Tirupati

Best time to visit

September to February

Tirupati's climate is generally hot and dry during the summer months, with temperatures soaring high, while the monsoon season brings moderate rainfall from July to September, making the winters mild and pleasant.

Getting there & around

• Air — Tirupati Airport, at Renigunta, about 15 km from town.
• Rail — Tirupati Main (TPTY), in town and within walking distance of the Special Entry Darshan token counters; Renigunta Junction, about 10 km away, is where many long-distance trains stop instead of Tirupati Main.
• Road — APSRTC buses run from Alipiri and the railway station up to Tirumala; taxis and private vehicles use the ghat road - one road up via Alipiri, a second road down - about 22 km by road. Walking up instead, by the Alipiri Mettu or Srivari Mettu footpaths, qualifies for Divya Darshan, the free queue with a biometric token issued on the path.

Before you go

• Decide your darshan class BEFORE booking travel - it determines whether you need three months' notice or three hours. Collect SSD tokens in Tirupati before going up
• they are not issued at Tirumala. Book only through the official portal. And if you intend to tonsure, do it before you queue, not after.

Emergency numbers