By Air: Mangalore International Airport, the former ‘Bajpe Airport’ located at the distance of about 185 kilometers to the southwest of Shimoga is the closest airport that affords this metropolis a proficient air connectivity to several important domestic as well as international destinations. Launched open in 1951 AD and later raised to the status of an international airport in the year 2006, the Mangalore Airport is served by various Indian and International Airlines i.e. Air India, Air India Express, Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet, Jet Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, etc. The chief Indian cities and the most worth mentioning foreign destinations reachable from the Mangalore Airport via air include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Goa, Kozhikode, Vijayawada, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sharjah, Mecca & Medina, Muscat, etc. To reach Mangalore from Shimoga and vice versa tourists can either use the regularly plying state transport buses or avail a rented cab that would cost around 2500 to 4000 rupees for a one way journey. The Shimoga Airport is presently under construction and soon the city will be bequeathed with India’s first private regional Greenfield Airport developed under the ‘Public-Private Partnership’. The Shimoga Airport will be sited at the Sogane Village approximately 9 kilometers away from the Shimoga City.

By Rail: The Shimoga Railway Station positioned about 3 kilometers away from the heart of the city in the proximity with the 100 Feet Road is a railhead of Shimoga that directly connects this conurbation with Bangalore, Mysore, Birur and Talaguppa by train. Trains plying from Shimoga run on the Shimoga - Bangalore Broad Gauge Line, Birur-Shimoga Broad Gauge Line and Shimoga-Talaguppa Broad Gauge Line. Tourists can reach Bangalore from Shimoga using the Shimoga Bangalore Rail Route and avail connectivity to all the important cities of the country from the Bangalore Railway Station. The two major trains regularly plying between Shimoga and Bangalore are; Shimoga Express and the Intercity Express. Shimoga is also fairly linked with Mumbai and other major destinations of the country via the Birur Junction. The Intercity Express also connects Mysore and Talaguppa via Sagar.

By Road: Practically all the towns and cities of the Shimoga District, other districts of Karnataka and the cities of the neighboring states are very well connected with Shimoga through the widespread road network of state and national highways. The chief National Highways passing through Shimoga consist of NH 13, NH 69 and NH 169. NH 13 annexes Shimoga to Channagiri while NH 69 connects Shimoga with Bhadravathi, Tarikere and Kadur to its southeast and with Ayanur, Anantapur, Sagara and Honavar to its northwest. NH 169 links Shimoga with the Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary, Thirthahalli, Sringeri, Moodabidri, Mulur and Mangalore. Moreover, SH 25 adjoins Shimoga with Harpanahalli and SH 57, with Shikaripura and Shirhatti. KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) buses, other states’ government operated buses and a number of private buses ply from Shimoga to Bangalore, Mangalore, Sringeri, Dharmastala, Hubli and many other cities on a regular basis. Shimoga is located about 98 km from Chikmagalur, 106 km from Chitradurga, 114 km from Sringeri, 154 km from Udupi, 191 km from Dharmastala, 194 km from Mangalore, 212 km from Hubli and 278 km from Bangalore.