Said to be inspired by Windsor Castle in England, the lavish city palace of the Wodeyars of Bangalore offers a fascinating window onto the extravagant, and often eccentric lives of India’s ruling classes. The opulent state rooms are still crammed with fading antiques and royal portraits.

The official seat of the Karnataka state legislature, the Vidhana Soudha was constructed in grand Indo-Saracenic style just a few years after India gained its independence. The grand facade, constructed from local pink granite and topped by a series of towering onion domes, is a Bangalore landmark, but the interiors are only accessible with prior permission.

The summer escape of Tipu Sultan, who ruled large parts of southern India before falling in battle with the British in 1799, this handsome palace is set in elegant gardens near the Jama Masjid mosque. It’s not quite as outrageous as some of the sultan’s other palaces, but the main pavilion is lavishly decorated with frescoes and carved teak columns.

When Bangalore citizens need to escape the city crush, they come to Lalbagh Gardens for shady strolls beneath the trees and peaceful picnics among the ornamental flower beds. The garden was founded by the sultan Hyder Ali but massively expanded by the British, who constructed the Kew Gardens-style greenhouses at the heart of the gardens.

Bangalore’s most important gallery is worth a visit as much for its setting (in a grand mansion formerly used as a summer house by the sultan of Mysore) as for the impressive collection of art inside. The collection is split into works created before and after independence, charting India’s progress towards nationhood.

The towering temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness offers a modernist take on the traditional Dravidian style of temple building, with a central pyramid flanked by gopurams (traditional temple spires). Inside, colourful displays explore the legends of Lord Krishna and the history of the Hare Krishna movement.

Bangalore’s rainbow-coloured ‘bull temple’ is famous for its monumental statue of Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva. Built in classic Dravidian style, the temple is thronged by devotees, who also pay homage at the nearby Dodda Ganapati temple, with a similarly monumental statue of Lord Ganesh.

Sprawling across 120 hectares in the centre of Bangalore, Cubbon Park was founded by the British as an escape from the city heat. Today, locals throng to this green expanse for romantic walks, family picnics or just to sleep in the cool, calm grounds. The park includes a small government museum and art gallery.

Flanking Cubbon Park, the Karnataka High Court is one of Bangalore’s most eye-catching landmarks, built by the British in 1868 in the style of the grand civic buildings of Whitehall in London. Painted vivid red, the courthouse was marked for demolition in 1982, but was saved following a vigorous campaign by local residents.

Bangalore’s most important church was constructed in 1875 in classic British colonial style. Every September, Christian pilgrims from across South India flock to the church to celebrate the Feast of St Mary, when an ancient statue of Mother Mary is paraded through the streets in a wooden chariot.

The rooftop bar at the glitzy UB City mall attracts Bangalore’s bright young things, who sip cocktails looking out over the bright lights of the city.

Bangalore has a reputation as the beer capital of India, and this microbrewery with DJs and handcrafted beers provides the ideal opportunity to put that claim to the test.

Top DJs strike a beat and party people fill the dancefloor at this legendary dance club near the Bangalore Palace.

An American style brewpub, with cool brews, a globe-trotting snack menu and lively local crowd.

Buddha statues, dangling chandeliers and flowing drapes set the scene at this stylish cocktail lounge, a favourite with Bangalore high flyers.

At Dum Puhkt Jolly Nabob, the emphasis is on Nawabi curries and grills, served in elegant surroundings that bring to mind the dining hall in a colonial hunting lodge.

A little piece of Spain transplanted to Karnataka, Caperberry cleans up at the food awards most years with its groundbreaking menu of elegantly presented Spanish dishes.

The restaurant at The Gateway Hotel casts its net across the seas of southern Indian, hauling in sumptuous seafood dishes from as far afield as Goa and Mangalore.

A secret escape in Ashok Nagar, with a private courtyard lit by flickering candles and a thoroughly modern menu that hops around the Mediterranean.

A Bangalore institution, Koshy’s is the lunch stop of choice for journalists, artists, actors and travellers; the menu runs to tasty North Indian curries and fish and chips.