Belgaum got its name from Venugrama, meaning “bamboo village”. It is the district HQ. There are several names available for Belgaum city. Marathi people call it as Belgaon, Kannada people call Belagavi, South Karnataka people call it as Belagam.

Belgaum is in the northwestern part Karnataka, near its borders with Maharashtra and Goa, 502 km from Bangalore, 500 km southeast of Mumbai and 125 km southeast of Goa, at the foothills of the Sahyadhri range (Western Ghats) at an altitude of 25,00 feet (779 m) above sea level. The weather of Belgaum is pleasant, owing to its hilly topography. Summers (April–June) are mildly hot and winters are cool (November–February). It experiences heavy southwestern monsoon rains during July–September. It receives as much as 50 inches of rain annually.

The Gokak waterfall located here takes a winding course to drizzle over an enchanting sandstone precipice overlooking the horse-shaped Gokak Valley. Among the things to do in Belgaum is experiencing the wildlife of Karnataka at Khanapur, which is famous for its forests and tigers. Other tourist places to visit in Belgaum would be Jamboti Waterfalls, Bailhongal and Yellamma temple. Among the places to visit near Belgaum is Dudhsagar Waterfalls, located around 105 km away. The spot is scenic and also provides many hiking routes to trekkers. This city has a delicious assortment of South Indian food. Best restaurants in Belgaum you must visit are Zuber Biryaniwala, Saffron Restaurant and Hotel Sankam Residency. If you want to experiment with your food, trying street food Belgaum is a must. Go for sweets such as kunda, a milk-based sweet and maande, which is an essential at weddings. For those wanting to spend the night, the city offers several accommodation facilities.

By Train: Belagavi has a very well-connected rail network. It is connected to almost all the major cities of South India. Trains are also available for Pune, Mumbai, Jodhapur, Ajamer, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi, Eranakulam. Belagavi is connected to Bangalore (via Londa), to Mumbai (via Miraj), Vasco da Gama. It takes 12 hrs from Belagavi to Bangalore and 12 hrs to Mumbai. There is a daily express train to H. Nizamuddin (Delhi) from Belagavi and the journey takes about 35 hrs.

By Road: Belagavi is connected to most of the places in South and West India by road. The main bus stand is situated near the old town area. We can say that Belagavi is like a MIDWAY between Mumbai and Bangalore. It falls on the Pune-Bangalore highway. Bus operators plying between Mumbai, Belgaum, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad include VRL (Vijayanand Road Lines), Pai Travels, Barde Travels, KSRTC and PVG.