Customised holidayTRSI8S
Temples & coastSouth India in 8 nights
- 9 Days · 8 Nights
- India · 5 Cities
- Signature pace
- Any date you choose
Mahabalipuram (2N)Puducherry (2N)Thanjavur (1N)Chettinad (1N)Madurai (2N)
View day-wise itinerary →Holiday includes
- Hotel
- Meals
- Sightseeing
- Transport
- FlightsOptional
Private car and driver throughout. Prafull plans and answers every message himself.
Holiday highlights
- The Shore Temple, Five Rathas and Arjuna's Penance at Mahabalipuram
- Puducherry's French Quarter and the Matrimandir at Auroville
- The Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur at sunset
- Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram
- A night in a Chettiar mansion and the Athangudi tile workshops
- Meenakshi Amman Temple and Thirumalai Nayak Palace in Madurai
Itinerary (day wise)
Eight nights through the heart of Tamil Nadu, from the Pallava shore temples near Chennai to French Puducherry, the Chola temples of the Kaveri delta, a mansion night in Chettinad and two nights in Madurai. The route runs steadily south, so drives stay between two and four hours. It suits couples, parents and anyone who likes architecture, food and old towns.
Day 1Chennai – Mahabalipuram (2 Nights)
About 55 km from the airport · 1.5 hours by road
Your driver meets you at Chennai airport and takes you south in a private car to Mahabalipuram, the old Pallava port on the Bay of Bengal. Check in and rest through the afternoon. Around 4.30 pm you walk to the Shore Temple, two carved granite towers built right at the water's edge in the 8th century, best seen as the light turns gold. Stay for the sea breeze, then wander back along the beach past fishing boats pulled up on the sand. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Mahabalipuram.
- Shore Temple
- Mahabalipuram beach
- Note: One ASI ticket covers the Shore Temple and the Five Rathas; it is paid at the gate.
Prafull’s tipBook a sea-facing room. Mahabalipuram's beach hotels are about the view, and the sunrise is straight ahead.
Dinner
Day 2Mahabalipuram
After breakfast you explore the Pallava monuments with a local guide. The Five Rathas are temples carved from single rocks, each in a different style, with a life-size stone elephant beside them. Arjuna's Penance is a huge open-air relief of gods, sages and animals around a natural cleft in the rock. Nearby you see Krishna's Butter Ball balanced on its slope and the carved cave temples. After lunch, visit the stone carvers' workshops along the main street, where craftsmen still work granite by hand. The evening is free. Overnight in Mahabalipuram.
- Five Rathas
- Arjuna's Penance
- Krishna's Butter Ball
- Cave temples
- Stone carvers' workshops
- Note: Optional: DakshinaChitra, a heritage village museum about 30 minutes north; closed on Tuesdays.
- Note: Optional: the Tiger Cave rock temple at Saluvankuppam, about 5 km north.
Prafull’s tipStart by 8 am. The rocks reflect heat, and by noon the open sites are hard work in the sun.
Breakfast & Dinner
Day 3Mahabalipuram – Puducherry (2 Nights)
About 95 km · 2 hours along the East Coast Road
A slow breakfast, then south along the East Coast Road past backwaters, salt pans and fishing villages. You reach Puducherry before lunch and check in. In the afternoon you walk through the French Quarter, where yellow and white colonial houses with bougainvillea over the walls line quiet, straight streets. You see the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the Manakula Vinayagar Temple and the French War Memorial. At dusk, join the town on the seafront promenade, which closes to traffic in the evenings. Overnight in Puducherry.
- East Coast Road
- French Quarter
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Manakula Vinayagar Temple
- French War Memorial
- Promenade Beach
- Note: The Ashram asks for silence inside and closes for a break in the middle of the day.
Prafull’s tipHire bicycles from your hotel for the French Quarter. The streets are flat and it's the nicest way to see them.
Breakfast & Dinner
Day 4Puducherry
After breakfast you drive to Auroville, the experimental township founded in 1968. At the Visitors Centre you watch a short film, then walk about a kilometre through the trees to the viewpoint for the Matrimandir, the great golden sphere at Auroville's centre. Browse the Auroville boutiques for handmade paper, incense and pottery before returning to town for lunch. In the afternoon, see the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and walk the Tamil Quarter's old houses with their carved wooden pillars and verandahs. The evening is for a café in White Town. Overnight in Puducherry.
