Places to visit In Manipal with Flatmate

So you think there aren’t many places to visit in Manipal. Because it’s that isolated town with only the university, right? Wrong. Manipal has more tourist attractions in its vicinity than the number of courses offered at the Manipal Institutions (which is a lot, we know!). From cozy cafes to eccentric beaches, museums and lush green parks, when you’re in Manipal, places to hangout are aplenty. 

But perhaps, you might miss out on the entertainment if you’re stuck inside a university campus. You might have a better time staying at our Stanza Living residences where you can chill with your roomies (in the entertainment room) or order a refreshing beverage (from our cafe) after a hot day out on the beach. And you can always head out from our ideally located residences to one of the spots on our list of the best places to visit in Manipal. Start writing that bucket list, will you?

Which are the Best Places to Visit in Manipal

Here is the list of 15 best places to visit in Manipal:

• The Hanging Bridge
• Hoodie Beach
• End Point Park
• St Mary’s Isles
• Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village
• Mannapalla Lake
• Saalumarada Thimmakka Tree Park
• Arbi Falls
• Smriti Bhavan
• Chikmagalur
• Turtle Bay
• Malpe
• Kaup Beach
• Railway Bridge
• Mangalore

Looking for places to stay near your university? Check out our residences in Manipal.

The Hanging Bridge

You might not always have the money to chill at expensive cafes or take a trip to Gokarna every weekend. And honestly, you don’t even need to! Borrow a bicycle and take a trip to the hanging bridge in Thonse. It is located 13kms away from Manipal beside a small backwater channel and surrounded by scenic beauty all around. And of course, what can be a better place to hang out than the ‘hanging’ bridge, no?

Hoodie Beach

The Hoodie Beach near Manipal is sure to make you go ‘Hurray!’. For some reason, the beach is mostly deserted. So you know it’s perfect for those long solitary walks with yourself. Moreover, it’s one of the best places to visit in Udupi for couples. Bring along some wine and you’re good to go!

End Point Park

For people who’ve been to Manipal, the End Point park doesn’t need any introduction. You can see the western coast, the Suvarna river with its delta and the Arabian Sea as you move your eyes around and gaze at the gorgeous sunset. Moreover, if you love to jog or cycle, it deserves your seal of approval. Definitely one of the best Manipal places to hangout. And that’s the ‘end point’ of our discussion!

St Mary’s Isles

The group of islands are also known as the coconut islands due to its large population of coconut trees swaying along the wind. With the breathtaking backdrop of the Arabian Sea, we promise you – you will keep coming back to this hotspot near Manipal!

Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village

It’s a unique museum that preserves old traditional houses of Karnataka. With due consent from the owners, the houses are dismantled and carefully moved to the museum where they are assembled again. Visit this mesmerizing museum with your housemates and grab a bite from the crazy food joints in the place coz it’s on the ‘house’ (no, not really!).

Timings: 10AM-3.30PM

Mannapalla Lake

We get it, you want a break after a hectic week of assignments. So throw your reading glasses away and go down to Mannapalla lake. It’s a scenic lake which allows boating post-monsoon and it’s a paradise for bird enthusiasts. Moreover, it’s one of the best places to visit in Manipal for couples. So maybe grab your partner and play those cheesy songs along the way? Or whatever floats your ‘boat’. We don’t judge. Promise.

Saalumarada Thimmakka Tree Park

Saalumarada Park is the most recent addition to Manipal’s list of places to relax with your hostelmates. The tree park has a lot of.. well.. trees. And lots of amazing exhibits at its campus. And yes, the best place to visit is when the sun’s coming down.

Arbi Falls

While you are on the way to Saalumarada Thimmakka Tree Park, you might want to take a detour to Arbi Falls. Although it’s a small stream and the vertical drop is too small to call it a waterfall, if there’s a stream within city limits, who cares? It is slowly becoming a popular attraction for tourists so you might want to visit early in the morning.

Smriti Bhavan

If you’re a student in Manipal University, you should know about the person who built the town of Manipal and its great institutions. Visit the residence of Dr. TMA Pai, now converted into a museum for visitors to learn about the great history of the town. And while you’re at it, grab a plate of crab ghee roast from the ‘Spicy Kitchen Manipal’ across the street.

Timings: 9.30AM-6PM

Chikmagalur

We know Chikmagalur isn’t very close to Manipal (just 160 kms away!) But you can’t talk about life in Manipal without its intimacy with Chikmagalur. It has a lot of homestays and waterfalls to offer for you and your hostelmates. Moreover, it is interesting to know that Chikmagalur is the largest producer of coffee in India. So don’t be ‘latte’ to visit the ‘coffee land’ of Karnataka.

Turtle Bay

It’s a beach resort, so you might want to convince your rich friend in Manipal or ‘moneypal’(sorry not sorry!) to chip in some extra cash for this weekend getaway. Turtle Bay offers everything you have dreamed of about staying at a beach side resort. Snorkeling, scuba diving, jet skis – you name it, they have it!

Malpe

Every Manipal student’s favourite hangout place, right? And they’re a big reason why the beach is always crowded. It’s the closest beach to Manipal and it offers cheap street food, parasailing and jet skis (just don’t try them in that order!)

Kaup Beach

It gets weird when you realize it’s pronounced as ‘Kapu’.The Kaup beach is one of the most serene beaches near Manipal. The beach is less crowded than Malpe and has a lighthouse that was built by the British in 1901. But watch your step as you flock towards the lighthouse. There are lots of sneaky crabs strolling across the tiltier side of the beach. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Because we do give a ‘crab’!

Railway Bridge

This is a peaceful place to spend a couple of hours without having to spend a rupee. It is located 5kms away from Tiger Circle and can be seen from End Point Park. It’s calming to feel the bridge shaking while the trains are passing through. But we suggest that you avoid visiting the bridge during monsoons as your grip on the rocks might slip away (just like your last tinder date. Ouch!).

Mangalore

If you miss the charm of cities, pack your bags and visit Mangalore. It is a port city in Karnataka which offers all the good things that you expect in a city – big shopping malls, nightclubs and nice restaurants. If you are clueless about tourist attractions in Mangalore, we suggest you start with the Jamalabad Fort. The historic fort is one of the best places to visit in Mangalore.

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