Things to do in Madurai

The south Tamil Nadu pilgrim circuit in three days out: Madurai's temples, Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi, and Kanyakumari with Padmanabhapuram.

Getting around Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari

Madurai has ride-hailing inside the city, but the circuit around it does not. The temples all close for the afternoon, Dhanushkodi's road is open by day only, and Rameswaram and Kanyakumari are 175 km and 245 km from Madurai, so those days pick up in their own towns. Every experience below includes the vehicle, a local driver, fuel, tolls and parking.

Experiences

• Alagar Kovil, Thiruparankundram and Meenakshi Amman: The hill temples outside town in the morning, the great one in the evening
• Ramanathaswamy Temple and Dhanushkodi: The temple corridors at dawn, then the road to the end of India
• Vivekananda Rock, Suchindram and Padmanabhapuram Palace: The first ferry to the rock, then the wooden palace of Travancore

Best months

October to March. April to June is very hot on the plains, and the northeast monsoon from October to December can close the Dhanushkodi road and stop the Kanyakumari ferry on rough days.

Getting there

Madurai has an airport and a major railway station. Rameswaram is about 3.5 hrs from Madurai by road or by train over the new Pamban bridge; Kanyakumari is about 4.5 hrs by road, or about 2.5 hrs from Thiruvananthapuram airport.