Church Street: Nearby Attractions & Highlights

Church Street

Church Street is high in terms of energy and falls in the heart of Bangalore, India. Church Street runs parallel to MG Road, which joins the city to greater parts of the town more significant. A historical name for Church Street was derived from a portion of the street containing St. Mark's Cathedral at one end of the road. Today it is one of the most happening streets in Bangalore, thronged by locals and tourists alike. Already by 2000, Church Street was a busy shopping and dining street in the city, but it took on an even trendier, cosmopolitan cast of characters in the decades after. It had formed a part of the emerging city when Britain had been ruling over it. 

Nevertheless, it dates back much to before that- back to colonial Bangalore. Its original intent of being a road to St. Mark's Cathedral  remains one of the important landmarks today. This street grew to become a central locality for the local community. It thus became an ever-increasing constituent of the commercial as well as the cultural landscape of Bangalore. It was largely commercial in the early part of 2000 but is now head-on towards transformation itself, now with some flair, having cafes and restaurants lined on the street that Church Street is positioned near MGMG Road in the heart of the city; hence, this mainly turns out to be business as well as social lives' area. It was then that Church Street became a melting pot of the whole society, with college students, professionals, and expatriates wandering the streets.

The architecture of church street during the early 2000s gave out mixed old colonial structures and  modern constructions. Many of the buildings up and down the road seemed to have retained the historical flavor, some in the facade of traditional British colonial buildings, while others seemed a bit more contemporary. In 2000, Church Street was much less commercialized than it is now but still full of energy and very lively, with a blend of old, traditional shops emerging and new shops sprouting all over the place. During the early 2000s, it was a quieter and more laid-back charm on Church Street, and this attracted a more relaxed kind of crowd.

Small  bookshops, hole-in-the-wall cafes, and local eating places formed a contrast against the more commercial parts of the city. It is more of an unassuming yet intimate affair than this trendy scene today. During the 2000s, more cafes and restaurants began popping up along Church Street, becoming an increasingly hip  favorite among the young crowd of Bangalore. Although much further away from more mainstream malt venues such as MGMG Road, this road still had its fair share of pavement footfall due to the campus locations of various colleges spread out all over the greater Bangalore region, notably Bangalore University and several associate colleges. In the early 2000s, open-air cafes and bookstores lined Church Street. One of the oldest of these second-hand bookstores is Blossom Book House, established in the 1990s, which sold novels, fiction, and even specialized academic journals.

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It became an immediately popular cultural haunt, visited nearly daily by those seeking rare books and even a quiet place to sit with a book. With growing popularity over the early 2000s, the street began to face some of the challenges accompanying commercialization. The street became very congested and less pedestrian-friendly with increasing traffic and vehicles. Parking also became a problem as more people came for dining, shopping, or cultural events. Regarding the growth in development, sometimes modern buildings and shopping complexes have dominated the old historic charm of the street. 

The older, small, family-owned shops and colonial buildings gradually gave way to newer, more luxurious ventures. It has had its economic benefits, but this has come at a cost that has led to some loss of character that Church Street once had years ago. Since the early 2000s, the street experienced changes as global brands, upscale restaurants, and trendy bars became the natural order of things. Church Street remains one of the boldest places in Bangalore,  combining something  of a modern  attraction and an old charm. Then comes the perfect place for young Bangalorians or even tourists visiting this land who want to get everything from a pure food  experience to mere shopping with entertainment value and even history under the roof.

High infrastructural projects have been  underway on Church Street in the past two years. The street part was pedestrianized with other initiatives to change it so  that it would be much more of a people-friendly area that could also appear somewhat greenish and aesthetic. It, therefore, remains and continues holding all attractiveness towards it as the nerve culture and commercial center.

Even until the year 2000, much of the old-world charm remained , with modernity still unfolding in what is now a cosmopolitan street filled with vibrancy in what is today's Church Street. The attraction to this street saw young students, new professionals, and even tourists flock to its quaint cafes, bookstores, and laid-back atmosphere. A decade after decade, Church Street has, with all cultural changes and growth, increasingly urbanized into the center it became and represented. It carries history and now finds rhythm with more contemporary ones through staying on one of the most favorite streets in Bangalore.

Another Place From Here:

MG Road: The busy street for shopping with the eaters and malls. It remains one of the prominent roads in the city near Church Street Bangalore.
Cubbon Park: A peaceful, vast green space, Cubbon Park is a haven from the noise of the city, offering walking trails, gardens, and monuments of history.
Vidhana Soudha: A beautiful legislative house of Karnataka State. It is an architectural wonder and one of the city's most prized landmarks.
Bangalore Palace: It is a royal palace with Tudor architecture and a past that was about kings. There is also an interesting collection of art and antiques here.
Koshy's Restaurant: It is an institution in Bangalore, an old-time cafe serving South Indian cuisine and coffee, and it has become quite a local favorite to hang around.
Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum: The Science and Technology Museum is full of activities on engineering, mechanics, and industrial innovations in science and technology.
National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA): Centre of art lovers as it also carries all the modern art exhibitions by contemporary Indian artists accompanied by workshops and other culture-related events.
Bangalore Fort: Historical evidence of the fortifications dating from the 16th century and views of an ancient history that was part of Bangalore's fort and wall structures.
Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace: It was an Indo-Islamic type of palace made by Tipu Sultan with ornaments of fine carvings, giving a view of a city's glorious kingsly time.
Shivajinagar: A bustling commercial area, street markets, food stalls and local shops where one may catch the pulse of the life in Bangalore.
Commercial Street: An extremely lively shopping area especially known for clothing and accessories and lots of local handicrafts, all with a living market feel and some bargains to the shopper
UB City Mall: UB City is close to MGMG Road, so there are good brands, gourmet restaurants, and art galleries. The mall is modern in its shopping experience.

How To Reach

By Bus: Bangalore has a good network of BMTC buses. One can take a bus that passes Corporation Circle or Shivajinagar. Both are within walking distance from there to Church Street.
Metro: MGMG Road Metro Station, Purple Line. Walk some hundred yards down after coming out or in an auto or taxi.
By Train: The Main Railway station is Bangalore City Railway Station (Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna); from there, get down, and in a taxi or auto or metro, reach the MGMG Road Metro Station and from here, walkable to Church Street. Another one is Yeshwantpur Railway Station, from where you can hire a taxi or metro to come to the street.
Through Air: You can take any app-based ride like Ola/Uber from Kempegowda International Airport , as it is 40 minutes by car from this place.