Stand at the top of Dolphin's Nose and the whole shape of Visakhapatnam becomes clear at once: the harbour and port on one side, the city spreading behind, and the Bay of Bengal running out to the horizon. Below, the road winds down past Yarada village to a beach that most visitors never reach.
Visakhapatnam suits travellers who want beaches and Buddhist hilltop sites in the same trip, and who are happy to build a day around a sunrise, a museum cluster and a long evening walk. The city rewards slow movement rather than a checklist.
This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, grouped so you can plan around the Beach Road cluster, the hilltop viewpoints and the Buddhist sites outside the city.
Top things to do in Visakhapatnam
1. Kailasagiri
A hill with a park on top, reached by a ropeway that faces the sea and the city. From the viewpoints you look over the coast, with Sagar Nagar Beach on one side and Rushikonda Beach on the other, and the Eastern Ghats meeting the sea. There is a colossal statue of Shiva and Parvati, a toy train that tours the hilltop, a children's play area and a doll museum.
Come in the evening, when the city lights up below you. The hill is less commercial than other hill stations and you will not be pestered by guides. The rocky beach beneath the hillocks is visible from several points, and the sunrise and sunset views from here are the reason most people make the trip.
2. INS Kursura Museum
A museum inside a decommissioned Indian Navy submarine on RK Beach Road, the first of its kind in South Asia. The submarine is one of the earliest procured from Russia, and the experience of working inside it is explained as you walk through. It is manned by retired naval personnel.
There is a fee to take a camera or video camera inside, in addition to the entry charge. Pair it with the TU-142 Aircraft Museum directly opposite, and with the Victory at Sea Memorial a short walk away.
3. TU-142 Aircraft Museum
The first military aviation museum in India, built around a decommissioned Russian Tupolev Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft of the Indian Navy. You can see inside the aircraft, and the real engines are on display.
It sits opposite the INS Kursura Museum, so the two are best done together. Children's tickets are cheaper than adult tickets.
4. Victory at Sea Memorial
A memorial on Beach Road, opposite the Submarine Museum, remembering the Victory at Sea in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. A fighter plane, a tank and replicas of missiles are kept as exhibits.
There is no entry fee and it can be viewed from the road, which makes it an easy stop as you walk the Beach Road stretch between the museums.
5. Ramakrishna Beach (RK Beach)
The most popular beach in the city, where locals gather in the hot summers and the milder winters. On weekends and holidays the whole beach comes alive, though not in the Western sense of swimming or surfing: people dress in their best clothes, sit on the benches and walk along the shore.
Take an evening stroll here. The beach has good pedestrian tracks, and the parks, museums and open-air restaurants along it make it the natural spine of a day in the city.
6. Rushikonda Beach
Cradled among hills, this beach is safer to wade into than RK Beach and has become popular enough that locals frequent it too. AP Tourism Development Corporation runs a beach resort on the hillside overlooking the beach.
A water sports centre operates here, and it is one of the beaches visible from the viewpoints on Kailasagiri, so the two work well on the same day.
7. Dolphin's Nose Lighthouse
A lighthouse that gives you an aerial view of the port and the city. The drive up is part of the experience, and the view from the top over the beach and the city is the memorable part.
Combine it with Yarada Beach: the drive from Scindia to the top of Dolphin's Nose, and then on to Yarada, is enjoyable in itself. There is a small entry charge for adults.
8. Yarada Beach
Often described as private but actually open to visitors, this beach sits behind Dolphin's Nose, with Yarada village inland. You can reach it directly or through the village, by bus from Scindia junction or by hired cab.
Public transport is limited, so plan your return. The beach is quiet and uncrowded compared with the city beaches, which is exactly why the effort to get there pays off.
9. Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Simhachalam
An architectural temple dedicated to the Narasimha avatar of Lord Vishnu, the half-man, half-lion form. The temple bears reference to the Chola and Chalukya styles of architecture, and its inscriptions date the earliest donors to the 10th and 11th centuries. Some of the sculptures were defaced during the Islamic invasions.
Mobile phones and other electronics are not allowed, so leave them behind. The temple is 15 km from the city, and there is a railway station at Simhachalam.