- Auroville Visitors Centre
- Matrimandir viewpoint
- Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Tamil Quarter
- White Town
- Note: Viewpoint passes are free at the Visitors Centre. Going inside the Matrimandir needs a separate advance booking and is not part of this trip.
Prafull’s tipWear comfortable shoes for the Matrimandir walk, and carry water. The path is shaded but long in the heat.
Breakfast & Dinner
Day 5Puducherry – Thanjavur (1 Night)
About 175 km · 4 hours by road
After breakfast you drive south-west into the Kaveri delta, a green country of paddy fields, coconut palms and temple towns. If you'd like, we stop at Chidambaram's Nataraja Temple on the way. You reach Thanjavur by early afternoon and rest. In the late afternoon you visit the Brihadeeswarar Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola around 1010, with a local guide. Its granite tower rises over 60 m above the sanctum, and a huge monolithic Nandi faces the shrine. Stay as the stone turns gold and then rose. Overnight in Thanjavur.
- Kaveri delta
- Chidambaram Nataraja Temple (optional)
- Brihadeeswarar Temple
- Great Nandi
- Note: The Chidambaram stop adds about 1.5 hours.
- Note: Shoes are left at the gate; the stone courtyard is hot in the afternoon, so carry socks.
Prafull’s tipWalk the full circuit of the outer corridor. The Chola frescoes and the row of lingams are what most people miss.
Breakfast & Dinner
Day 6Thanjavur – Darasuram – Chettinad (1 Night)
About 160 km with the Darasuram detour · 4–4.5 hours (about 2 hours direct)
After breakfast you drive north-east to Darasuram, near Kumbakonam, to see the 12th-century Airavatesvara Temple, a smaller, finely carved Chola temple with a front hall shaped like a chariot, its stone wheels pulled by horses. It is quiet and rewards slow looking. Then south through the delta to Chettinad, the land of the Chettiar merchant families. Arrive by late afternoon at your restored mansion and walk the lanes of the village, past huge houses with Burma-teak pillars and Italian tiles. Dinner is a Chettinad meal. Overnight in Chettinad.
- Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram
- Chettinad mansions
- Kanadukathan village
- Note: Many mansions are private homes; we arrange visits to those that open to guests.
- Note: Chettinad cuisine is famous for its spice and its meat dishes, but the vegetarian food is just as good; tell the kitchen your preference.
Prafull’s tipAsk your hosts to show you the mansion's kitchen and store rooms. They tell you more about Chettiar life than the halls.
Breakfast & Dinner
Day 7Chettinad – Madurai (2 Nights)
About 90 km · 2 hours by road
After breakfast you visit the Athangudi tile workshops, where craftsmen pour coloured cement patterns into moulds on glass, a technique used in the mansions for over a century. You may also see a mansion open to visitors on the way out. Then west to Madurai, arriving for lunch. Rest through the heat. In the evening you visit the Meenakshi Amman Temple with a local guide, and after dinner return for the night ceremony, when Lord Sundareswarar is carried in a palanquin to Meenakshi's chamber with drums and nadaswaram. Overnight in Madurai.
- Athangudi tile workshops
- Chettinad mansion
- Meenakshi Amman Temple
- Night ceremony (Palliyarai)
- Note: Mobile phones and cameras are not allowed inside the Meenakshi Temple.
Prafull’s tipAthangudi tiles can be shipped home. Order at the workshop and the makers arrange the courier.
Breakfast & Dinner
Day 8Madurai
Start early at the flower market at Mattuthavani, where jasmine is traded by the sack and the air is heavy with scent. After breakfast you return to the Meenakshi Temple by daylight to see the Hall of a Thousand Pillars and its small museum. Next, Thirumalai Nayak Palace, a 17th-century palace of huge white columns and stucco arches. The afternoon is free for a rest or a walk through the old streets around the temple, where tailors and brass shops line the lanes. Overnight in Madurai.
- Mattuthavani flower market
- Meenakshi Amman Temple
- Hall of a Thousand Pillars
- Thirumalai Nayak Palace
- Note: Optional: the sound-and-light show at Thirumalai Nayak Palace in the evening.
