On Indrakeeladri hill above the Krishna river in Vijayawada, the Kanaka Durga temple is one of the most important goddess temples in Andhra Pradesh. Its Dasara festival draws huge crowds, when the deity is decorated in a different form each day. A flyover and ghat road lead up to the temple.

Built across the Krishna river at Vijayawada and completed in 1957, the Prakasam Barrage replaced an older anicut from 1855 and irrigates large parts of the Krishna delta. The barrage road links Vijayawada with Guntur and gives a long view of the wide river, lit up beautifully in the evenings.

Carved into a hillside on the banks of the Krishna near Vijayawada, the Undavalli Caves date from around the 4th to 7th centuries. The largest is four storeys high and holds a huge reclining Vishnu carved from a single block of granite. The caves were originally Buddhist and later adapted for Hindu worship.

A 14th-century hill fort near Vijayawada, Kondapalli was built by the Reddy kings and later held by the Qutb Shahis and the British. Its walls, gateways and the Tanisha Mahal palace overlook the plains. The village below is famous for its colourful Kondapalli wooden toys.

Amaravati was a great Buddhist centre from around the 3rd century BCE, and its Mahachaitya stupa was among the largest in India, decorated with finely carved limestone panels. Today the mound and a reconstructed stupa base can be seen, with a museum displaying sculptures from the site.

Near the old port town of Machilipatnam, Manginapudi is a beach of dark, firm sand where the water stays shallow far out to sea. A temple on the shore and a lighthouse draw visitors, and it is a lively spot at weekends and festivals.