South India Experience — Self-Launched

Land at Chennai (MAA) and take the suburban train or an Ola/Uber into the city centre (₹300-600 / £3-6). Check into a guesthouse in Mylapore or Egmore — the leafy, temple-heavy old quarter is far nicer than the station strip. Spend the evening walking Mylapore's tank-side streets, eating filter coffee and dosa at a local canteen (Saravana Bhavan or Murugan Idli Shop). Book your onward Vande Bharat train ticket tonight via the IRCTC app or a local agent (foreigners can use the Foreign Tourist quota).

🚌Airport suburban train / Ola to city ~£3-6

🛏Budget guesthouse, Mylapore/Egmore (~£12-18/night)

• →Walk Mylapore temple district
• →Filter coffee & dosa dinner
• →Book onward train tickets

Do your own version of the guided Chennai day using the suburban rail and auto-rickshaws. Start at Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore (free, dawn is best), then Fort St. George museum (₹25 / £0.25) and Santhome Basilica. Head north to Marina Beach and the Ice House, then take a suburban train to the Theosophical Society gardens and Kalakshetra arts campus. Skip the zoo and planetarium unless you're travelling with kids — instead book a 2-hour Mylapore heritage walk on GetYourGuide or ask your guesthouse about a local guide (~£10-15).

🚌Suburban trains + autos all day ~£3

🛏Budget guesthouse, Chennai (~£12-18/night)

• →Kapaleeshwarar Temple
• →Fort St. George museum
• →Santhome Basilica
• →Marina Beach
• →Theosophical Society & Kalakshetra
• →Optional guided heritage walk ~£10-15

Catch a morning suburban train from Chennai to Kanchipuram (~2 hrs, ₹60 / £0.60) — the 'city of a thousand temples'. See Kamakshi Amman, Ekambareswarar, Varadaraja Perumal and the Pallava-era Kailasanathar temple; autos between them cost ₹100-200 each. In the late afternoon take a bus or shared taxi south to Mamallapuram (~2 hrs, ₹100-150 / £1-1.50). Stay in the beach side of town where guesthouses are cheap and there's good seafood.

🚌Suburban train + local bus ~£3

🛏Guesthouse, Mamallapuram beach road (~£15-22/night)

• →Kanchipuram temple circuit
• →Kailasanathar Temple
• →Evening on Mamallapuram beach

Rent a bicycle (₹200 / £2) and cover the UNESCO monuments yourself: Shore Temple, the Pancha Pandava Rathas, Arjuna's Penance bas-relief and the Mahishasuramardini cave. Entry is ₹40 each on the combined ticket (~£4 total). Have lunch, then take a bus to Chennai Egmore or Chengalpattu and board an overnight or late-afternoon train to Kumbakonam (5-6 hrs, sleeper ₹300-400 / £3-4; a 2AC ticket is around £10-12 if you want comfort). Check into a guesthouse near the Mahamaham tank.

🚌Train Chennai area to Kumbakonam ~£3-11

🛏Guesthouse, Kumbakonam (~£12-18/night)

• →Shore Temple
• →Pancha Rathas
• →Arjuna's Penance
• →Cycle the monument circuit

Hire an auto for the morning (about ₹800 / £8, split if you find a co-traveller at the guesthouse) to reach Darasuram's Airavatesvara Temple, the smallest but most beautiful of the Great Living Chola Temples. Then take a local bus (45 mins, ₹40) to Thanjavur for the colossal Brihadeeswarar Temple — free to enter, best in late afternoon light. Return to Kumbakonam for the night, or ask your guesthouse about moving on to Trichy early tomorrow.

🚌Shared auto + local bus ~£10

🛏Guesthouse, Kumbakonam (~£12-18/night)

• →Airavatesvara Temple, Darasuram
• →Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
• →Bronze-casting workshops in Swamimalai (optional)

Early bus to Trichy (2 hrs, ₹60) and climb the Rockfort Ucchi Pillayar Temple — 437 steps, the best view in Tamil Nadu. Then take a bus southeast toward Karaikudi to see the Chettinad region's extraordinary mansions (Athangudi Palace, Kanadukathan) — a rickshaw tour of three or four houses costs about ₹500-800 / £5-8. Finish with a proper Chettinad meal (pepper chicken, ₹250 / £2.50) before a late bus or train onward to Madurai (3 hrs, ₹100-200).

