Most of our travellers start from Chennai, or fly in and out of it. From here, the hills, the backwaters, Goa and half of Southeast Asia are all within a few hours. These are the tour packages from Chennai we plan most often.
Two or three days
- Mahabalipuram and Puducherry — shore temples, the French quarter and the sea; see Chennai to Puducherry by car.
- Tirupati darshan — a short drive north, with darshan planned around your tickets.
- Yelagiri or Yercaud — the nearest hill breaks.
- Kanchipuram and Vellore — temples, silk and the Golden Temple at Sripuram.
Four or five days
- Ooty and Coonoor or Kodaikanal — read our best time to visit Ooty and Kodaikanal.
- Goa — a short flight; our 4-day Goa tour from Chennai covers North and South Goa.
- Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari — the southern temple circuit.
- Tamil Nadu UNESCO heritage — Mahabalipuram and Thanjavur; see the heritage tour from Chennai.
Six or seven days
- Kerala — Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey and Kovalam on our Kerala tour from Chennai.
- Mysore, Coorg and Ooty — palaces, coffee hills and the Nilgiris; see the Mysore Ooty tour.
- Singapore — the easiest first trip abroad; see our Singapore tour from Chennai.
- Dubai or Sri Lanka — four hours or less by air.
- A cruise — Cordelia sails from Chennai in season; see the Cordelia cruise from Chennai.
Ten days or more
Kashmir and Ladakh, Rajasthan, the Golden Triangle with a luxury train, Europe or a long Southeast Asia loop. Browse our India tour packages and international tours.
Tips for travellers from Chennai
- Morning trains and flights out of Chennai avoid the worst of the city traffic.
- For hill stations, a train to Coimbatore, Madurai or Bengaluru plus a car is often more comfortable than driving all the way.
- Book school-holiday dates — April–May, Pongal and December — well ahead.
