Tamil Nadu is easy to love and surprisingly easy to over-plan. The great temples, the hills and the coast are all within a day’s drive of each other, so the real question is not where but in what order. This guide is how we sketch Tamil Nadu tour packages for families, pilgrims and first-time visitors.
The four parts of Tamil Nadu
Chennai and the north coast
Chennai, the shore temples of Mahabalipuram, the silk-and-temple town of Kanchipuram and the French quarter of Puducherry. Two or three days covers them comfortably.
The Cauvery delta
The heart of Chola country: Thanjavur and its Brihadeeswarar Temple, Kumbakonam and the Navagraha temples, Srirangam near Trichy, and Chidambaram. This is where our office is — Virudhachalam sits right at its edge.
The south
Madurai and the Meenakshi Amman Temple, the island temple town of Rameswaram, and Kanyakumari at the tip of India. Allow three to four days.
The hills
Ooty and Coonoor in the Nilgiris, Kodaikanal in the Palani hills, and the smaller escapes of Yercaud and Yelagiri. Two nights in one hill station is the minimum we suggest.
Sample routes
5 days: temples and the coast
Madurai → Rameswaram → Kanyakumari → back via Madurai. The classic southern circuit, ideal for a first visit or a pilgrimage with elders.
7 days: temples and a hill finish
Chidambaram → Thanjavur → Trichy (Srirangam) → Madurai → Kodaikanal. Great temples first, then two cool nights in the hills.
10 days: the grand tour
Chennai → Mahabalipuram → Puducherry → Thanjavur → Madurai → Rameswaram → Kanyakumari, finishing in Kodaikanal or Ooty. If heritage is your interest, our Tamil Nadu UNESCO heritage tour covers the two World Heritage sites in five days.
When to go
October to March is the most comfortable time on the plains — warm days and pleasant evenings. The north-east monsoon brings rain to the coast from about October to December. April to June is hot on the plains but the best season in the hills. Festivals worth planning around include Pongal in January, the Chithirai festival in Madurai in April–May, Karthigai Deepam at Tiruvannamalai in November–December and Chennai’s music season in December–January.
Getting around
Trains link the big towns, but a private car with a driver is by far the easiest way to see temples on their timings and stop where you like. Most temples close for a few hours in the early afternoon, so we plan driving for the middle of the day and sightseeing for the mornings and evenings. Families and groups often take a tempo traveller.
Practical tips
- Dress modestly at temples — shoulders and knees covered — and expect to leave footwear outside.
- Some sanctums allow only Hindu devotees, and many do not allow photography inside.
- Vegetarian food is everywhere and excellent; carry water on long drives.
- Two temple towns a day is plenty. Over-packed days are the most common planning mistake.
Want a route drawn up for your dates? Our Tamil Nadu packages are a good place to start, or send us your dates and we’ll plan it with you.
