Nagapattinam travel guide

Best time

October to March

Ideal time needed

3 to 4 days

Nearest airport

Tiruchirappalli

Nearest railway station

Nagapattinam

Dress code

Modest clothing for temples; avoid shorts

What to see

Kodiakkarai, also called Point Calimere, is a protected area of dry evergreen forest, grassland and wetland at the tip of the delta. It is known for blackbuck, spotted deer and large numbers of migratory waterbirds, including flamingos in winter.

Poompuhar, the ancient Chola port at the mouth of the Cauvery, has a pale sand beach and the Silappathikaram Art Gallery, which retells Ilango Adigal's Tamil epic through sculpture and painting.

Temples in and around town

In Nagapattinam, the Soundararaja Perumal temple is dedicated to Vishnu. A short drive away, the Singaravelar temple at Sikkal is one of the region's most important Murugan shrines. The delta holds many more, and it is easy to build a temple day around the town.

• Soundararaja Perumal Temple
• Sikkal Singaravelar Temple
• Ettukudi Murugan Temple
• Mayuranathaswamy Temple, Mayiladuthurai
• Nataraja Temple, Konerirajapuram

Best time to visit

October to March is the most comfortable season. December to March is especially pleasant, with daytime temperatures in the 20s and low 30s. The northeast monsoon brings heavy rain in October and November, so keep some flexibility then.

Food

Being a fishing town, Nagapattinam is good for seafood. Try meen kuzhambu, a tangy tamarind fish curry, and crisp nethili (anchovy) fry at local eateries. Fresh catches of prawns, crab and seer fish are easy to find in the town's small restaurants, especially near the harbour.

How to reach

Tiruchirappalli has the nearest airport. Nagapattinam railway station has regular trains to Chennai, Thanjavur and other towns, and state buses connect it across the delta. Our home base, Virudhachalam, is within a comfortable drive, and we can plan a three- or four-day delta trip covering Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Nagore and Poompuhar.

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