Summer vacations 2026 - Bengaluru trip

This year the summer vacations were a bit different than what they've been looking like for the past few years.

Over a decade and a half back, I had been to Bengaluru(then Bangalore) for a day. The overall experience was pretty bad which told my mind I would never want to visit the city again. After having kept my promise for so long, the love and excitement bought me back to the city for a week during the vacations. I booked tickets for myself and my kids. The tickets were booked for Volvo bus which was going to be a first experience for my kids. Even for me a sleeper coach volvo was a new experience. The bus started 45 mins late from the origin and reached the destination late by over 2 hours. My kids were already bored as the bus was late for the pickup. However when we boarded the bus and the kids saw the coach, they were over whelmed. The journey started. We enjoyed the nature's beauty and a few games. 

The bus halted for dinner around 11pm , a morning break around 6:30am and then breakfast by 10am. We enjoyed some snacks , games & videos, some time for us on the way. We reached Bengaluru next day afternoon after a bus journey of ~20 hours and an additional hour in the cab. My brother and sister-in-law had recently decided to settle here after their wedding. They came to pick us up and it was sheer happiness to see them again after a few months. The kids were happier to see their mami. This was the primary reason the vacations were different this time. We reached home and freshened up. Delicious rajma rice were already waiting for us. All of us sat together and had a good fill. It was time to manage work commitments. Later in the evening, we went out to explore the township, the shops , the swimming pool and other amenities. 

Weekend was an absolute family time. We played various board games, watched movies, ate a lot of food.

Saturday evening was a trip to Phoenix - Mall of Asia. Malls are typically the same anywhere. However, the entrance had certain decorations which looked aesthetic. We clicked some pictures there. Checked out some outlets followed by a fun gaming session at Timezone. This is one good option for kids and adults equally. After the games, we went to the food court for some food. It was late and some of the outlets were already closing for the day. We were still lucky enough to get our choices. We went back home post our dinner.

Sundays are a weekly holiday for the cook. We had the luxury of uninterrupted sleep. After a lazy start to the day, we went to Bhartiya Mall of Bengaluru. This was a few minutes walk from home. MTR outlet there was chosen for a lovely Sunday breakfast.

As it was a late breakfast, we checked out the various stores there. The mall has a very lovely setup. A huge screen in the open, flea market, stores to shop ,eat, drink, have desserts, relax. We had uncountable options at hand in that mall.

 To add, the best part was the vicinity of the mall. We could just be thinking of going there for something and next moment we would already be there. For lunch, we put up a delicious Sunday special meal. After the relish, we all went off to sleep for sometime. Evening was set aside for a trip to the famous Church Street also called as Brigade road. This is one of the most happening places in Bengaluru. It was around 40 mins drive from home. It is a hub for street shopping - junkies, souvenirs, handbags, footwear, first copies and what not. You'll find a good variety of restaurants, pubs, bars, branded showrooms, bookstores as well here. It felt a little over priced as compared to all other such markets across various Indian cities. 

We bought a few girlie stuff followed by dinner at Brik n Oven. That's a pizza place with hand made fresh doughs for the pizza base and for the garlic breads as well. While we were there the weather outside changed. The sky turned a few shades darker with lightning striking across the sky. We also wanted to go out for desserts. Gauging the weather from inside Brik n Oven , we felt desserts will have to be cancelled. With that fear in mind, we got up and slowly stepped out. It was drizzling very lightly. We walked towards Magnolia. A very famous outlet for desserts. We got a lot of different flavoured ice cream scoops that all of us shared with each other. While the drizzling continued, we booked a cab to get back home.

It was working week again the next morning. Routine kicked in. Adults would get on with their work while the kids studied, played games, made puzzles, lego, paintings etc. 

Evenings were usually meant for family and were indulgent. Going for a swim in the pool, having dinner together , going for walks, taking the kids to the play area etc.

 Walking to the mall and indulging in different activities was an everyday affair.

 The flea market, the jewellery stores, the clothing brands, dessert outlets, perfume stores, book stores all had us as their customers. A special mention to an outlet called "Make Your Own Perfume". We checked out their perfumes and found a few of them had very good notes that stayed for almost a day. After testing for a day, we went to buy the next day. They mixed the perfumes right there in front of our eyes. The good part is their perfumes have 50% oil concentration. However a newly mixed perfume takes somewhere around 48 hours to mature.

After 10 days of fun-filled vacations we boarded our bus again for the return journey. My brother and sister-in-law again accompanied us. We all hugged each other goodbyes and happily started our journey back home.