Geography: Vijayawada is located at 16.52° North Latitude 80.62° East Longitude and the average elevation of the land of the city of Vijayawada is about 39 feet above the sea level. Vijayawada, also called as "Bezawada", is 257-km from Hyderabad and is located on the banks of the Krishna River, and is bounded by the Indrakiladri hills on the West and the Budameru River on the North. Situated along the Chennai - Howrah and Chennai-Delhi rail route, this is the largest railway junction of the South Central Railway.

Climate: The climate is an integral part of the geography of Vijayawada. Marked by hot summers, the temperature in the summer months goes on ascending and can even reach up to 50 degree centigrade. The winter months on the other hand are cool and pleasant and the temperature varies from 10 degree centigrade to 30 degree centigrade. The region experiences regular rainfall, caused by the south-west and north-east monsoons. The area is somewhat prone to cyclones which have resulted in the place being nicknamed as "Blazewada".

Best time to visit this city is form - September to February, especially during Dasara Festival.

Vijayawada is a city with different types of attractions. You will find temples, forts and museums. Kanaka Durga temple situated on the banks of Krishna River is the most known destination in Vijayawada. It is visited by pilgrims and tourists alike. Then there is Kondapalli Fort which is a favourite picnic spot among Vijayawada People. Apart from these, there are many other tourist spots like Victoria Jubilee Regional Museum and Prakasam Barrage.

Tankbund of Vijayawada -- Prakasam Barrage :It is the Gateway of Vijayawada. It has become a symbol of the city like the Charminar. It is the Tank Bund of Vijayawada. For those desiring a cool stroll on a summer evening, Prakasam Barrage is the best bet. The traditional cottages perched on the Bhavani Island and the delightful cruises operated by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation would lose their charm if the barrage ceased to exist.

It is located in the Krishna district, about 275 km from the state capital Hyderabad. . Distances from Vijayawada to various cities and towns of Andhra Pradesh (inkms): 
Kakinada 223 kms,Kurnool 319kms,  Warangal 237kms, Tirupati 409kms and Vishakhapatnam 382kms.

The city has a good network of roads that connect  Vijayawada with all the places within the state and also with the major cities in India. One can also go to interesting Buddhist places by buses  of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).

Local Transport : For local transportation tourist taxis, metered taxis, auto rickshaws, and cycle rickshaws are available. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) offers bus services, connecting important places within the city and with each other.

Situated along the Chennai- Howrah and Chennai-Delhi rail route, Vijayawada is the largest railway junction of the South Central Railway. There are a number of express and super fast trains, connecting Vijayawada with almost all the important places of the country.

The nearest airport is the domestic airport located at Gannavaram, about 20-km, from the city. It connects Vijayawada to Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam. It is just a 30-minute flight away from Hyderabad.

Vijayawada is also famous as the hub of Andhra culture. Festivals are a major part of this culture, celebrated with great pomp and show in Vijayawada. Some of the popular festivals celebrated here are the Krishna Pushkaram, an all-India festival held once in 12 years. Another festivals called the Sarannavaratri Festival is celebrated for ten days during Dasara (September-October) The festival of Navratri is celebrated here in the famous Kanak Durga temple. The deity Kanakadurga is attractively draped and decorated in different forms for nine days. On the tenth day, that is one the Vijayadasami Day, the goddess Kanaka Durga along with other deities, is carried on an adorned swan shaped boat in the Krishna waters. Innumerable devotees flock the city during this time to witness the colorful rituals and seek blessings of the Goddess.

Vijayawada is also famous as the hub of Andhra culture. The people of Andhra Pradesh lead a simple life and the favorite dress of males are Lungi and Kurta, while females wear Saree. The Telugu language spoken in Krishna district, in particular Vijayawada and its surrounds,is considered authentic. The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is considered, as one of the most spicy of all Indian cuisines.

The city of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh is home to three distinctive temples - the Kanakadurga temple, the Malleswara temple and the Vijayeswara temple. Near Vijayawada is the hill temple complex of Mangalagiri dedicated to Narasimha.

