Trip to tirupati

The word Tirupati means the Lord of Lakshmi and the word Tirumala means Abode of Lakshmi. Tiru means Lakshmi, Pati means husband or king, and Mala means hill. The ancient texts of India declare that if one wants to attain Moksha in Kalyug, then he or she has to worship Lord Venkateswara (who is also worshipped as `Balaji' by the north Indians) at Tirupati for the attainment of the same.
Lord Balaji's temple at Tirumala is the richest Hindu temple temple and most visited (after Vatican city) in the world.
Tirupati is 258 km from Bangalore (via Kolar and Chittoor). The road to Tirupati is good and you can drive. However, lot of government and private buses ply on Bangalore-Tirupati Route.
Best package trip is by AP Tourism. They charge around Rs 1100/-. It includes journey by AC Volvo, room for bathing and changing clothes in morning and darshan ticket (worth Rs 200/-). The bus departs around 7.30 in evening from Bangalore and you will be back by next evening. ITDC and KSTDC also have daily package trips to Tirupati. I can suggest 2 travel agents to book these packages:

• Deepa Travels, 48 CMH Road, Indiranagar, 2nd Stage. Ph: 25257606/22907292/9845297505
• S.S Travels, Raheja Arcade Road, Opp. Aangan Restaurant, Koramangala Ph:25526846/25526895

Better go via these government tour operators as these are very reliable and they give what they say. Private operators will also claim to return the next day, but if there is rush in tirupati it may take one day more.

Now they have Rs 300/- tickets also. Just go there, stand in the darshan queue, and get the ticket also in the queue :) So no worries about getting tickets on reaching there. There are 4 counters for this in the darshan queue itself.

By air

Air deccan (daily) and Kingfisher(Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun) operate flights to Tirupati from Bangalore. Tirupati airport is around 14 kms from city.

By car

Currently the road is being expanded, so work is going on. There's not much traffic. Kamath is also on the way, and there is one Coffee day too. Woody's (of Bangalore) is there just after you cross Kolar. It is a nice South Indian restaurant. After that there are few restaurants near Chitoor including Reliance A1 plaza.
What to see: If you go via AP tourism, they will take you only to Lord Balaji's temple at Tirumala and Sri Padmavathi Temple at Tirupati. However if you go via car, there are many temples in that area which you can visit.

1. Ganesh temple at Kanipakam

Kanipakam is a Hindu temple for the god Ganesha located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh in South India. It was constructed in the llth century CE by the Chola king Kulothunga Chola I and was expanded further in 1336 by the Emperors of Vijayanagara.
A striking and strange feature of the Ganesha idol in the temple is that it is still growing in size. At present, we can see the knees and the abdomen of the idol. One ardent devotee had offered a 'Kavacham' (Armour) to the Lord, fifty years ago but today it is out of size and doesn't fit the idol.
Read more about the temple and various legends about this temple at following links:
a. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanipakam
b. http://www.kanipakamvinayaka.org/home.html (official website of temple)
The temple is just 10 kms before chitoor on left side when you go from Bangalore.

2. Getting tickets for Darshan at Tirupati

Try to reach tirupati early. If you want Rs 50/- darshan ticket, that is available in tirupati near bus stand. If darshan time is some hours away, you can visit Srikalahasti. The sewa tickets are available in Tirumala at the Vijaya bank counter near the temple entrance. If you go early, you can easily get tickets for next day. The temple trust also sells the sewa tickets online, but I have always seen those booked for next six months. Avoid going there on long weekends if you are driving to there by car and best are weekdays to avoid the rush.
Recently TTD has started "Sheegra Darshan". The ticket costs Rs 300/-. Just get into the line, and buy tickets on the way:). There are 4 counters to get the ticket.

3. Srikalahasti

Srikalahasti is a famous pilgrim centre and the temple here is dedicated to Lord Siva known as Vayulingam and considered as Dakshina Kasi. This is around 30 kms from Tirupati.
Read more about the temple and various legends about this temple at following links:
a. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalahasti
b. http://www.srikalahasti.org/ (official website of temple)

4. Sri Venkateswara Temple

Lord Venkateswara temple is in Tirumala (around 30 kms from Tirupati). Tirumala lies in the midst of the Seshachalam hills which are 2,000 feet above the sea level.
Click here to read various legends about the temple.
All the faclities in Tirumala including accomodation etc are managed by temple trust. Temple trust, TTD (Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams), maintain the following website which will give you all sort of information:
http://www.tirumala.org/maintemple_about.htm
There are many temples nearby which you can visit. Click here for more information
TTD runs free buses inside Tirumala. Amazingly you will find the place always clean when lot of devotees visit it daily.

5. Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple at Tirupati

The temple of Sri Padmavathi Devi, the consort of Lord Sri Venkateswara is situated in Tirupati. It is said that a visit to Tirumala is fruitful only after visiting the Sri Padmavathi Devi temple. Click here to read more about the temple and various legends about this temple.