- Distance
- About 460 km by road
- Drive time
- 7.5–8 hours one way
- Pickup
- Chennai
- Destination
- Madurai, Tamil Nadu
- Trip type
- One way, or stay over and return
- Vehicles
- Sedan, SUV, tempo traveller, coach
About the trip
Madurai is one of the oldest cities in Tamil Nadu, built around the vast Meenakshi Amman temple with its towering painted gopurams. Pilgrims, families and tour groups come for the temple, the Thirumalai Nayak palace and the city's lively food streets. The route runs south through Villupuram, Perambalur and Trichy on a four-lane highway, so you can break the journey at Srirangam.
What to see in Madurai
- Meenakshi Amman Temple
- Thirumalai Nayak Palace
- Gandhi Memorial Museum
- Alagar Koil
- Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple
- Vandiyur Mariamman Teppakulam
On the road
Take NH 32 to Villupuram, then NH 38 via Trichy. Trichy is a good lunch halt; leave Chennai by 5:30 am to arrive for the evening temple ceremony.
Choose your vehicle
Airport runs, couples and small families on short trips.
The usual pick for family trips, ghat roads and long days on the highway.
Extra room and comfort for special occasions and senior guests.
Extended families, pilgrimage parties and office outings.
Weddings, school trips and temple tours with a big party.
Every car is air-conditioned and comes with an experienced driver. Our quote is all-inclusive — fuel, tolls, parking, interstate permit and driver batta — and is confirmed in writing before you book.
More car trips from Chennai
Outstation345 km · 6–7 hrsKarnatakaChennai to BangaloreHire a chauffeur-driven car from Chennai to Bangalore on NH 48 for a comfortable drive via Vellore and Krishnagiri, with good food stops.
KarnatakaView route →
Day trip75 km · 1.5–2 hrsTamil NaduChennai to KanchipuramTake a day trip from Chennai to Kanchipuram, the city of a thousand temples, for ancient shrines and its famous silk sarees.
Tamil NaduView route →
Day trip58 km · 1.5 hrsTamil NaduChennai to MahabalipuramTake a day trip from Chennai to Mahabalipuram along the ECR for the Shore Temple, Five Rathas and rock carvings by the sea.
Tamil NaduView route →
Day trip150 km · 3–3.5 hrsPuducherryChennai to PondicherryHire a car from Chennai to Pondicherry along the East Coast Road for the French Quarter, promenade, Auroville and seaside cafés.
PuducherryView route →
Day trip135 km · 3–3.5 hrsAndhra PradeshChennai to TirupatiPlan a day trip from Chennai to Tirupati for darshan at Tirumala with a private car, a driver who knows the ghat and a same-day return.
Andhra PradeshView route →
Day trip195 km · 4 hrsTamil NaduChennai to TiruvannamalaiBook a car from Chennai to Tiruvannamalai for Arunachaleswarar temple, Ramana Ashram and the sacred walk around Arunachala hill.
Tamil NaduView route →Book a car for this trip
Send us the date, pickup point, number of people and whether you need a return. We reply with the vehicle and a single all-inclusive price.
