Travel Information


 
This page contains information useful to prepare your trip to ITW'2002. Please, don´t hesitate to contact the General Co-Chair, Anurag Kumar, and the Local Arrangements Chair, Vinod Sharma, for any additional information you may require.
 
International Travel to Bangalore

Most international airlines have direct flights to India from Europe and Singapore/Hong-Kong. From the US, most international airlines fly to India with a single stop, either in Europe or in the Far East. Economy class round trip airfares from the US to India and back are typically significantly less than US $1500/-. Check with your travel agent for current fares.

A few airlines such as Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Air Lanka, and Air India fly directly into Bangalore. These are not daily flights, however, yet we recommend that you fly directly into Bangalore. International flights from Europe typically arrive into India around midnight, and the first flight to Bangalore out of Mumbai, New Delhi or Chennai is not until 6am, leaving you with a tiring 5-6 hour wait around the airport.

Alternatively, most international airlines fly into Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras) or New Delhi. If you fly into these cities there are three domestic airlines connecting Bangalore to these cities (Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, and Sahara Airlines). Chennai-Bangalore is a 45 minute flight, Mumbai-Bangalore is a 90 minute flight, and Delhi to Bangalore is 2.5 hours. We recommend flying into Chennai as the domestic and international terminals are in the same building. In New Delhi and Mumbai one has to take a bus to go between the terminals.

Chennai is also connected to Bangalore by the Shatabdi Express train, a comfortable 5 hour journey; but the trains usually run fully booked, hence advance reservations are required.

Check with your travel agent for attractive local air travel offers that are usually available with your international travel ticket.

Domestic Airlines
Transport from/to the Airport

Prepaid taxis are available at the airport to all parts of the city. While both private and government (KSTDC) taxis are available, we strongly recommend the government-run (KSTDC) taxi for its hassle-free service and clean cars. Look for the KSTDC (Karnataka State Tourism Development Center) counter just outside the baggage claim area. The prepaid fare to the conference site (Windsor Manor Hotel) is about Rs.200/- and to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is Rs.250/-. Fare includes tips (service compris) and baggage handling. Ask for your and the driver's receipts at the counter, and hand over the driver's receipt only after reaching your destination.

For transportation to the airport, check with your hotel desk. Auto-rickshaws and taxis are available.

Getting around Bangalore

Auto-rickshaws are a convenient mode of transport as they are easily available. Most of the drivers are affable and honest and are multilingual. Apart from the local language most of the drivers are conversant in Hindi, and English.  The fare charges are Rs 2.00 per km with a minimum fare of Rs 9.00 for three passengers. When operated out of city limits and between 2200 and 0500, the autos charge one and a half times the normal meter reading.