Considering that we wandered the MG road, Bangalore for hours over 11, this is the perfect title for this piece – ‘MG Road Nightlife in Bangalore‘.
Unlike most Bangalore travel blogs you’ll read, we didn’t get into the expensive bars or cafes there. We literally wandered around the majestic space. For the most part, a lot of places were shutting down already on Church Street. But the roads remained lit and the pavement shimmered all the way.
Before we get to the MG Road nightlife part, let’s begin where it all began!
MG Road Nightlife – Visiting it late
Mahatma Gandhi Road, popularly known as MG road, wasn’t on our to-do list at first. But the nightlife of the lit streets was something we wanted to check out. The initial plan was to visit Nandi Hills early in the morning.
However we had a Zoomcar with us for 12 hours (A Volkswagen Polo), so we checked it out anyway. From a person who’s been there at 11 pm, I’d recommend visiting MG road early in the evening. By late night, everything closes down and the lively street dies down.
We should’ve visited earlier but we spent too much time having dinner at the Orion Mall. We didn’t regret it though.
Back to MG road, unless you have a reservation at the Hard Rock Cafe or one of the biggies, it’s better to check in early. The only upside of visiting late is the parking.
Parking late at night on MG Road
We went on a weekday to MG road and the parking price for our car was 30 rupees per hour. The prices are lower for two-wheelers. However, since we went late, we just paid the 30 rupees at 11.00 and stayed there for over an hour. There wasn’t anyone to check the meter at night.
The day duty gets over and it’s easier to park at night. Well, not that easy – we had to circle Church street once before getting our spot. The road rules are stringent here with cameras and a police car patrolling at all times.
While it’s great to have cash, it’s safer to have online payment modes available to you at all times. We offered to pay in cash to the person in charge of parking. But he refused and I had to pay through Paytm on the parking meter machine.
Walking down Church Street at night
If you’ve heard a lot about Church Street when visiting Bangalore, we’re in the same boat! Reasons why Church street (and MG road) are so hyped up, are because of it being at the heart of Bangalore.
Apart from the streets being the busiest and the highest revenue-generating spots in all of Bangalore, Church street got a 9-crore makeover for its cobblestone pavement.
When we say “revenue-generating”, the place is popular for booze and expensive for it as well. We weren’t there to buy anything, nor did we have any reservation at any place, we were there for a walk.
While the streets were less busy as we walked and most were leaving, the aura of the place remained. The streets still shone. Even at 12:30 am, people walked here and there.
MG Road Nightlife – Checking Out Yulu Bikes
Consider this a shoutout to the Yulu startup. I don’t have a sponsor from the company, but their idea of sustainability with electric bikes at cheap rates is beautiful.
With no prior knowledge of the bike, we decided to check it out. A dozen Yulu bikes were parked at the start of Church Street. The steps to use it were pretty easy. I downloaded the app and deposited 200 rupees into the app.
Then once scanning the bike, we began to ride it. We weren’t going anywhere, so we just took turns on the bike, coming back to the same spot. For short-distance travel, Yulu is actually great. After all, there’s just a break and an accelerator to handle in it.
And hell was it cheap! The deposit was 200 rupees and once we ended the ride almost after an hour – the total fare was 20 rupees! No license required, cheap, sustainable, and environment-friendly – That’s one thing that was worth its price on MG road.
Places to visit near MG road
Though not a part of the nightlife of MG road, I decided to throw this in. The 750m stretch of Church Street runs parallel to MG road and has its own specialties to check out. But with most of them being bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes, and hotels – I’ll leave out Church street for you.
The most well-known spots on MG road are:
- Cubbon Park (Wikipedia)
- Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum (Links to official government website)
- St. Mark’s Cathedral (Wikipedia)
- Holy Trinity Church
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Even people in Bangalore who’ve never visited one of these spots know about them. And all the spots being close to each other on MG road, they shouldn’t be difficult to find. Any cab or auto driver will know these places.
However, in contrast to this article, it’s best to visit these spots in daylight – nightlife spots are more on Church street. In fact, Cubbon Park is way more beautiful in the mornings. I wrote a piece on it last year, check out my Cubbon Park morning visit here.
Closure: Let’s wind up!
Like most of Bangalore’s nightlife, MG road is one of the liveliest places in Bangalore, be it daytime or night. The scenario changes up a bit and nights get more beautiful with shimmering lights over your heads, but it’s always lively.
The downside is that MG road is beautiful and equally expensive. It’s great to visit once in a while and worth checking out some spots once in a while.
That winds up this post on the nightlife in MG road. Though a short one compared to the others, I’d to put this out there :)
Other blogs to check out:
- Nandi Hills Travel Guide from Bangalore
- Crazy Dandeli Travel Blog
- Top Cafes in Dharwad (A blogger’s perspective)
- Pet Cafes in Bangalore worth visiting!
- Shirley Falls Yellapur: One Day Trip
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