Visakhapatnam (Vizag) is second largest city of Andhra Pradesh with an area of 550 km². Visakha/Vizag or Vizagapatam/Vizag City is a coastal, port city, often called "The Jewel of the East Coast", located on the eastern shore of India, nestled among the hills of the Eastern Ghats and facing the Bay of Bengal to the east. It is the administrative headquarters of Visakhapatnam District and is also home of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.

The city is said to have derived its name Visakhapatnam from the king who ruled this part with name 'Visakha Varma' (the former King of present Visakhapatnam/Vizag). 'Patnam' is the Telugu word for city.
Visakhapatnam or the place of Visakha, is named after the deity of valor, the second son of Lord Shiva. The other story is that the beauty of the place was compared to the beauty of Sakhi Visakha. The legend is that Radha and Visakha were born on the same day and equally beautiful. The city people believe that an Andhra king, impressed by the beauty, built a temple to pay obeisance to his family deity, Visakha.
The city has been mentioned in the Indian epics Rāmāyana and Mahābhārata, as well as the forests of the Eastern Ghats where the two brothers Rama and Lakshmana wandered in search of Sita, wife of Lord Rama. According to the epics, Rama formed his army of monkey men in the region with the help of Hanuman and Jambavan. The monkey army of Rama later defeated the demon King RAVAN to claim back his wife Sita. An episode of Mahābhārata when Bheema killed the demon Bakasura, was believed to have happened in the village karmanvati, just 25 miles from the city.
The religious Hindu texts mention that the region of Visakhapatnam in the 5th century BC was part of the vast Kalinga territory which extended up to the Godavari River. The relics found in the area also prove the existence of a Buddhist empire in the region. Kalinga later lost the territory to King Ashoka in the bloodiest battle of the time which prompted him to embrace Buddhism.
Places To Visit:
Beaches Ramakrishna Beach
  Rushikonda Beach
  Gangavaram Beach
  Yarada Beach
Temples Simhachalam
  Appikonda Someswara Temple
  Durga Konda (Temple)
  Sri Venkateswara Swamy Konda (Temple)
  Rakshana Giri (Church)
  Mary Matha Temple (Church)
Parks VUDA Park
  Tenneti Park
  Lumibini Park
  Shivaji Park
  Indira Gandhi Zoological Park
Other Places Kailash Hills
  Ross Hills
  Dolphin's Nose
  Yerra Matti Dibbalu (Dunes of Red Earth)
  Vuda Children's Theatre
  Matsya Darshini (Aquarium)
  Kondakarla Ava
  Jaatara (Shilparamam)
  Submarine Museum
  Visakha Museum
  Andhra University
Araku Borra Caves
  Water Falls
  Tyda (Jungle Bells)
  Padmapuram Gardens
  Tribal Museum
  Matsya Gundam
Budhist Monuments Sankaram (Bojjanna Konda)
  Thotla Konda
  Baavi Konda
Bheemili Bheemili Beach
  St. Peter's Church
  Dutch Cemetry
  Clock Tower
RamaKrishna Beach
Borra Caves
Rushikonda Beach
Tyda Cottage