India Karnataka Complete Guide 2026: Mysore, Hampi, Bangalore, Coorg, Gokarna and Pattadakal
Browse more guides: India travel | Asia destinations TL;DR I spent three weeks crossing Karnataka in early 2026, from the palaces of Mysore to the ruins of Hampi, the tech towers of Bangalore, the coffee slopes of Coorg, the beaches of Gokarna, and the temple villages of Pattadakal and Badami. The state holds four UNESCO listings (Hampi 1986, Pattadakal 1987, Western Ghats 2012, Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas 2023) and stays mild most of the year. This guide gathers what I paid, ate, and learned. Why Visit Karnataka in 2026 Karnataka is the kind of place where I saw a 12th-century soapstone temple before lunch and a satellite assembly plant before dinner. The state carries four UNESCO World Heritage entries: Hampi (1986), Pattadakal (1987), the Western Ghats serial property (2012), and the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas at Belur, Halebidu, and Somanathapura (2023). Most sites are reachable from a single base in Bangalore or Mysore. Bangalore sits at 920 metres, with April hig...