10. Thotlakonda
A collection of Buddhist monuments on a hilltop, centred on a Maha Stupa along with other votive stupas. It was a centre of Buddhism during the second century CE, and stupas and chaityas were erected here.
There is a beach nearby, so you can pair the site with a stretch of coast. Go earlier in the day, before the hilltop heat builds.
11. Bavikonda
A Buddhist heritage site on a hill with a flat terraced area, where the Hinayana school was practised. The remains comprise an entire complex of 26 structures belonging to three phases, and a piece of bone stored in an urn recovered here is believed to belong to the mortal remains of the Buddha.
The name means "a hill of wells" in Telugu, and the hill indeed has wells for collecting rainwater. It is one of the Buddhist sites scattered across the region, so group it with Thotlakonda rather than treating it as a standalone trip.
12. Visakha Museum
A museum housing the historical treasures and artefacts of Northern Andhra. The collections include ancient armoury, crockery, coins, silk costumes, jewellery, stuffed animals, portraits, manuscripts, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, periodicals and maps.
It sits within the Beach Road cluster, so slot it in between the submarine and aircraft museums when you need a break from the sun.
13. Matsya Darshini
An aquarium on Beach Road with marine and freshwater fish. The exit gate is built to resemble the open mouth of a huge white-tipped shark, which is the detail most visitors remember.
A handicrafts shop called Kala Shrusti sits atop the aquarium, so you can combine the visit with browsing local crafts.
14. Hawa Mahal
A summer residential palace of the royal family of Jeypore, and one of the city's iconic historical buildings. It is built of stone with twin octagonal projections on either side, wooden windows framed by segmented arched openings, and Madras roofing in the halls using Burma teak to keep the interior cool in the coastal heat. The building has sixteen rooms and a massive hall that hosted dinners and parties for guests.
It stands on Beach Road, so it fits naturally into a walk along the seafront rather than needing a separate trip.
15. Shilparamam Jathara
A crafts village that showcases and preserves rural Indian crafts, including woodwork, jewellery and clothes. There are 36 stalls where you can buy handicrafts and artwork, plus a village area with realistic-looking sculptures of villagers carrying out their traditional crafts.
It is a good stop for buying locally made things rather than mass-produced souvenirs, and works well as a slower afternoon activity.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start early at Kailasagiri, taking the ropeway up for the sea views and the hilltop park before the day heats up. On the way back down, head to Rushikonda Beach, which is safer for wading than RK Beach and sits among hills.
Afternoon. Move to the Beach Road cluster. Visit the INS Kursura Museum and the TU-142 Aircraft Museum opposite it, then walk to the Victory at Sea Memorial, which has no entry fee and can be seen from the road. Add Visakha Museum or Matsya Darshini if you still have energy, and look in on Hawa Mahal as you pass along the seafront.
Evening. Finish with a stroll along Ramakrishna Beach (RK Beach), where the pedestrian tracks, parks and open-air restaurants make it the natural end to the day. If you have a car arranged, the drive up to Dolphin's Nose Lighthouse for the view over the port and city is a strong alternative ending.
Frequently asked questions
Which beach in Visakhapatnam is safest for getting into the water?
Rushikonda Beach is described as safer to wade into than RK Beach. RK Beach is where locals gather to sit and walk rather than swim.
Do I need to pay to visit the submarine and aircraft museums?
Yes. The INS Kursura Museum charges an entry fee and an additional fee if you want to take a camera or video camera inside. The TU-142 Aircraft Museum also charges, with a lower rate for children aged 4 to 10.
Are there Buddhist sites near Visakhapatnam worth a day trip?
Yes. Thotlakonda and Bavikonda are the closest, and Bojjannakonda and Pavurallakonda lie in nearby Anakapalle and Bheemunipatnam respectively. All were centres of Buddhism during the second century CE, with stupas and chaityas erected at each.
What should I leave behind when visiting the Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Simhachalam?
Mobile phones and other electronics are not allowed at the temple, so leave them behind before you go.
Pick your sunrise spot, book a place near Beach Road, and start shaping the trip around the beaches and the hilltop views.