Shimoga is well connected by bus and reasonably so by rail, though the nearest airport with useful onward connections is in Mangaluru (about 160 km) or Bengaluru (about 280 km).
By bus: The KSRTC bus stand is central and busy. Frequent services run to Bengaluru (5–6 hours), Mangaluru (4–5 hours), Udupi, Davangere, Hubli, and Hassan. Private sleeper buses also cover the Bengaluru route overnight.
By train: Shimoga Town station sits on the metre-gauge Birur–Talaguppa branch line, with connections at Birur to the main Bengaluru–Hubli trunk. The service is slow but scenic through the Ghats. A broad-gauge conversion project has been underway for years; check current status before planning around it.
By road: NH-169 connects Shimoga to Bengaluru via Hassan and Channarayapatna. The road is good; the drive takes about 5 hours by car. NH-169A heads west toward Udupi through increasingly lush hill country.