Self-Launched South India: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry

Land at Kempegowda International Airport and take the Vayu Vajra AC airport bus (route KIAS-9, about £1.50) or an Ola/Uber (~£9) into the city. Check into a guesthouse around MG Road or Indiranagar, then do a self-guided loop: Lal Bagh Botanical Garden (free–£1), Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, Tipu Sultan's Fort and Palace (~£1), the cave temple at Gavipuram, then Cubbon Park and Ulsoor Lake in the late afternoon. Finish with a masala dosa dinner at MTR or Vidyarthi Bhavan (~£3).

🚌Airport bus + Ola/Uber + auto-rickshaws (~£5)

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel private room, MG Road/Indiranagar (~£15)

• →Lal Bagh Botanical Garden
• →Bull Temple
• →Tipu Sultan's Fort and Palace
• →Gavipuram Cave Temple
• →Cubbon Park & Ulsoor Lake

Take the morning Shatabdi or a 7am Chennai–Mysore-bound train from KSR Bengaluru to Mysuru (2–3 hours, ~£2–4 in chair car; book on IRCTC). Drop bags near the palace, then climb Chamundi Hill (bus or auto, ~£1) for the Chamundi Mandir and Mahabaleshwara temple, and visit the ancient Kali temple on the way. Spend the afternoon in Mysore Palace (~£5, audio guide ~£2) and wander Devaraja Market at dusk. Try Mysore pak sweets and a thali dinner (~£4).

🚌Train Bangalore–Mysore + auto-rickshaws (~£5)

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse near Mysore Palace (~£14)

• →Chamundi Hills & Chamundi Mandir
• →Kali Maa temple
• →Mahabaleshwara Mandir
• →Mysore Palace
• →Devaraja Market

Bus or shared taxi to Ooty (about 3.5 hours, ~£3), then ride the UNESCO-listed blue Nilgiri Mountain Railway 'toy train' from Udhagamandalam down to Coonoor (1 hour, ~£1–2 — book online in advance, it sells out). Coonoor is quieter and cheaper than Ooty. Settle into a homestay, take an evening stroll through tea estates, and do a short self-guided walk on the tea-factory trails if time allows.

🚌Bus Mysore–Ooty + Nilgiri toy train Ooty–Coonoor (~£6)

🛏Homestay or budget guesthouse in Coonoor (~£14)

• →Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train ride
• →Tea estate walk

Hire a local driver for a half-day loop (~£12–15 shared, cheaper by bus for the main road stops): Dolphin's Nose viewpoint, Lamb's Rock, Sim's Park botanical garden (~£0.50) and the walk to Droog Fort if you're steady on your feet (2–3 hours return, free). Afternoon picnic or thali lunch at a local restaurant (~£3). Optional guided sunrise hike to one of the nearby peaks can be arranged through your homestay for ~£8.

🚌Shared taxi/auto half-day loop (~£5)

🛏Homestay or budget guesthouse in Coonoor (~£14)

• →Dolphin's Nose
• →Lamb's Rock
• →Sim's Park
• →Droog Fort hike
• →Optional sunrise trek

This is a long travel day, so break it up the smart way: morning bus or shared taxi to Coimbatore (~2 hours, ~£2), then an AC chair-car train from Coimbatore to Ernakulam Junction (about 5 hours, ~£5; services like the Intercity or Alleppey Express). From Ernakulam, take the local ferry or a bus to Fort Kochi (~£0.50). Check into a heritage guesthouse and eat fish curry at a small local eatery (~£4).

🚌Bus to Coimbatore + train to Ernakulam + ferry (~£8)

🛏Heritage guesthouse in Fort Kochi (~£18)

• →Ferry across Kochi harbour
• →Fort Kochi evening wander

Self-guided walking day. See St Francis Church (Vasco da Gama's original burial site), the Chinese fishing nets, Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace, ~£0.50) and the Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town (~£0.50), plus the Pareekshith Thampuran Museum. Book a Kathakali performance in advance via GetYourGuide or directly at the Kerala Kathakali Centre (~£5–8, includes make-up demo). Optional: a Fort Kochi cooking class (~£15) or the ferry over to Vypin Island.

🚌Walking + local ferries (~£2)

🛏Heritage guesthouse in Fort Kochi (~£18)

• →St Francis Church
• →Chinese fishing nets
• →Mattancherry Palace
• →Paradesi Synagogue & Jew Town
• →Kathakali performance

Train or bus from Ernakulam to Alappuzha (1–1.5 hours, ~£1). Book a shared or small group houseboat through Klook/GetYourGuide or a local Alappuzha operator — around £25–35 per person for a night including lunch, tea and breakfast (a private boat costs far more). Spend the afternoon drifting through canals and paddy fields, stopping at a toddy shop or village. Eat dinner on deck and sleep to the sound of the water.

