14 Days Classic South India — Tamil Nadu and Kerala

The classic two-week South India trip starts at the Tamil Nadu coast, follows the great Dravidian temple route inland, then crosses the Western Ghats into Kerala for wildlife, hill country, the backwaters, and the colonial old quarter at Fort Kochi. Together it covers the temples, the tea, the spices, the boats, and the beach in a single coherent loop — the headline trip-of-a-lifetime for visitors who want to do southern India properly.

At a glance

• Total days: 14 (13 nights)
• Route: Chennai → Mahabalipuram → Pondicherry → Tanjore → Madurai → Periyar → Munnar → Alleppey → Fort Kochi
• Distance: ~1,200 km, most by road
• Best season: November–February (cool and dry). March–May is hot; June–September is heavy monsoon, particularly in Kerala.
• Permits: none required.

Day 1 — Arrive Chennai

Fly into Chennai (MAA). Drop bags at your hotel and ease into the trip.

• Afternoon: Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore — the iconic Dravidian-style Shiva temple with the seven-tiered gopuram.
• Evening: sunset on Marina Beach (13 km, one of the longest urban beaches in the world). Dinner at Murugan Idli Shop or one of Chennai's classic Chettinad restaurants.

Stay: Chennai.

Day 2 — Chennai sights, then Mahabalipuram

Morning in Chennai, afternoon transfer.

• Morning: Government Museum and Art Gallery in Egmore — one of India's oldest museums, with an outstanding bronze gallery (Pallava and Chola Nataraja figures are world-class).
• Lunch: in Chennai.
• Afternoon: drive to Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) — 60 km / 1.5 hours south on the East Coast Road.
• Late afternoon: Shore Temple at sunset — the 8th-century Pallava temple complex on the beach, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Stay: Mahabalipuram.

Day 3 — Mahabalipuram

A full day at one of India's most extraordinary archaeological sites.

• Morning: the rest of the Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (UNESCO) — the Five Rathas, the Arjuna's Penance bas-relief (one of the largest in the world), the Krishna Mandapa, and the cave temples on the hill.
• Afternoon: beach time, or the Sculpture Museum (Mahabalipuram is still a working stone-carving town).
• Evening: seafood dinner.

Stay: Mahabalipuram.

Day 4 — Mahabalipuram to Pondicherry

The colonial French town on the Bay of Bengal.

• Morning: drive to Pondicherry (Puducherry) — 100 km / 2 hours.
• Late morning: check in. Walk the French Quarter (Ville Blanche) — the grid of mustard-yellow colonial villas, the seafront promenade, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
• Lunch: at Le Café on the promenade.
• Afternoon: Auroville — the experimental international township founded in 1968, 12 km north. Visit the visitor centre and (with a pre-booked permit) the Matrimandir.
• Evening: sunset at the seawall, dinner at Carte Blanche or Villa Shanti.

Stay: Pondicherry.

Day 5 — Pondicherry to Tanjore

The drive inland to the Chola heartland.

• Morning: one final walk through the French Quarter.
• Late morning: drive to Tanjore (Thanjavur) — 165 km / 4 hours.
• Afternoon: check in. Brihadeeswarar Temple ("Big Temple") — UNESCO World Heritage, built by Raja Raja Chola I in 1010. The 66-metre vimana over the sanctum was the tallest in India for centuries; the Nandi statue carved from a single block of granite is one of the largest in the country. Allow 2–3 hours.
• Evening: dinner; sleep early.

Stay: Tanjore.

Day 6 — Tanjore palace, drive to Madurai

Morning in Tanjore, afternoon transfer.

• Morning: Thanjavur Maratha Palace — the residence of the Tanjore Marathas, with the famous Saraswathi Mahal Library (one of Asia's oldest, with manuscripts on palm leaves), the Royal Museum of bronzes, and the Durbar Hall. Time-permitting: a Tanjore painting workshop.
• Lunch: in Tanjore.
• Afternoon: drive to Madurai — 200 km / 4 hours.
• Evening: Meenakshi Amman Temple for the night puja around 21:00 — when an idol of Sundareshwarar (Shiva) is carried in procession to Meenakshi's chamber, attended by elephants, drums and chanting. One of the great experiences of southern India.

Stay: Madurai.

Day 7 — Madurai and on to Periyar

Half-day at the temple, then up into the Western Ghats.

• Morning: Meenakshi Amman Temple — full daytime visit. The temple is a city within a city, with 14 monumental gopurams (the four outer ones reach 50+ metres), the thousand-pillared hall, the temple tank. Allow 3 hours. Strict dress code — no shorts, no sleeveless; cameras banned in the inner sanctum.
• Lunch: Madurai's famous Jigarthanda (a cold drink with palm jelly) and a thali at Murugan Idli Shop.
• Afternoon: drive to Periyar (Thekkady) in Kerala — 145 km / 4 hours, climbing the Western Ghats via the cardamom hills.
• Evening: check in at one of the Kumily lodges at the edge of the sanctuary.

Stay: Periyar (Thekkady).

Day 8 — Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

A full day at one of India's classic wildlife reserves.

• Morning: Periyar Lake boat safari — the iconic Periyar experience, a 90-minute boat trip on the artificial Mullaperiyar lake with chances of elephants, sambar, gaur, wild boar at the water's edge. Tigers are present but rarely seen.
• Late morning: spice plantation walk at one of the Kumily plantations — cardamom, pepper, cloves, vanilla, nutmeg.
• Lunch: at the spice plantation or in Kumily.
• Afternoon: Kathakali performance at the Kadathanadan Kalari Centre (combined with a Kalaripayattu martial-art demonstration).
• Evening: dinner.