Mangalagiri: Located in Guntur district, 12 km from Vijayawada is the renowned temple of Lord Narasimha in Mangalagiri, on a hillock. The unique feature of this temple is that the mouth of the idol accepts half the quantity of panakam (jaggery dissolved in water) offered by devotees, irrespective of the size of the vessel. 
Kanakadurga Temple: It is located on a hill (Indrakeeladri) overlooking the city as well as the River Krishna. The Kanakadurga temple, is considered as one of the most popular temples in and around Vijayawada. The Kanakadurga temple attracts large number of devotees during Dasara Festival after a holy dip in the River Krishna. The spiritual leader Aadi Sankara is believed to have visited this shrine and installed a Sree Chakra.

Chandavaram: Chandavaram is located on the right bank of the river Gundla Kamma in Pakasam district. There is a very interesting stupa constructed on elevated terrace which is the first of its kind in Andhra Pradesh and stands next to Sanchi Stupa, in elegance.

Mogalrajapuram Caves: Of the three cave temples dating back to the fifth century, only one is still in good shape. It contains the idols of Lord Nataraja and Vinayaka among others. The other famous caves are the Undavalli Caves, situated about 8 km from Vijayawada. These caves were built in 7th century A.D.

For many youngsters, opening up of the HSBC and other multinational company offices brought something more to look forward to besides chances of getting more employment opportunities. First pub in Vizag opened soon enough and with Vizagites lapping it up, many new pubs started mushrooming in the city. Though the investment costs involved in opening a pub are quite high and the license fee for running a pub has also risen up sharply from Rs.13 lakhs to Rs.18 lakhs within a year, it is still an attractive proposition to be in the business as the nightlife is on a high in the city. With lots of youngsters coming to work or to study in the city, pubs are the flavour of the party animals.

- Skating rink, Rock fall, Musical fountain, Mini Zoo & Aquarium,Mini train,Gun shooting & Jeep,Canteen, Good Garden etc,.

If you are thinking about what to buy in Vijaywada, then don't think much, since the 'City of Victory' has more than enough items that would  draw  your attention. Ranging from handloom products to handicrafts, furniture to textiles, pearl jewellry to silver jewellry, you can set off with anything and everything in Vijayawada. Besides these knick-knacks, the city has wonderful antiques, leather goods, pearls as well as semi precious stones to offer. Kalamkari paintings and handiworks are things not to be missed on your visit to Vijaywada, the third largest city of Andhra Pradesh. Regarding shopping places, MG Road, Eluru Road, Besant Road and Governorpet are some of the popular markets in Vijaywada. There are many shopping malls that give out maximum number of things under one roof. In the nearby areas, Kondapalli is a nice place to get colorful toys, made from light-weight wood. You can also browse the local markets, where you can find most of the items at reasonable price.

Vijayawada is famous for Andhra Cuisine. It is also famous for spices and pickles. Rice is the principle diet and is used in a wide variety of ways, such as boiled and eaten with curry. Rice is also used to prepare dishes like Attu (Dosas) and Idlis.

Amaravati Museum: The Archaeological Museum at Amaravati houses mainly Buddhist relics. The antiquities found here include collections from Buddhist sites in Andhra Pradesh which belong to the period between 3rd century BC to 12th century AD. It contains panels, chakras and caskets containing relics, broken railings and sculptures etc. The exhibits are arranged in different galleries. 
Gallery I exhibits inscribed relief of Buddha from Gummadidurru, Image of Buddha, Terracotta, Coins, Beads, Dome-slabs, Pillar fragments and Miscellaneous Sculptures.
 Gallery II exhibits relics of 2nd century BC, inscribed pillars, drum and dome slabs, stone-wheel from Lingarajapalli and Buddha images form Alluru.