- Note: Optional: the Gandhi Memorial Museum, which holds the cloth Gandhi wore at his assassination.
Prafull’s tipTry a jigarthanda, Madurai's cold milk-and-almond-gum drink, from one of the old shops near the temple.
Breakfast & Dinner
Day 9Madurai – Departure
About 12 km to the airport · 30 minutes
A slow breakfast at the hotel. If your flight is later in the day, there is time for a last walk in the temple streets or to pick up Madurai's cotton sungudi saris and brass lamps. Check-out is usually at noon, and we can request a late check-out from the hotel if your flight is in the evening. Your driver collects you with plenty of time and drops you at Madurai airport for your flight home. Your holiday ends here.
Prafull’s tipPack jasmine from the market in damp paper. It lasts the flight home.
Breakfast
Tour details
Accommodation
Choose the hotel category. The same route and sightseeing in every category.
| City | Standard hotels |
|---|---|
| Mahabalipuram2 nights | Ideal Beach Resort / Hotel Mamalla Heritage / or similarDeluxe room |
| Puducherry2 nights | Hotel Atithi / Shenbaga Hotel & Convention Centre / or similarDeluxe room |
| Thanjavur1 night | Hotel Gnanam / Ideal River View Resort / or similarDeluxe room |
| Chettinad1 night | Chettinadu Mansion, Kanadukathan / Heritage homestay in a restored Chettiar house / or similarHeritage room in a Chettiar mansion |
| Madurai2 nights | Hotel Royal Court / The Madurai Residency / Poppys Hotel Madurai / or similarDeluxe room |
| City | Deluxe hotels |
|---|---|
| Mahabalipuram2 nights | Chariot Beach Resort / Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort / Sterling Mahabalipuram / or similar |
| Puducherry2 nights | Accord Puducherry / Villa Shanti / Hotel de l'Orient / or similar |
| Thanjavur1 night | Hotel Parisutham / Sangam Hotel Thanjavur / or similar |
| Chettinad1 night | The Bangala, Karaikudi / Saratha Vilas / or similar |
| Madurai2 nights | Regency Madurai by GRT Hotels / Fortune Pandiyan Hotel / or similar |
| City | Premium hotels |
|---|---|
| Mahabalipuram2 nights | Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay / InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort / or similar |
| Puducherry2 nights | Palais de Mahé / Radisson Resort Pondicherry Bay / Le Pondy / or similar |
| Thanjavur1 night | Svatma / Suite at Hotel Parisutham / or similar |
| Chettinad1 night | Visalam / Chidambara Vilas / or similar |
| Madurai2 nights | Courtyard by Marriott Madurai / Heritage Madurai / or similar |
Hotels are confirmed when you book. If a hotel is full, we give you one of the same category in the same area, and tell you before you pay.
Optional add-ons
Not in the price. Prafull can book them for you or you can pay locally.
| Experience | Approx. price |
|---|---|
| DakshinaChitra heritage museumTraditional houses from across South India; closed on Tuesdays. | on request |
| Chidambaram Nataraja Temple stopOn the Puducherry–Thanjavur drive; adds about 1.5 hours. | on request |
| Thirumalai Nayak Palace sound-and-light showIn the evening; check the language for the day. | on request |
| Sea-facing room in MahabalipuramLimited rooms, so ask early. | on request |
Tour information
Read this to prepare for your holiday.
Tour inclusions
- 2 nights in Mahabalipuram, 2 in Puducherry, 1 in Thanjavur, 1 in a Chettinad mansion and 2 in Madurai in the hotels listed (or similar), twin sharing
- Daily breakfast and dinner (buffet or set menu), from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 9
- Chettinad dinner at your mansion stay
- Private Dzire/Etios for 2 guests, Innova Crysta for 3–6: airport pick-up and drop, all drives and sightseeing as per the itinerary
- Local guides at Mahabalipuram, the Brihadeeswarar Temple and the Meenakshi Temple
- Auroville visit with Matrimandir viewpoint pass
- Athangudi tile workshop visit
- Driver allowance, tolls, parking, fuel and interstate taxes
- Pure-veg or Jain meals arranged at every hotel on request
- Prafull's day-by-day trip notes on WhatsApp
- 24/7 helpline while you travel
Tour exclusions
- Flights to Chennai and from Madurai
- ASI tickets at Mahabalipuram, palace and museum entries
- Temple special-darshan tickets, monument entry tickets and camera fees
- Lunches, drinks, bottled water and room service
- Tips for drivers, guides, priests and hotel staff, porterage and laundry
- GST (5%) on the package
- Early check-in or late check-out unless the hotel gives it free
- Extra costs from flight changes, strikes, road closures or heavy rain
- Anything not listed under inclusions
Good to know
- October to March is the best time. April to June is very hot, and the north-east monsoon brings heavy rain to this coast from about mid-October to December.
