Built in 1591 by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah when he founded Hyderabad, the Charminar is a square monument with four arches and four minarets about 56 metres high, and the city's best-known symbol. A small mosque sits on the top floor. Around it spreads the old city's bazaar, including the Laad Bazaar, famous for bangles, and the area comes alive at night during Ramzan.

One of the largest mosques in India, the Mecca Masjid near Charminar was begun in 1617 under Muhammad Qutb Shah and completed under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1694. Bricks made from soil brought from Mecca are said to be set in its central arch. Its courtyard holds the tombs of several Nizams.

Once the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, the Nizams of Hyderabad, Chowmahalla Palace was built from the mid-18th century. Its Khilwat Mubarak durbar hall with chandeliers, its courtyards and fountains, and collections of vintage cars, clothes and weapons give a glimpse of the Nizams' world.

One of India's largest museums, the Salar Jung Museum holds the collection of Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, a former prime minister of Hyderabad. Highlights include the Veiled Rebecca marble sculpture, a 19th-century musical clock that draws crowds when it strikes the hour, and galleries of jade, ivory, manuscripts and European and Asian art.

A great fortress on a granite hill west of Hyderabad, Golconda was the seat of the Qutb Shahi kings from the 16th century and a famous centre of the diamond trade. Its acoustics are celebrated: a clap at the entrance can be heard at the hilltop pavilion. A sound and light show is held in the evenings.

The Qutb Shahi Tombs near Golconda hold the graves of the Qutb Shahi kings and their families, set in gardens. The domed mausoleums, built in the 16th and 17th centuries, rise on raised platforms decorated with stucco and once with glazed tiles. A long restoration has brought back the gardens and stepwells.

Opened in 2020, the cable-stayed bridge over Durgam Cheruvu lake connects Jubilee Hills with the IT district of Madhapur. Its deck and towers are lit with changing colours at night, making it one of Hyderabad's new landmarks, and the lake below has a walkway and boating.

Built of white marble in 1976 on a hill above Hussain Sagar, the Birla Mandir is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara. Its towers, carvings and peaceful atmosphere draw visitors of all faiths, and the views over the city are best at sunset, when the temple is lit up.

Hussain Sagar is a lake built in the 1560s linking Hyderabad and Secunderabad. On a rock in its middle stands a monolithic Buddha statue about 18 metres high, reached by boat from Lumbini Park. The lakeside promenades are lively in the evenings.

Inaugurated in 2022 at Muchintal, the Statue of Equality honours the 11th-century philosopher Ramanuja. The seated statue, about 66 metres tall with its base, rises above a hall about his life and teachings. It is surrounded by 108 small shrines representing the Divya Desams.

Spread over a vast area east of Hyderabad, Ramoji Film City is one of the largest film studio complexes in the world. Guided bus tours take visitors through film sets, themed gardens and replica streets, and there are live shows, rides and a bird park. Many Indian films are shot here.