The District Headquarters, Belgaum is a picture of contrasts. On one side is the old town area where the cotton and silk weavers still create magic with their fingers. And on the other the modern, bustling, tree lined Cantonment built by the British.
Kittur in Belgaum district is a place of historical importance. Queen Chennamma of Kittur (1778-1829) is known for her resistance to British rule; another person in the history of Belgaum known for his resistance to British rule is Sangolli Rayanna.
There are several names available for Belgaum city. Marathi people call it as Belgaon, Kannada people call Belgavi, South Karnataka people call it as Belagam.
Belgaum is located in the northwestern part of the state of Karnataka, in the southern region of India. It lies near the borders of the Indian states of Maharashtra and Goa. It is '''502 km from Bangalore''', '''500 km Southeast of Mumbai (Bombay)''' and '''125 km southeast of Goa'''. The town is at the foothills of the Sahyadhri range (Western Ghats) at an altitude of 25,00 feet (779 m) above sea level. The weather of Belgaum is pleasant, owing to its hilly topography. Summers (April-June) are mildly hot and winters are cool (November-February). It experiences heavy southwestern monsoon rains during (July-September). It receives as much as 50 inches of rain annually.
Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highway #4 (connecting Maharashtra[ Now part of the Golden Quadrilateral], Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) and NH-4A (connecting Karnataka and Goa).
There are a number of Bus operators plying between a) Mumbai - Belgaum b) Pune - Belgaum c) Bangalore - Belgaum d) Hyderabad - Belgaum
Some of the prominent bus operators are - VRL (Vijayanand Road Lines), Pai Travels, Barde Travels, PVG
'''By Air'''
Belgaum is directly connected with Bangalore and Mumbai. The airport currently serving the city is Belgaum Airport located at Sambra (about 30 minutues drive from the city). Flights are available only for a few days of the week.
'''By Rail'''
Belgaum is on the main Indian Railways grid being part of Hubli-Division and is well connected by rail to major destinations such as Bangalore (via Hubli), Mumbai, Pune/Delhi (via Miraj) and Goa.
Belgaum has excellent city bus connectivity and also for the rural area around Belgaum , the charges are nominal around Rs 10 from one end to the other part of the city . Private and Gov't Buses also provide transport for commuting between Hubli , Dharwad , Goa , and other nearby places .
'''By autorickshaw'''
This is cheap way of transport between attractions. Though not metered always it would be wise to ask the approximate amount from a local.
'''By taxi'''
Normally, Taxis are not needed unless you plan to go way out of the city. If you want to move around in City, Autos and Buses are good enough.
'''By car'''
There are many rental companies offering cars with drivers or self drive. Hertz : College Road , Belgaum
Belgaum is famous for its temples and the religious-minded traveler could find a number of temples here-the main ones being Kapileshwar temple, Shani temple and the Maruti Temple.
A number of religious monuments are located within the cantonment area-the Masjid-Sata mosque, which dates back to the 16th century ad, the Mahadeva temple with its beautiful gardens, the St. Mary's Church of England, St. Xavier's Church, Catholic Cathedral and St. Anthony's Church, all lie within the lush green environs of the Cantonment.
Best City in karnataka
'''Sanman Deluxe''': Hotel Sanman Deluxe is a business hotel located at Belgaum (Karnataka, India) at 1.5 km from Station and Bus Depot and 15 km from Airport.[http://www.nivalink.com/sanmandeluxe/index.html]
'''Pai Resort''' : Pai Resort is located at 3 km from Belgaum (Karnataka, India) City Centre and 8 km from Airport. [http://www.nivalink.com/pairesort/index.html]