Hampi on a hired bicycle for ₹150 a day

The autos will quote you ₹1,500 for the full circuit. A bicycle from Hampi Bazaar costs ₹150 and the roads are mostly flat, except when they very much are not.

Start at Vittala Temple at opening time, before the tour buses. Ride the royal centre at midday when it is too hot for anyone else. Climb Matanga Hill for sunset and understand, finally, why the Vijayanagara kings put a city here.

Coracle across the Tungabhadra is ₹50. Hippie Island side has cheaper rooms but the ferry stops by 6.