There are about 60 parks in Vijayawada city and the main parks to be mentioned are
1) Rajiv Gandhi park.
2) K.L.Rao Park.
3) Dr.B.R Ambedkar & Raghavaiah park.
4) Mahatma Gandhi park.
5) G.V.S Sastry park.
All the parks were developed with minimum cost and maintained well. The Facilities provided in each park are as shown below 
1) Rajiv Gandhi park - This park provides facilities like Skating rink, play pen, Rock fall, Musical fountain, Mini Zoo & Aquarium, Mini train, Gun shooting, Canteen, Good Garden. Renovation of the park will be taken up shortly.

Kolleru Lake :is the largest freshwater lake. It is located in Andhra Pradesh state, India. Kolleru is located between Krishna and Godavari delta. Kolleru spans into two districts - Krishna and West Godavari. The lake serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for these two rivers. The lake is fed directly by water from the seasonal Budameru and Tammileru lakes, and is connected to the Krishna and Godavari systems by over 68 inflowing drains and channels. The lake was an important habitat for an estimated 20 million resident and migratory birds, including the Grey or Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis). The lake was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and designated a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention. The wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 308 km². 
Current State of the lake: Kolleru lake is suffering from the unsatiated greed of people and selfish interests of man- kind who is exploiting the lake's integrity. Thousands of fish tanks were dug up effectiing converting the lake into a mere drain. This had a lot of impact in terms of pollution leading to even difficulty in getting drinking water for the local people. This is besides the loss of ecological diversity and intrusion of sea water into the land masses and its fallout in terms of adverse influence of rainfall pattern in this region. This imbalance has an adverse effect on the thousands of acres of crop in the upper reaches of sanctuary in view of stoppages of water flow into the sea because of obstruction by bunds of the fish tanks that appeared illegally. Satellite images taken on February 9, 2001 by the Indian remote sensing satellite found that approximately 42% of the 245 km² lake was occupied by aquaculture, while agriculture had encroached another 8.5%. The area under aquaculture consisted of 1050 fish ponds within the lake and 38 dried-up fish ponds, which together covered an area of 103 km². Surprisingly no clear water could be found in the satellite image. The rest of the lake is being diminished by water diversions or was infested with weeds like elephant grass and water hyacinth. Rich in flora and fauna, it attracts migratory birds from northern Asia and Eastern Europe between the months of October and March. During this season, the lake is visited by an estimated 20,00,000 birds. The resident birds include grey pelicans, Asian Open-billed Storks (Anastomus oscitans), Painted Storks (Mycteria leucocephala), Glossy Ibises, White Ibises, Teals, Pintails, Shovellers. The migratory birds include Red-Crested Pochards, Blackwinged Stilts, Avocets, Common Redshanks, Wigeons, Gadwalls and Cormorants, Garganys, Herons, Flamingos & among others.

• While visiting religious places, remove your shoes outside and respect the traditions of the place.
• Prefer carrying traveller's cheques instead of cash. These cheques can be easily exchanged at various money exchangers.
• Don't leave your belongings unattended
• Prefer moving in groups,rather than moving alone.

Central Reservation Office Hotel Ilapuram Complex,
Gandhi Nagar,
Vijayawada. Ph: 0866-570255; Fax: 0866-570255.

Tourist Information Centre Railway Station,
Vijayawada.

Tourist Information Centre Transport Unit,
APSRTC Bus Complex,Ph. 0866-523966 Vijayawada. Ph: 0866-523966

Travel Desk,
Krishnaveni Motel Seethanagaram,
Vijayawada. Ph: 08645-72382 (From VJA-924-72382)

The following are the list of State bank ATMs in Vijayawada:
Gandhinagar,
Vijayawada - 520003
Kanakadurga Temple,
Reception Bldg Complex,
Vijayawada,
Andhra Pradesh - 520003 D.No. 28.1.60,
Atyam Bhavan,
Eluru Road,
Vijayawada,
Andhra Pradesh - 520002 Shop No.17,
Pandit Nehru Bus Station,
Vijayawada,
Andhra Pradesh - 520003

Kalamkari paintings and handiworks are things not to be missed on your visit to Vijaywada, the third largest city of Andhra Pradesh.