Mangalore's location in the Indian state of Karnataka makes it accessible by all forms of transport: road, rail, air and sea. It is the largest city in the Coastal Karnataka region, and is the only city in Karnataka and one among the six cities in India to have an International Airport, a Major Seaport, railway & road connectivities. It is the second prominent city of Karnataka after the state capital Bangalore in all aspects. It is one of the fastest developing cities in India. 
 Even though Mangalore's city bus service is dominated by private operators such as DKBOA, with routes covering the full extent of the city and beyond, in recent days Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation is plying buses in multiple routes. There are two distinct sets of routes for the buses, with the city routes being covered by city buses, and the intercity routes being covered by service and express buses.  There are also KSRTC JnNurm green colour city buses from State Bank bus stand. These buses travel to different parts of the city and its suburbs. Service buses essentially touch some towns and villages on the intercity route. Service are run to various location like Udupi, Karkala and Kateel. However the frequency of service buses are extremely low. Express buses reach their destination with very limited stops in between. A list of bus routes inside Mangalore can be found here.
 Another mode for local transportation is the autorickshaw. The minimum cost charged by an autorickshaw up to 2 km is Rs 25.  Meters are introduced in all autorickshaws plying inside the city and the suburbs. But most of the rickshaw drivers does not charge according to meter. However charges are 1.5 times the displayed reading between 10 pm and 5 am. To avoid the high charges and best Cab Service in Mangalore you can go for Travels in Mangalore.Taxi services in Mangalore are provided by Ola Cabs and Uber, whose services extend to the Mangalore International Airport. Motorcycle rental providers have also begun offering transport services in the city.
 Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs the long distance bus services from Mangalore to other parts of the state. The Mangalore-Bangalore route is the most lucrative route and is equally served by public & private players.
 The longest bus route served is the Mangalore - Ankola- Hubli- Belgaum- Pune- Mumbai bus route run by a number of private players and KSRTC. The journey is about 22 hours by normal buses & 16 hours by Volvo Buses.
 Many private companies based out of Mangalore, Udupi, Bangalore also ply multiple buses between Mangalore and other cities on daily basis. Ganesh Travels, SRS Travels, Ideal Travels, Sugama Tourists, Durgamba Motors, VRL, being the popular operators. These operators provide services in different categories such as A/C Volvo Bus, Sleeper, Seater etc. There will be a huge hike in number of passengers during the festive seasons such as Mangalore Dasara, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Christmas which will also result in hike in bus fares unlike the KSRTC buses.
 Five national highways connect Mangalore with various parts of Karnataka and India. 
 Mangalore has 3 railway stations - Mangalore Central, Mangalore Junction & Surathkal railway station.
 A metre gauge railway track was built through the Western Ghats in the east, connecting Mangalore with Hassan. The broad gauge track connecting Mangalore to Bangalore via Hassan is open for freight traffic since May 2006. While the movement of passenger traffic was supposed to start after December 2006, the inaugural train was eventually flagged off from Mangalore Central railway station for Bangalore only on 8 December 2007 by Union Minister for Railways Laloo Prasad Yadav.
 When India gained independence, Mangalore was not connected to Mumbai by rail. The railway network established before independence terminated at Mangalore. Since then there had been a strong need to connect Mangalore to Mumbai and hence the Konkan Railway came into being. The project was completed in 1998 and since then the travel time to the north of the country has come down considerably and provides a convenient alternative for passengers.
 Mangalore has direct trains to Mumbai,Chennai, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kollam(Quilon), Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Puducherry,Nagercoil through the Southern Railway and to Mumbai, Bhatkal, Karwar,Thane and Goa via the Konkan Railway. Navyug Express train connects Mangalore with Katra in Jammu and Kashmir. Thiruvananthapuram Rajdhani Express connects Mangalore with the national capital New Delhi.
 The Mangalore Harbour provides a connection by sea to the rest of the world. Currently dry, bulk and fluid cargos are handled by the New Mangalore Port, providing an important gateway to the state of Karnataka. It is also the station for the Coast Guard and has a unit of CISF. This modern artificial harbour 10 km north of the Central Business District (CBD), is now India's eight largest cargo handling port.
 Various cruise ships such as Regent Seven Seas, Norwegian Star, Oceania, Celebrity, Costa, AIDA, Nautica and Royal Caribbean International have visited the New Mangalore Port. Foreigners can enter Mangalore through the New Mangalore Port with the help of Electronic visa (e-visa). Cruise ships from Europe, North America and UAE arrive at New Mangalore Port to visit the tourist places around Mangalore.
 Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE) is located near Bajpe, around 14 km north-east of the city. It is the second-largest and second-busiest airport in Karnataka. New terminals and runways at the airport accommodate both cargo and passenger requirements. State-government-run buses connect the city with the airport. The new terminal which had commenced operations in mid-2009 is 8 km from the city. The Airport connects Mangalore with Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. The Airport also connects Mangalore with countries such as UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
 Airport has seen double digit growth in passenger traffic after introducing international flights. As of 2014, the airport had a growth of 21.51 per cent in passenger handling during 2013–14, with 54 per cent growth in international traffic. It has handled 1,255,000 passengers in 2013–14 against 1,032,000 in 2012–13. The airport is expected to handle 900,000 passengers in 2025.