Planning and Cost of Tirupati/Tirumala Trip in 2023

Tirumala and Tirupati have been famous pilgrimage centers for millions of years. Lord Balaji or Govindudu or Sri Venkateshwara Swamy worshiped by crores of Hindus and other religious people to get the blessings. The Tirupati trip cost needs careful planning and budget.

In today’s blog post I’m going to discuss the cost of pilgrimage from a middle class point of view. Most people know the route and ways to worship Balaji, but don’t know perfect planning coming from far away places.

In my earlier diary of Tirumala visit I mentioned the different places and cost of travel in 2013.

Taking an example of my TTD tour of 2022, I’m going to discuss the total cost of pilgrimage from Visakhapatnam – Tirumala/Tirupati – Visakhapatnam.

Planning and Cost of Tirumala/Tirupati Trip in 2023

1. Travel Cost – Through Car, Bus, Train or Air.
2. Darshan Cost of Shri Lord Venketeswara
3. Food Cost atop Tirumala hills
4. Lodging cost at Tirumala
5. Local Trip cost above Tirumala.

Book Darshan of Lord Venketeswara Online in 2023?

1. Visit the following site – https://tirupatibalaji.ap.gov.in/#/login (or you can search for ttd booking portal).

1. Sign-up for user registration. Email id and password are required for additional details.
2. Come back to the main page and check for the latest updates.
3. New updates are released everyday with timing like Darshan quota, Accommodation quota, Online seva etc.
4. Alternatively, click on icons on the left hand side. A 5-10 second delay is there.
5. The Darshan or Accomodation page opens. Enter the mobile number and captcha. OTP comes to your mobiles. Enter it.
6. Currently as of Nov 2022, a lot of other sevas can also be booked.

1. Next screen, you can see the availability and filled status.
2. Select the number of persons, photo identity proof and other details.
3. Select payment method and make payment online.
4. Children below 12 years are allowed free. Read the instructions carefully.
5. You need to take a xerox copy of the Darshan receipt and the same original photocopy id you selected.
6. In addition, Special entry darshan (INR 300) can also be booked. 

1. Sarva Darshan or Free darshan is free of cost and is for pilgrims who reach Tirumala by walk.

How to Book Tirumala Accommodation Online in 2023?

1. Sign-in using the above official link of TTD website.
2. Check for the accommodation icon of the new notification update.
3. Generally, quota will be released 1 month before. You can see the latest updates.
4. Follow the same process as for selection and payment.
5. You need to select the type of accommodation. The cost varies.

How to Book Train Travel to Tirupathi Online in 2023?

1. Visit the following official link of Indian Railway website – https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search.
2. Register for an account and login.
3. Enter From and To stations on the left hand side on the desktop. You can also use the mobile app version also.

1. Enter the traveling date also.
2. List of available trains for the date and type of journey class are available.
3. Click the Refresh icon against each train to know the fare and availability on your traveling date.
4. Provide the required details like names, concession type, proof of identity etc.
5. Make the online payment through Net banking, UPI, wallet, debit card/credit card.
6. Print the receipt if required. You will also get an email.

Also Read

My Tour Diary to Tirumala/Tirupathi in 2013 – Day 2

You could book seva tickets in 2013 to Tirumala using the below mentioned post.

How To Do Tirumala Seva Booking from Visakhapatnam?

Food Cost at Tirumala Hills?

TTD provides free breakfast, lunch and dinner in AnnaSantarpana centers at Tirumala hills. The cost of food is entirely free and is borne by TTD itself.

In recent times a lot of Fast food courts have also sprouted up surrounding the temple. Near Nandakam lodge, the cost of food for 4 adults + 2 kids (around 10 years) would cost between 500 to 1000 for a normal middle class family per meal/tiffin.

The price of Masala Dosa is around Rs 70 to 100. Similarly 4 Idlis cost around Rs 50. Mostly south india dishes are available. For North dishes, you can prefer fried rice etc. Roti not found everywhere.

There are a lot of small stalls near the CRO office that provide these foods at reasonable prices. But if your accommodation is far away, then check Google Maps for your nearby restaurant.

Tirupati Trip Cost of Accommodation at Tirumala Hills?

You can pre-book accommodation at Tirumala online through the TTD portal. Check home page to see new notifications of release of lodging allocation. The release is just before 20 to 30 days of next month.

The cost of lodging varies between INR 500 to INR 2000 for a small middle class family of 4. Once you paid for the accommodation online, you get a receipt. You need to carry that with you. Show the printed copy at the CRO office and TTD volunteers will scan the copy.

The lodging allocation done randomnly. Message sent to your mobile number at which you registered for the accommodation. So it’s must to carry the mobile for which you have registered the TTD account, as you will receive the SMS message at this number. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Local Trip Cost of Tirumala Sightseeing places?

There are a lot of matts and temples in and around the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala. Also, waterfalls and geologically significant places, museums, parks, gardens are also worth seeing.

Tirupati trip cost includes the visit to the local temples and sight-seeing places.

Generally, the cab or jeep services have some fixed rates for a fixed number of site seeing places.

SriVari Padalu, Natural Geological Arch, Chakra Teertham, Venugopalswamy temple, Akash Ganga, Papa Vinasam are the sacred and scenic places.

For these 6 places, an open jeep kind of vehicle asked for Rs 2000. But you can bargain for between Rs 1200 to Rs 1800. It takes a maximum of 3 hours to visit these places. The prices have increased in 2022.

The same cost us around Rs 500, about 3 years ago. Also, trips from accommodation to CRO office would normally cost between Rs 100 to Rs 150 for 4 persons and luggage. The local cab service says the minimum charge is around Rs 150. But you can bargain to Rs 100 to Rs 120.