We visited Lalbagh Botanical Garden along with my parents last month. Lalbagh is located in the middle of Bengaluru city and is approximately about 5km from the Majestic bustand.Take any bus going to Jayanagar and they will stop at one of the 4 gates or near to it.The entrance for 4 and 2 wheelers is from the East Gate. The garden is open 7days a week from 6am to 7pm. Entrance fee is Rs10 per person, 4 wheeler parking costs Rs.25 and if you have a camera it costs Rs.50.
About the garden: The garden spans to about 240 acres and has a huge variety of plants, some of them which are very rare.
We reached the place at about 10:45am and got a parking place easily. When we reached the entrance part of the garden we saw a few electric cars. A person in the counter nearby told us it would cost Rs.100 per person for a 40min ride around the entire garden. The car seats about 8-9 people. Since we came with our parents we thought it would better to use the car even though I felt Rs.100 was a bit costly. So the driver who also acted as a guide took us around the garden and showed us all the important areas like the glass house, pigeon house, lotus pond, lake, bonsai garden, the band stand, rose garden, some really old cotton trees, the topiary garden and the floral clock. He stopped near the glass house, lake and the floral clock for about 5-10min so that we could click photos. In about 50min he had finished the tour and then he dropped us near the parking place.
If you want to look at all the attractions leisurely and take your time then the electric car tour is not for you. If my parents were not with us I think we would have just walked around. We might not have been able to see all the points but we would have enjoyed the scenes a bit more but the electric car rides are useful for elderly people or people who are short of time. The garden is well maintained and they have put a lot of dustbins around. In the morning lots of joggers and walkers visit the garden.
Attractions: The garden has a lot of attractions.So here are my favorites:
1. The glass house: It is a small replica of the Crystal palace in London. Lots of varieties of flowers around it. The flower show on 26th January and 15th August happens in the glass house.
2. Floral clock: The analog working clock was installed by HMT(Hindustan Machine Tools). The clock sits on a flower bed and has sculptures of snow white and seven dwarfs around it.
3. The Topiary Garden: Plants are given different shapes like elephants, rabbits, swans, etc. Its an attraction for children.
4. The Nursery: After our guided tour we went to the nursery to see if we could buy some plants. They had roses, anthuriums, crysanthumums and crotons.They also have lots of varieties of plant seeds. The rates are much lower than the private nurseries outside.
There is a toilet near the parking space. We did not use it so I cannot comment about its condition.
Food: There is no hotel inside the garden.Saw lots of people having home made food. You get snacks like sweet corn, chats and juices. Jayanagar is very close and has lots of hotels like Maiyya’s, Shanti sagar, etc so you will have no problems for lunch.
Best time to visit: If you can you must visit Lalbagh on 26th January and 15th August when they conduct the flower show. The garden is in its full glory during these two days. You can however visit it at leisure any time throughout the year.
Overall its a nice place to visit for a day trip or a picnic.