UdayAgastya77 · Sunrise, Tenneti Beach, Tennetti Beach, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India,.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunrise,_Tenneti_Beach,_Tennetti_Beach,_Visakhapatnam,_Andhra_Pradesh,_India,.jpg
Visakhapatnam (Vizag)
A working port city with beaches in front of it and the Eastern Ghats behind. The one Andhra city that is a holiday rather than a stop.
Why Visakhapatnam
Vizag is a steel town, a naval base, a container port and a beach city at the same time, and it does not apologise for any of it. The coast runs south-west to north-east under a line of hills, so the city has genuine topography — you go up to look down, which almost nowhere else on this coast does. Behind it the Eastern Ghats rise into coffee and tribal country, reached by one of the great railway journeys in India. It is the only city in Andhra Pradesh that most people come to for a holiday rather than for a temple or a transfer.
Explore Visakhapatnam (Vizag) on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to do
Three days here, or two plus the Araku railway.
The beaches
- RK Beach in the evening for the promenade rather than the swim.
- Rushikonda for the actual swimming, between the flags and where lifeguards operate.
- Yarada for the quiet, over the headland past the port.
Kailasagiri
- Ropeway or road to the top, and the view down the bay.
- Ropeway hours change and it stops in high wind.
The submarine and the aircraft
- INS Kursura on the seafront — a real submarine you walk through, and genuinely worth it.
- The TU-142 aircraft museum next to it.
- Both are ticketed and both close one day a week; the day changes.
Simhachalam
- A hill temple 16 km out, where the deity is covered in sandalwood paste for all but one day of the year.
- That one day is the temple's to set and the date moves. No date is given here.
The Araku railway
- The Kottavalasa–Kirandul line climbs the Ghats through dozens of tunnels and bridges and passes above the Borra caves.
- It is an ordinary passenger service rather than a tourist train, which is most of its charm.
Three days in Visakhapatnam
The city and the coast
RK Beach and the submarine in the morning, Kailasagiri for the late afternoon and the view down the bay, and the promenade after dark when the whole city is on it.
Up the line
The Araku railway if you can get on it, or the road, for the Ghat climb, Borra caves and the valley. It is a long day either way and worth it.
Temples and the quiet coast
Simhachalam in the morning, Bheemili and the Dutch cemetery in the afternoon, and Yarada or Rushikonda to finish.
Getting there
The best-connected city on this coast.
Air and rail
- The airport is now Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport (VTZ) at Bhogapuram, well to the north-east of the city in Vizianagaram district. Airlines moved their Visakhapatnam flights there in August 2026, so allow much longer for the transfer than older guides suggest.
- Visakhapatnam station is on the main Howrah–Chennai line and is one of the busiest in the region.
- Hyderabad is 620 km, Vijayawada 350 km and Bhubaneswar 440 km — all rail journeys rather than drives.
Getting around
- The city is spread along the coast and taxis or autos are how it works. The beach road is the spine.
- For Araku, either the train from Visakhapatnam station or a car; the train is the experience and the car is the flexibility.
Local intel
Specific to Vizag rather than to the coast generally.
Dry and comfortable. April to June is very hot and humid.
This is an active cyclone coast. Watch forecasts and take local advice seriously.
Two if you skip Araku; four if you stay up in the valley.
RK Beach is a promenade, not a swimming beach. Currents here are real.
The railway is the reason to go; the road is faster and duller.
Hot, sour with tamarind, and heavy on seafood. Milder food is available and must be asked for.
Culture and context
A city built by the sea and by the state.
Port, steel and navy
- The Eastern Naval Command is here, the steel plant is here, and the port is one of India's largest.
- That industrial base is why the city grew, and it is why the beaches sit next to cranes.
The Dutch and the Company
- Bheemili was a Dutch settlement and its cemetery is one of the oldest European burial grounds on this coast.
- The whole coast north of the city carries traces of the seventeenth-century trade that came for textiles.
Hudhud
- Cyclone Hudhud struck the city directly in 2014 and stripped its tree cover.
- What you see growing along the beach road is largely replanted, which is worth knowing when a guide calls it ancient.
Practical tips
The sea and the season.
The water
- Swim only where lifeguards are operating and where flags permit. RK Beach is not a swimming beach whatever you see people doing.
- Currents on this coast are strong and there are drownings every year.
- Do not swim after drinking, and do not swim alone at either end of the day.
Practical
- Book the Araku train ahead if you want a seat; it is a popular service.
- Check cyclone forecasts between October and December.
- Ask for less chilli explicitly if you want it. Andhra heat is not a rumour.
Nearby
The coast and the Ghats.
Related to Visakhapatnam (Vizag)
Journeys that include Visakhapatnam (Vizag) — each one visits the city as part of its itinerary.
Common questions
Plan your journey
Our travel designers turn knowledge and inspiration into a journey crafted entirely around you.
Plan My Journey →