Coromandel Coast to Chola Country
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
This Chennai to Trichy tour package is a nine-day, eight-night private trip through Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. It follows the Bay of Bengal coast from Chennai to Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Chidambaram and Tharangambadi, then turns inland to Thanjavur and Tiruchirappalli. It suits travellers who like history and architecture, and November to February is the comfortable season.
Travellers who want sea air and temples in one trip, and don't mind changing hotels often and taking a short drive most days
Highlights
Good to know
Hotel changes
You check in to seven hotels in eight nights, with Puducherry the only two-night stayDansborg museum
The museum in the fort at Tharangambadi is closed on Fridays, so the order of Days 6 and 7 can be swappedMatrimandir
Visits to the Matrimandir at Auroville follow Auroville's own rules and are arranged aheadFootwear and dress
Temples are visited barefoot and with shoulders and knees covered, so slip-on shoes helpDay-by-Day Itinerary
- San Thome Basilica
- Marina Beach walk
Arrive at Chennai airport and settle into the city
- 1Meet your driver on landing at Chennai airport and ride about 20 km to the city
- 2Settle into the hotel and rest
- 3With time left, spend the evening at San Thome Basilica or walking along Marina Beach
- Government Museum bronze gallery
- Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore
- Shore Temple
Bronzes in Chennai, then Mahabalipuram's Shore Temple
- 1Begin at the Government Museum in Egmore and head straight for the bronze gallery
- 2Visit Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore, known for its tall painted gateway
- 3Then travel about 56 km south along the East Coast Road to Mahabalipuram
- 4Finish by the sea at the Shore Temple in the late afternoon
- Five Rathas
- Arjuna's Penance
- Krishna's Butterball
- Puducherry Promenade
Mahabalipuram's rock-cut sites, then on to Puducherry
- 1Start with the Five Rathas, every one carved out of a single boulder
- 2See the Arjuna's Penance relief and Krishna's Butterball, and peek inside the Pallava cave sanctuaries
- 3Take the East Coast Road for about 96 km to Puducherry
- 4End the day strolling the seafront Promenade
- French quarter
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Immaculate Conception Cathedral
- Auroville and the Matrimandir
French quarter, ashram and Auroville in Puducherry
- 1Walk the old French quarter, where yellow-painted houses now hold cafes and galleries
- 2Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its white marble shrine
- 3Immaculate Conception Cathedral
- 4Afternoon at Auroville, about 8 to 12 km north, and the Matrimandir
- 5Time to try the French pastries and South Indian dishes the town is known for
- Thillai Nataraja Temple
- Chit Sabha and Kanaka Sabha
- Pichavaram boat ride
Thillai Nataraja Temple and the Pichavaram mangroves
- 1Drive about 64 km south to Chidambaram after breakfast
- 2Thillai Nataraja Temple, where Shiva is worshipped as the cosmic dancer
- 3The 108 dance reliefs on the eastern tower
- 4Afternoon boat ride through the Pichavaram mangrove channels, 12 to 16 km from the town
- Dansborg Fort
- Zion Church
- New Jerusalem Church
Chidambaram to Tranquebar: Dansborg Fort and Zion Church
- 1Drive about 51 km down the coast to Tharangambadi, called Tranquebar by the Danes
- 2Dansborg Fort, begun in 1620, and the museum inside
- 3Zion Church of 1701 and the New Jerusalem Church of 1718
- 4Quiet evening by the Bay of Bengal
- Landporten and King Street
- Masilamaninathar Temple
- Brihadisvara Temple
- Monolithic Nandi
Landporten and the Masilamaninathar Temple, then the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur
- 1Morning stroll through Tharangambadi: the old town gate, King Street and the shoreline
- 2Masilamaninathar Temple, a Shiva shrine of 1306
- 3Drive about 97 km inland to Thanjavur
- 4Afternoon at the Brihadisvara Temple, built by Rajaraja I, with its tower and monolithic Nandi
- Thanjavur Maratha Palace
- Saraswathi Mahal Library
- Tanjore painting and crafts
- Ranganathaswamy Temple
Maratha palace and library in Thanjavur, then Srirangam
- 1Morning in the Thanjavur Maratha Palace, with its Durbar Hall and art gallery
- 2Saraswathi Mahal Library in the same grounds
- 3A stop at a craft shop for Tanjore painting, veenas or clay dolls
- 4Drive about 57 km to Tiruchirappalli
- 5Late afternoon at the Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam
- Rock Fort climb
- Thayumanavar Temple
Rock Fort climb and airport transfer
- 1If your flight leaves late enough, go up the rock-cut steps early to the Ucchi Pillayar shrine crowning the Rock Fort
- 2Look out over Tiruchirappalli and the river island of Srirangam
- 3Return to the hotel, then transfer to Tiruchirappalli airport
Indicative — varies with season and hotel category.
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Trip Facts
Local Activities & Events
Updated Oct 3, 2026Chennai — Days 1-2 of this trip
Mylapore Festival
culturalUsually early to mid January. The 2026 festival had a prelude on 3 and 4 January and the main days on 8 to 11 January. No 2027 dates found.
A neighbourhood festival in Mylapore with heritage walks, a food walk, board-game contests and a quiz, held around the temple streets in early January.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesMahabalipuram — Days 2-3 of this trip
Indian Dance Festival, Mamallapuram
culturalUsually runs from the third week of December into mid-to-late January
Classical and folk dancers perform in the evenings on an open-air stage in front of the Shore Temple, in a festival run by Tamil Nadu's tourism department.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesTiruchirappalli (Trichy) — Days 8-9 of this trip
Vaikuntha Adhyayana Utsavam at Srirangam (wider festival)
festivalUsually from mid-December into January, in the Tamil month of Margazhi. The exact first and last days are not confirmed.
A festival of about twenty days at the Ranganathaswamy Temple; Vaikuntha Ekadashi (20 Dec 2026, on the state page) opens its night-time half.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesTamil Nadu — across your trip
Kanda Sashti and Soorasamharam
festivalSix days of fasting and worship at Tiruchendur's Murugan temple lead to Soorasamharam, the re-enactment of Murugan's victory over the demon Surapadman.
Karthigai Deepam
festivalArunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai holds a ten-day festival that ends with a flame lit on Arunachala hill at dusk and an overnight walk around it.
Music Academy 100th Annual Concerts (Chennai December Season)
culturalThe Music Academy marks its hundredth annual concerts with daily performances and morning conference sessions during Chennai's December season.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi at Srirangam
festivalThe northern Paramapada Vasal gate of the Ranganathaswamy Temple opens on this single day, and the processional deity passes through at daybreak.
Arudra Darshan at Chidambaram
festivalThe Nataraja deity at Chidambaram is carried out in a temple-car procession and anointed in a long ceremony on the Thiruvathirai star.
Events are reviewed by our team before publishing and drop off after they end. Please confirm timings and availability with us before your trip — local schedules can change without notice.
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