Hospet (officially Hosapete) is your gateway town to the Hampi ruins. Most of the long distance state operated buses for Hampi terminates at Hospet bus station (KSRTC bus station).
KSRTC bus station at Hospet
So is the Hospet railway station (station code:HPT ). Four pairs of express trains pass through Hospet. Hampi Express connecting Banglore & Hubli and the Vasco da Gama Express (Amaravati Express) connecting Vasco da Gama (for Goa) & Vijayawada are popular choices of Hampi tourists.
In contrast to the Hampi ruins site, Hospet offers a range of hotel options . If you expect a reasonable luxury stay (of course with respect to Hampi’s standards), Hospet is the place for you to set the base camp. Most of the hotels are located around the main road that connects the railway station to the bus station. Also Hospet has a number of ATMs and banks.
Apart from the above, Hospet doesn’t have any tourist attractions of significance. Of course the unique Anantashayana temple of Anantashayana Gudi is located at the eastern fringe of this town, on the way to the Hampi ruins.
Krishnadevaraya, one of the famous kings of Vijayanagara, built Hospet in 1520 AD in honor of his queen Nagala Devi. Historically Hospet was a gateway to the city of Vijayanagara. None of the old fortifications at Hospet is not traceable now though.
Railway connection map for Hospet and location of Hampi
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