Stay: Periyar.

Day 9 — Periyar to Munnar

The transfer to tea country.

• Morning: drive to Munnar — 110 km / 4 hours through some of the most spectacular Western Ghats landscape (cardamom plantations gradually giving way to tea estates above 1,500 m).
• Afternoon: arrive Munnar. Drop bags at your hotel — the most atmospheric stays are tea-estate properties on the edge of town. Walk the tea slopes near the hotel.
• Evening: dinner at the hotel.

Stay: Munnar (tea estate). For the full station, see the Munnar travel guide.

Day 10 — Munnar: Eravikulam and tea country

A full day around Munnar.

• Pre-dawn / early morning: Eravikulam National Park (8 km from Munnar town). Opens 07:30; arrive by 07:00 for the first batch. Walk through grasslands with possible Nilgiri tahr sightings.
• Late morning: Tata Tea Museum on the edge of Munnar.
• Lunch: in central Munnar.
• Afternoon: Mattupetty Lake (boating, the Indo-Swiss Dairy Farm) and the Kundala area; sunset at Top Station if time and weather allow.
• Evening: back to the hotel.

Stay: Munnar.

Day 11 — Munnar quiet day

A slower day to recharge.

• Morning: another tea-estate walk before the mist lifts.
• Mid-morning: drive to Lockhart Gap for the long valley view.
• Afternoon: plantation tour at the hotel, or a guided walk in the high shola forest near Anamudi.
• Evening: Kerala-style dinner at the hotel.

Stay: Munnar.

Day 12 — Munnar to Alleppey houseboat

Down from the hills onto the backwaters.

• Morning: drive to Alleppey (Alappuzha) — 175 km / 5 hours, descending from tea country to the coastal plain.
• Lunch: board your houseboat (kettuvallam) by midday at Punnamada Lake jetty. Lunch is served on board as you cruise.
• Afternoon: drift through the backwater channels — narrow canals, paddy fields below water level, fishing villages, water-lily ponds.
• Sunset: mooring on a canal bank for the night.
• Evening: dinner of fresh karimeen (pearl spot fish) on the deck.

Overnight: houseboat.

Day 13 — Backwaters morning, Fort Kochi

A slow morning on the boat, then transfer to Kochi.

• Morning: breakfast on the boat; final cruise back to the Alleppey jetty (most charters end mid-morning).
• Late morning: drive to Fort Kochi — 53 km / 1.5 hours.
• Afternoon: check in at a heritage hotel in the old quarter (the Brunton Boatyard, Old Harbour Hotel, or one of the Dutch-period homestays). Walk the old town — the Chinese fishing nets at the waterfront, St. Francis Church (1503, where Vasco da Gama was originally buried), the Santa Cruz Basilica.
• Evening: Kathakali performance at the Kerala Kathakali Centre — arrive an hour before the show to watch the make-up application.

Stay: Fort Kochi.

Day 14 — Mattancherry, Jew Town, then home

The final morning before departure.

• Morning: ferry across to Mattancherry. Visit the Dutch Palace (1555, with Hindu murals) and the Pardesi Synagogue in Jew Town (1568, one of the oldest active synagogues in the Commonwealth, with hand-painted Chinese floor tiles).
• Lunch: Kerala thali at Kashi Art Café or one of the Fort Kochi seafood restaurants.
• Afternoon: sunset at the Chinese fishing nets, then transfer to Kochi Airport (COK) — about 1 hour from Fort Kochi.
• Evening: depart.

Practical notes

• Driving distances: longest single drive is Madurai → Periyar (4 hours). Most legs are 2–4 hours.
• Train alternative: Chennai to Madurai via Tanjore is well-served by trains (a comfortable, slower alternative). Periyar onwards is best by car.
• Heat and humidity: even in November–February, the coastal stretch and Madurai run 25–30 °C in the day. Munnar is a relief at 1,600 m. Pack layers.
• Temple etiquette: all the temples on the Tanjore–Madurai route enforce dress codes (no shorts, no sleeveless). Photography of inner sanctums is generally prohibited.
• Houseboat booking: book directly with a reputable Alleppey operator, or through your hotel — not random online aggregators. Confirm bedrooms, AC vs non-AC, food, mooring point.
• Munnar booking: tea-estate properties book out months ahead in season. Plan early.

Variations

• 10 days: drop the Munnar quiet day (Day 11) and one Mahabalipuram day; combine Pondicherry and Auroville into a half day.
• 17 days: add Hampi (the magnificent Vijayanagara empire ruins, accessible from Bengaluru) and 2–3 days in Coorg / Karnataka at the start — see our 7 Days in Karnataka.
• 21 days: add a 3-night Andaman Islands segment from Chennai (Port Blair, Havelock for the beaches and snorkelling).

Related guides

• Kerala travel guide →
• Munnar travel guide →
• 7 Days in Tamil Nadu — Temples and Coast → (the temples-only version)
• 7 Days in Kerala — Backwaters and Beaches → (the Kerala-only version)
• 7 Days in the Southern Hills → (Munnar + Kodaikanal alternative)
• All India Travel Itineraries →