served by a dedicated Rajdhani Express, though the Chennai Rajdhani Express does serve Vijayawada. If you fly, the nearest airport is in Vijayawada. By road, NH 16 connects Amaravati to Guntur and Vijayawada, while SH 288 directly connects Guntur to the old town of Amaravati.

Getting around

Amaravati is a planned city laid out on a grid of East–West and North–South arterial roads, which makes it relatively easy to navigate in principle. Buses are the main form of public transport and run on all major roads; APSRTC operates local services between the Interim Secretariat at Velagapudi and the Interim High Court at Nelapadu, covering the villages within Amaravati, with connections onward to Pandit Nehru Bus Station in Vijayawada and the NTR bus station in Guntur. Buy your ticket from the conductor on board and carry small denomination notes, since cash is the norm and travel cards are not commonly used. Services generally run from early morning until around 9–10 PM, are more frequent on main routes, and get crowded during the morning and evening commute peaks. Public buses generally lack accessibility features for travellers with mobility challenges, and the steps can be high.

Beyond buses, your options are taxis, a personal car, auto-rickshaws or simply walking. Auto-rickshaws are readily available outside the railway station and the central bus stop; if there is no meter, negotiate the fare upfront. Taxis are usually arranged through your hotel or a local operator, especially for longer distances, with fares typically agreed in advance and paid in cash. Ola is available for auto-rickshaws and sometimes cars, so download the app before you arrive; Uber is less prevalent and not fully operational for intra-city travel. In city centres and busy areas, cycling or motorcycling can often be quicker than taking an auto-rickshaw or a taxi, though there are few dedicated bicycle lanes, so cycling is safer on quieter side streets or in rural areas outside the city. Walking works well in parks, temple complexes and some of the narrower market lanes, but the city centre and commercial areas are less suited to leisurely walking because of congestion. Avoid busy main roads at peak commute hours and poorly lit areas at night, and carry a charged phone with mobile data for navigation and ride-hailing. If you prefer to drive yourself, self-drive rentals are limited and you would need an International Driving Permit plus your original licence; hiring a car with a driver is the more common option. Driving is on the left, and traffic is chaotic, mixing cars, trucks, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, cycles, pedestrians and occasionally livestock. Parking is improving, and two-wheelers are easy to park, but finding parking for cars is harder; in crowded market areas, use designated areas.

Where to stay

Amaravati offers accommodation in two broad areas: the old town and the eastern suburbs. Staying in the old town puts you close to the city's historic core, while the eastern suburbs suit travellers who prefer to base themselves away from the centre.

Food & drink

Amaravati's eating options are not documented in the available source, so you will find no reliable list of restaurants or local dishes here. Treat meals as something to arrange locally rather than plan around in advance.

For drinks, Pragathi Wines on Amaravathi Road is the one listed stop, open daily from morning until evening.

What to see and do

The new capital itself offers little in the way of sights beyond the spectacle of a large city being built from scratch over more than a decade. For actual attractions, head to the old town and the eastern suburbs, which hold most of the region's historical and religious sites. In the old town, you can see the ruins of the Amaravati Stupa, an ancient Buddhist site built in phases between the third century BCE and about 250 CE and long regarded as one of the great monuments of Buddhist Asia; many of its surviving sculptures are now in museums in Chennai, London and Amaravati itself. Nearby are the Amareswara Temple, with a history of roughly two thousand years, and the Dhyana Buddha Statue, a tall figure in a meditative pose completed in 2015 to celebrate the city's Buddhist heritage.

• Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Mangalagiri, one of the eight sacred places of Lord Vishnu in India, set on a hill that was once an active volcano; jaggery water is offered to the lord here, and a second temple to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy stands downhill.
• Prakasam Barrage, built across the river Krishna and connecting the city with Vijayawada, which has created a panoramic lake.
• Sitanagaram, on the banks of the Krishna, with a vast sandy beach for recreation and the Someswara Swamy temple.
• Undavalli Caves, a two-storeyed cave structure carved in the 7th century AD and once used by Buddhist monks as a rest house during the monsoon, with a huge reclining monolith of Lord Anantha Padmanabha Swamy.
• Pedavadlapudi, a sixth-century town now known for curry leaves and other crops such as rice, cauliflower, bananas and flowers.

Three days in Amaravati

Day one: Start in Amaravati itself, the capital area on the Krishna River, and get your bearings along the Krishna Valley. Cross to Vijayawada, the neighbouring city at the Krishna Canal Junction, and use Vijayawada Junction as your transport anchor for the days ahead. In the evening, look toward the river and the ghats rather than planning anything fixed, since construction across the capital region means routes and access can shift.

Day two: Head west into Guntur district to Amaravathi and Dharanikota, the historic Buddhist site linked to the Satavahana Empire, where Mahayana tradition and remains from around the BCE era give the place its weight. Continue to Mangalagiri, and if you are relying on buses, note that APSRTC services and Amaravathi Bus Station connect the smaller towns of the district, including Sattenapalle, Piduguralla and Narasaraopet.

Day three: Use the day for the wider region, keeping in mind that the capital's institutions, including the High Court, have been at the centre of legal argument reaching the Supreme Court, and that the city's status shifted after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and the departure of the administration to Hyderabad. Expect a place still being built: October brings warm, humid weather, and construction is a constant presence. If you need onward connections, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam are the other major Andhra cities to plan around.