Hyderabad City Profile

Hyderabad City Profile
 
Hyderabad is the third most important city in South India and the sixth most important city in India.  Hyderabad has a thriving IT industry and is the second most popular  software hub in the country with Bangalore as the first and Pune as the third (although these titles could change at any time).  In addition to having a great software IT park near Banjara Hills, Hyderabad has many other things to offer.  Hyderabad has museums, landmarks, pubs, restaurants, spas, and more!
 
Attractions
The Salar Jung museum has many historical artifacts including swords, antiquated pictures, and much more.  It is worth spending about 90 minutes there, and then enjoying some lemon rice in the snack bar.  Char Minar is another fantastic place to visit.   Enjoy some tea from a tea stall, and then climb the stairs of the famous Islamic landmark located next to an equally beautiful masjeed (mosque).  Gol Konda is the best place to go in Hyderabad and is the Western part of town.  It is a huge Islamic fort, and you can find a choice of independent tour guides there for an affordable price.  One part of the fort allows you to hear the echo of what is going on in a very distant place due to superior engineering that happened hundreds of years ago.  Film City, or as the locals call it “Filim City” is a wonderful place with at least a dozen gardens, and all types of film sets of all varieties.  You could spend hours there, and it is fun every minute of the way.  Just get on the tour bus, and away you go. This is the Indian equivalent of Universal Studios. Last, but not least, try an Ayervedic spa.   Aalankrita, located in the outskirts of the city offers a lovely resort spa with Ayervedic massage, great food, and more. Just tell them to take it easy on the air conditioning or you will freeze and turn into a popsical for sure.
 
Transportation
Traffic is bad in Hyderabad, but not worse than any other Indian metro. Cabs are not cheap, but are more likely to stick to the meter there. The airport and connect you with other parts of India easily, but international flights to Singapore, UAE, Europe, and other important destinations are not yet possible.  Maybe soon they will have a few flights. 
 
Lifestyle
While in Hyderabad, you can sample a few hip bars and nightspots.  There are also many decent restaurants offering local cuisine.  Hyderabad, although located in the South of India, is very dominated by Muslims who have their language and ancestry in Northern India, but with a lot of Persian and Pakistani influence. This influences the language (many speak Urdu in additon to the state language of Telegu), but the food has a definitive Moghlai influence.  You can enjoy a spicy Hyderabadi chicken dish with a splended blend of spices, and a tablespoon or two of yogurt to balance it off in the recipe.  Or enjoy some kabobs.  Biryani is a famous dish of Hyderabad, but Biryani is not Indian in origin.  Biryani is a Saudi Arabian dish called Kabsa which was slightly adapted when it came to India with the Muslims.  Chicken, lamb, and vegetarian biryani are all popular dishes and it should be a legal requirement to try one while you are in town.