Coromandel Coast Drive to Puducherry
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
This five-day Chennai to Puducherry tour follows the East Coast Road by private car. It has one night in Chennai and one in Mahabalipuram, both in Tamil Nadu, then two nights in Puducherry, a Union Territory. It suits travellers who want temples, sea air and a French-era town, and November to February is the comfortable season.
Couples and friends who like short drives, rock-cut temples and sea air; less suited to anyone wanting a beach holiday with swimming
Highlights
Good to know
Matrimandir passes
Visitors collect Matrimandir Viewing Point passes themselves at the Auroville Visitors Centre, so they are not part of the priceMarina Beach
Bathing at the Marina is prohibited because of a strong undercurrent, so it is a beach for walkingWalking on open rock
Mahabalipuram's monuments are on open ground, so carry water and a hatDress
Dress modestly at temples and the AshramDay-by-Day Itinerary
- San Thome Basilica
- Marina Beach walk
Land in Chennai and ease into the city
- 1Your driver meets you at Chennai airport
- 2Drive about 20 km to central Chennai and check in
- 3Rest after the flight
- 4If time allows, an evening at San Thome Basilica or a walk on the Marina
- Fort St George
- Government Museum bronze gallery
- Drive south to Mahabalipuram
Fort St George and the Government Museum, then south to Mahabalipuram
- 1Begin at Fort St George, built by the East India Company in 1644
- 2Visit the Government Museum at Egmore and its bronze gallery
- 3Drive about 56 km south to Mahabalipuram
- 4Evening at leisure near the sea
- Shore Temple
- Five Rathas
- Arjuna's Penance
- Krishna's Butterball
- East Coast Road to Puducherry
Shore Temple, Five Rathas and Arjuna's Penance, then the East Coast Road to Puducherry
- 1Start at the Shore Temple, then the Five Rathas, the Arjuna's Penance rock relief and the Krishna's Butterball boulder
- 2Drive about 95 km down the East Coast Road to Puducherry, with the road passing Kalpakkam and Marakkanam
- 3Evening stroll on the Promenade
- French quarter
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Immaculate Conception Cathedral
- Auroville and the Matrimandir
Puducherry's French quarter, the Ashram and Auroville
- 1Walk the French quarter's yellow-painted streets
- 2Visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its Samadhi, and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral
- 3Drive to Auroville, roughly 8 to 12 km from the city
- 4View the Matrimandir from the Viewing Point, with the pass collected in person at the Visitors Centre
- Puducherry seafront walk
Seafront morning and the road to Chennai airport
- 1Early walk on the Puducherry seafront, if your flight time allows
- 2Check out
- 3Drive to Chennai airport, about 3 hours
- 4Drop-off at the terminal for your flight
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
Freshworks Chennai Marathon (15th edition)
sportsA Sunday road race in Chennai with 10 km, half marathon, 32 km and full marathon routes, all finishing at India Maritime University in Uthandi.
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 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.
What's Included & Excluded
Quick Answers
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