Day-wise plan
Every day runs on a private cab - the order and pace are yours to change.
1Day 1 - Trip begins at Chennai - Chennai to Chidambaram, temple visits
- Leave Chennai by cab, ideally between 6 and 8 AM
- Visit the Thillai Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram (2 km from the bus stand, about 2 hours), the space-element shrine among the five Pancha Bhoota Sthalas, dedicated to Shiva as the cosmic dancer; open 6 AM to 12:30 PM and 4:45 PM to 9 PM
- Break for lunch and hotel check-in
- Drive 27 km to Vaitheeswaran Koil, where Shiva is worshipped as the healer Vaidyanathar; a Navagraha shrine linked to Mars and one of the 276 Paadal Petra Sthalams by the Cauvery; open 6 to 11 AM and 4:30 to 9:30 PM; allow 1 to 2 hours
- Night in Chidambaram
2Day 2 - On to Thanjavur, the Chola capital
- Start around 8 AM and drive from Chidambaram to Thanjavur
- Spend about 2 hours at Brihadeeswarar Temple, the Big Temple, a UNESCO-listed Great Living Chola Temple and one of India's largest Shiva shrines; open 7 AM to noon and 4 to 8:30 PM
- Break for meals and check-in
- See Thanjavur Palace, home of the Maratha rulers from 1674 to 1855 with roots in the Nayak era around 1550; open 9 AM to 1 PM and 1:30 to 6 PM
- Step into the Art Gallery inside the palace for Chola-period bronzes and stone sculpture (about 30 minutes; 9 AM to 1 PM and 3 to 6 PM)
- Drive 13 km to Thiruvaiyaru, the town of five rivers and home of saint Thyagaraja, with its ancient Aiyarappar Shiva temple
- Night in Thanjavur
3Day 3 - Madurai and the Meenakshi Temple
- Depart around 8 AM for Madurai
- Give 2 to 3 hours to the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple on the Vaigai's southern bank, one of India's grandest temples and a former New Seven Wonders nominee; open 5 AM to 12:30 PM and 4 to 9:30 PM
- Break for meals and check-in
- Tour Thirumalai Nayak Mahal, the 1636 Indo-Saracenic palace with a light show at 6:45 and 8:15 PM; open 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 to 5 PM
- Visit Koodal Alagar Temple, a Vishnu shrine held to be older than the Meenakshi Temple, famous for showing the deity standing, seated and reclining
- Night in Madurai
4Day 4 - Day trip to Rameswaram
- Leave Madurai around 8 AM for Rameswaram island
- Take a dip at Agniteertham on the Bay of Bengal, the ghat where Rama is said to have prayed to Shiva; open 6 AM to 6 PM
- Visit Ramanatha Swamy Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and a Char Dham site; open 5 AM to 1 PM and 3 to 9 PM; allow 1 to 2 hours
- Drive 18 km to Dhanushkodi, the ghost town wiped out by the 1964 cyclone at the island's tip, about 24 km across the water from Sri Lanka; open 7 AM to 5 PM
- Return to Madurai for the night
5Day 5 - Trip ends at Chennai - Trichy temples, back to Chennai
- Start around 9 AM from Madurai towards Trichy
- Visit Jambukeshwar Temple at Thiruvanaikoil, the water-element Pancha Bhoota shrine with an underground spring in its sanctum, built by Kochengon Chola over 1800 years ago
- Explore Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple on Srirangam island, first of the 108 Divya Desams and the world's largest functioning temple complex; allow 2 to 3 hours
- Climb the Rock Fort, a 3.8 billion year old outcrop holding the Ucchi Pillayar and Thayumanavar temples
- Drive back to Chennai; tour ends
About this plan
Nataraja to the sea bridge, with the Big Temple on the way. Fully private · after you enquire, a planner fine-tunes stays, pace and extras around you.
Private cab & driverHandpicked staysYour dates, your pace24×7 WhatsApp desk
What's in, what's not
No fine print later - the quote you get matches this list exactly.
Included in 5D / 4N
- Hotel stay in the category you pick
- Breakfast on all stay days
- Private cab for the whole sightseeing plan
- Tolls, parking and driver allowance
- Inter-state entry tax where it applies
- Pickup and drop within Chennai city limits
- GST
Not included
- Flights or trains to Chennai
- Lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks
- Temple and monument entry fees, guide charges
- Activity and adventure fees
- Early check-in or late check-out
- Compulsory festive dinners at Christmas and New Year
Sightseeing on this plan
01Nataraja Temple02Brihadeeswara Temple03Meenakshi Temple04Ramanathaswamy TempleSrirangam