- Temples ask for modest, traditional clothes: no shorts or sleeveless tops. Shoes come off at the gate, and some temples ask men to remove their shirts before entering.
- Phones and cameras are not allowed inside the Meenakshi Temple. At Thanjavur and Darasuram you can photograph the courtyards but not the sanctum.
- Pure-veg and Jain food are easy in Puducherry, Thanjavur and Madurai. In Chettinad, tell the mansion in advance.
- For parents: temples mean barefoot walking on hot stone and some steps. We visit in the early morning and late afternoon and keep each stop short.
- Carry original photo ID (Aadhaar, passport or driving licence) for hotel check-in and flights.
When to go
October to March. Pleasant, mostly dry weather for temples and coast. Tamil Nadu gets its main rains from October to December, usually in short bursts; April to June is hot.
Our favourite months
Cancellation policy & payment terms
Payment terms
| To confirm your holiday | 25% of the package cost, or ₹25,000 per person, whichever is higher |
|---|---|
| 30 days before travel | Balance payment |
| Booking within 30 days of travel | Full payment at booking |
| Flights, trains and visa fees | Paid in full at booking, as the airline or authority requires |
Cancellation charges
| 45 days or more before travel | 10% of the package cost |
|---|---|
| 30–44 days before travel | 25% of the package cost |
| 15–29 days before travel | 50% of the package cost |
| 7–14 days before travel | 75% of the package cost |
| Less than 7 days, or no-show | 100% of the package cost |
- Cancellations must be sent in writing, on email or WhatsApp; the date we receive it is the cancellation date.
- Flights, trains, visa fees and non-refundable hotel or activity bookings are refunded only as their own rules allow.
- Date changes are free when made 30 days or more before travel, subject to hotel availability and any difference in price.
- Refunds are paid within 14 working days of us receiving them from the hotels and suppliers.
- No refund is possible for services not used during the holiday.
- Hotels may ask for a refundable security deposit at check-in, paid directly to the hotel.
Questions about this holiday
How much does the Temples & coast trip cost?
The 8-night Temples & coast journey starts at ₹38,000 per person on twin sharing in Standard hotels (about ₹51,500 in Deluxe and ₹72,000 in Premium hotels), land only. Flights are extra and quoted for your dates.
What is the best time for this South India trip?
October to March. Pleasant, mostly dry weather for temples and coast. Tamil Nadu gets its main rains from October to December, usually in short bursts; April to June is hot.
Can this itinerary be changed?
Yes. Every TripRoutes trip is private, so we can add or remove nights, swap Mahabalipuram or any other stop, change hotels, or adjust the pace.
How many days do you need for the Madurai–Rameswaram–Kanyakumari circuit?
Five nights is comfortable: one in Madurai, two in Rameswaram for Dhanushkodi and an early temple visit, and two in Kanyakumari for sunrise and sunset.
What should we wear to South Indian temples?
Modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees. Some temples ask men to wear a dhoti; we tell you in advance for each temple on your route.
South India
Other ways to see South India
4 nightsEasyMysuru & Coorg
- Mysuru Palace and the view from Chamundi Hill
- Two nights among the coffee estates of Coorg
- Short drives from Bengaluru
5 nightsClassicTemple trail
- Meenakshi Temple in Madurai
- Ramanathaswamy Temple and Dhanushkodi at Rameswaram
- Sunrise at Kanyakumari, where three seas meet
Plan with Prafull
Make this holiday yours
Tell Prafull your dates and who is coming. He will send a revised plan and an exact price, usually within a few hours.
- WhatsApp +91 74800 66666
- Call +91 74800 66666
- prafull.pitale@triproutes.in
- 304, Kailash Plaza Business Park, Ghatkopar East