Late sun turns the four minarets of the Charminar the color of honey, and below them Laad Bazaar flashes with lacquer bangles studded with glass stones. Across town, the same gold light warms the granite boulders of Golconda Fort, then slides into Hussain Sagar, where a white stone Buddha stands on its island against a pink sky.
Away from the old city, Jubilee Hills fills its cafés after dark and the office towers of HITEC City stay lit late. Winters are dry and mild, summers turn fierce by April, and monsoon rains arrive in June. A Local Friend knows when to reach Golconda early, before the heat, and when to linger by the lake until the lights come on.