🚌Local buses + auto ~£12

🛏Guesthouse near Meenakshi Temple, Madurai (~£12-18/night)

• →Rockfort Ucchi Pillayar Temple, Trichy
• →Chettinad mansion tour by auto-rickshaw
• →Chettinad lunch

Beat the crowds to Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple at 5:30am opening, when the temple is full of pilgrims and almost empty of tourists (free entry, cameras ₹50). Later, hire a full-day auto (₹1,200-1,500 / £12-15) for Thiruparankundram and Alagar Kovil, the Thirumalai Nayak Palace (₹50) and the Gandhi Museum (free). Return to the Meenakshi complex for the 9pm closing ceremony with the giant Shiva procession — this is the highlight of the whole trip. Try jigarthanda from a street stall.

🚌Full-day hired auto ~£13

🛏Guesthouse near Meenakshi Temple (~£12-18/night)

• →Meenakshi Temple dawn & closing ceremony
• →Thirumalai Nayak Palace
• →Gandhi Museum
• →Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple
• →Jigarthanda tasting

Take a morning bus from Madurai to Thekkady (4 hrs, ₹120 / £1.20) past cardamom and tea plantations. Book your Periyar Tiger Reserve boat safari directly at the Kerala Forest Department counter (₹1,000-1,500 / £10-15; go early morning or 3pm) — reserve in advance online in peak season. The official bamboo rafting day-trip is the better wildlife option but needs booking days ahead (₹2,000+ / £20). Walk Kumily's spice shops and the small Mangaladevi trail viewpoint in the late afternoon.

🚌Kerala state bus ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Kumily/Thekkady (~£14-20/night)

• →Bus through the ghats
• →Periyar boat safari on Lake Periyar
• →Bamboo rafting (book ahead, optional)
• →Spice shop walk in Kumily

Morning bus from Kumily down to Kottayam (3 hrs, ₹120) then a short bus or auto east to Kumarakom on Lake Vembanad (₹60 / £0.60). Spend the afternoon at Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary (₹100) or rent a canoe for a small backwater loop through the canals (₹600-800 / £6-8). Sunset from the Vembanad lake shore is superb. Book tomorrow's houseboat directly by phone or through your guesthouse a day or two ahead — night boats are limited in peak season.

🚌Buses via Kottayam ~£3

🛏Homestay or guesthouse, Kumarakom (~£15-22/night)

• →Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
• →Canoe canal loop
• →Vembanad Lake sunset

Transfer to Alleppey in the morning (bus 1 hr, ₹40) and board a standard houseboat or a cheaper budget kettuvallam sharing option for the classic Kerala backwater trip — expect £60-95 for a private standard boat with all meals, or £15-25 per person if you share a smaller boat through a local agent. Cruise the Punnamada and narrow canals, stop for toddy and karimeen fish, then take a late-evening walk through Alleppey town. Book via a local agent on the canal road (avoid heavy online mark-ups) and confirm whether dinner and breakfast are included.

🚌Local bus to Alleppey ~£0.50

🛏Standard houseboat, Alleppey (~£70 private / £20 shared)

• →Backwater houseboat cruise
• →Alleppey canal-side walk
• →Kerala toddy shop dinner

Disembark and take the coastal bus or a train to Ernakulam (2 hrs, ₹70-150). Check in near Fort Kochi. Do your own walking tour of the heritage quarter: Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, the Dutch Palace in Mattancherry (₹10), the Indo-Portuguese Museum (₹50) and Jew Town's spice lanes. Book a Kathakali performance with make-up demonstration at the Kerala Kathakali Centre (about £5-8) or a shorter evening show in Fort Kochi. Finish at a Marine Drive sunset or with seafood on Princess Street.

🚌Bus/train to Kochi + local ferries ~£3

🛏Guesthouse, Fort Kochi (~£14-20/night)

• →Fort Kochi walking circuit
• →Dutch Palace & Jew Town
• →Indo-Portuguese Museum
• →Kathakali performance ~£6
• →Chinese fishing nets at sunset

Enjoy a final morning walking Fort Kochi before the heat or visiting the Mattancherry spice markets for coffee and cardamom to take home. The airport is 40km north — take the Kochi metro plus feeder bus, or an Ola for about ₹800-1,000 (£8-10), allowing 1.5 hours. If your flight is late, drop bags at the guesthouse and catch the ferry to Willingdon Island for the best harbour views.

🚌Ola/taxi to Kochi airport ~£8-10

🛏Departure day

• →Fort Kochi morning walk
• →Spice market shopping
• →Harbour ferry (optional)