Getting Around Mysuru
Mysuru is a compact, heritage-rich city, and getting around it is generally cheaper than in most Indian cities. The city is known for its palaces, its culture, and its status as one of India's cleaner cities, and its tourist sites are largely concentrated enough that you can combine walking with short, inexpensive rides. Tourism is a lifeline industry here, so transport options geared toward visitors are well established.
How Tourists Move Around
In practice, visitors to Mysuru rely on a mix of walking, auto-rickshaws, city buses, taxis, and app-based cabs. The source notes that you don't need to hire a car and driver while staying in the city, since all the tourist sites are within walking distance or a cheap rickshaw ride. If you do want a car and driver, it is very easy to arrange one once you arrive.
Rail, Metro and Tram
Mysuru has no metro or tram network. Rail is relevant mainly for reaching the city and for day trips rather than for getting around within it. Mysuru Junction is the city's main station, and daily trains run to Bangalore, with many pairs of trains plying the route each day. Long-distance express services also connect Mysuru to destinations such as Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Shimoga, and Dharwad/Hubli, among others.
For travel between Mysuru and Bangalore, the fastest and possibly most comfortable option is the Vande Bharat Express, which is fully air-conditioned and includes meals, snacks, and a bottle of mineral water in the fare. Day-time AC chair car fares are levied on several of the Bangalore–Mysuru trains to attract passengers, and the Shatabdi fare on the same section is set at a flat rate. Note that some of these trains run overnight and offer sleeper accommodation.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Mysuru's intracity public transportation is by bus. City buses originate from the City Bus Stand, which sits between Mysore Palace and Krishna Rajendra Circle (the big central roundabout). All local buses connecting the suburbs and small villages to the city arrive and depart from here. Frequent bus services reach all major city tourist and residential areas, and bus stops and departure times are visible on online map services. Volvo air-conditioned buses serve Chamundi Hills, KRS-Brindavan Garden, the Zoo, Infosys, and the European Quarter (Gokula).
For intercity and long-distance travel, including to and from Bangalore, KSRTC buses arrive and depart from the Sub-urban Bus Stand (KSRTC Bus Stand) at the junction of Irwin and Bangalore Nigiri Road. This stand has both non-AC and AC services. KSRTC also runs Flybus air-conditioned Volvo buses between Bangalore International Airport and the Mysore Bus Stand, with timings and reservations available on the KSRTC website.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Tourist cabs are your best option if you plan to tour the city all day or visit neighbouring towns like Srirangapatna. A day-long hire covering the most popular points, ending with Brindavan Garden, is a practical way to see the area. App-based cab services such as Ola Cabs and Uber are also available, and there are many car rental companies in the city.
Auto-rickshaws are a mainstay for short trips. They have meters, but drivers often politely refuse to use them, especially at railway stations and bus stations, and the more they suspect you are a tourist, the less likely they are to agree to the meter. Try to insist on using the meter; threatening to call the police sometimes works when a driver claims the meter is broken and wants a flat fee. At the railway station or city bus stand, go straight to the prepaid auto-rickshaw counter and tell them your destination. You pay a small fee for this service and receive a slip with the fare, destination, and auto-rickshaw registration number printed on it; on arrival you simply pay what is printed on the slip. Traffic police officers are genuinely helpful and can assist you in negotiating with an auto driver.
Horse-drawn carriages, known as tangas, are a common sight and a way of getting around the tourist hotspots, especially the landmarks surrounding the palace.
Walkability
Mysuru is a good city for walking, at least around the main sights. The source advises that you don't need a car and driver while staying in the city because all the tourist sites are within walking distance or a cheap rickshaw ride. The area around the palace and the central landmarks is particularly suited to exploring on foot, and the horse-drawn tangas cluster around the same hotspots.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Mysuru has its own airport, Mysore Airport, located south of the city centre. Commercial scheduled passenger service has been on and off since the airport's refurbishment, so connectivity can change; at the time of the source's information, the regional airline TruJet linked Mysore to Chennai, with a connecting service to Hyderabad. Because scheduled service has historically been intermittent, check current schedules before relying on it.
The nearest international airport is in Bangalore, northeast of the city. The most direct public-transport link from there is the KSRTC Flybus, an air-conditioned Volvo service running between Bangalore International Airport and the Mysore Bus Stand, with buses departing the airport around the clock at regular intervals. Timings and reservations are available on the KSRTC website.