Virupapur Gadde is the area just across the river from near the Virupaksha Temple. The place is known for its laidback ambient, lodges and tourist huts.
Though during the peak seasons backpackers storm this area, Virupapur Gadde is very rural in heart. You need to take a coracle ferry to reach this side of the river, as there are no bridges available so far. The Bukka’s Aqueduct ( an anciant bridge like structure built across the river ). nearby is easily accessible from this area. Just walk from your guest house area towards the main road up in the north. You can see the aquaduct as you approach the main road. You need to reach this main road to go towards places like the Anjaneya Temple ( the hill top monkey god's temple),Pampa Sarovar and in general the Anegondi ( the pre-Vijayanagara capital ) area with many attractions.
Many dozens of these ‘guesthouses’ are located near the Hampi Bazaar area and Virupapur Gadde, across the river. Some are located in Kamalapura also. It can be anything from a hut to a rooftop to a home with a family living there.Midrange : Rs 300 to Rs 800 .
How to Reach :
By bus
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operates daily buses to Hospet from Bangalore, Mysore and Gokarna. From Hospet you can go to Hampi on a local bus for Rs. 10. Book your tickets in advance if you want a coach or an AC service, because the number of travellers is large(given that the place is very famous with foreigners) and the frequency of buses is less.
There are private bus companies operating from most places in Goa and from Gokarna which run an overnight service to Hampi. Unfortunately, there is no direct return so you take a local bus (or taxi) to Hospet and take it from there.
By car
Bangalore: 350 km. Drive till Chitradurga on NH-4, take a right turn on NH-13 towards Sholapur till Hospet, and then drive another 13 km to reach Hampi (direction towards Hampi is well marked). The road is in excellent condition till Chitradurga but then deteriorates rapidly. You are also likely to encounter traffic jams due to ore-laden trucks plying on NH-13.
Hubli: 150 km
Hospet: 13 km
By plane
The nearest airport is at Hubli, 143km away from Hampi. Kingfisher airlines [1] flies from Mumbai and Bengaluru. Flying from Goa means that you have to change planes in Mumbai (or Bengaluru), making it an expensive and time consuming trip, and therefore useless.
By train
The nearest railway station is Hospet Junction (IR station code : HPT), 13 km away.
Overnight trains run several times a week from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Goa. The trains are a much cheaper and more comfortable route than the tourist buses most people are led into. (2 AC - bed with linen - costs 750Rs from Bangalore to Hampi). You can also catch an overnight train from Mysore to Hubli and from there to Hospet/Hampi.