🚌Train Ernakulam–Alappuzha (~£1)

🛏Overnight houseboat, shared cabin/accommodation (~£30 incl. meals)

• →Alleppey backwater cruise
• →Village and canal stops
• →Sunset on the houseboat

Disembark after breakfast and take a local bus to Kottayam, then a bus onward to Kumily/Thekkady (in total 3.5–4.5 hours, ~£3). Book a Periyar Tiger Reserve boat safari in advance on the official Kerala forest booking site (~£5–7) for tomorrow's early slot. Spend the afternoon at a spice garden (walk-in entry ~£1.50, guided tours available) and the Thekkady spice market. Evening bamboo rafting can be booked locally (~£12) if you have the energy.

🚌Local buses Alleppey–Kottayam–Kumily (~£3)

🛏Budget guesthouse or homestay in Kumily (~£12)

• →Spice garden tour
• →Thekkady spice market
• →Periyar safari booking

Early morning Periyar Lake boat safari inside the wildlife sanctuary (~£6) — elephants, gaur and plenty of birds if you're lucky. Back for breakfast, then a bus down the ghats to Madurai (about 4 hours via Theni, ~£3). In the evening visit Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple at closing time to see the deity carried to bed with drums and lamps (free; dress modestly, no phones inside). Dinner at Murugan Idli Shop (~£3).

🚌Bus Kumily–Madurai (~£3)

🛏Budget hotel near Meenakshi Temple (~£13)

• →Periyar Lake boat safari
• →Sri Meenakshi Amman Temple evening ceremony
• →Temple bazaar stroll

Morning: Thirumalai Nayak Palace (~£0.50), Gandhi Memorial Museum (free) and Koodal Azhagar temple. Afternoon train or bus to Trichy (2–2.5 hours, ~£1.50). Climb Rockfort Temple's 437 steps for sunset over the Kaveri delta (free, small camera fee), and visit the vast Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple complex — the world's largest functioning Hindu temple — either this evening or early tomorrow. Tiruvanaikaval and Samayapuram are short bus rides away if you're temple-fit.

🚌Train Madurai–Trichy + local buses (~£3)

🛏Budget hotel in Trichy (~£12)

• →Thirumalai Nayak Palace
• →Gandhi Memorial Museum
• →Rockfort Temple
• →Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple

Bus or train to Thanjavur (1.5–2 hours, ~£1). Visit the UNESCO-listed Brihadeeswarar Temple, a 1,000-year-old Chola masterpiece — go early or late for the light. Then Thanjavur Palace and the Saraswathi Mahal Library museum (~£1.50 combined), and the bronze casting workshops in Swamimalai if you can stretch to an auto ride (~£4 return). Evening Bharatanatyam performance at the South Zone Cultural Centre is often free or a few pounds.

🚌Bus Trichy–Thanjavur + auto-rickshaw (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse in Thanjavur (~£12)

• →Brihadeeswarar Temple
• →Thanjavur Palace & Museum
• →Swamimalai bronze workshops
• →Optional Bharatanatyam show

Long-ish bus day: Thanjavur to Kumbakonam or Chidambaram, then onward to Puducherry (7–8 hours total, ~£5; alternatively a train to Villupuram plus a short bus). Check into a guesthouse in the French Quarter or near Promenade Beach. Evening walk through White Town's mustard-yellow villas, the seafront promenade and Goubert Market, then eat at a Creole-Tamil spot like Satsanga or Surguru (~£5).

🚌Buses Thanjavur–Puducherry (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse in White Town or MG Road area (~£15)

• →White Town heritage walk
• →Promenade Beach
• →Goubert Market

Early bus along the scenic East Coast Road to Mahabalipuram (2.5 hours, ~£2). Explore the Shore Temple, Five Rathas, Arjuna's Penance and the Tiger Caves on foot or by cycle hire (~£2) — combined ASI ticket ~£5 for foreigners. Late afternoon bus to Kanchipuram (2 hours, ~£1.50), one of India's seven sacred cities, and see Kailasanathar Temple and Sakkiswarar Mandir at dusk (free). Stay in Kanchipuram or, for a better choice of rooms, backtrack 30 minutes to Mahabalipuram.

🚌Buses Pondicherry–Mahabalipuram–Kanchipuram (~£4)

🛏Budget hotel in Kanchipuram or Mahabalipuram (~£14)

• →Shore Temple
• →Five Rathas
• →Arjuna's Penance
• →Tiger Caves
• →Kailasanathar Temple

Morning: Varadaraja Perumal Temple and a silk-weaving workshop — Kanchipuram saris are famous, and you can watch weavers at work before buying direct (~£0.50 tip or free). Bus or train to Chennai (2–2.5 hours, ~£1.50); from Chengalpattu there are frequent suburban trains to Chennai Beach. If your flight is late, add a stroll on Marina Beach and a last filter coffee before heading to the airport by suburban train or Ola (~£5).

🚌Bus/train Kanchipuram–Chennai + airport transfer (~£5)

🛏Not included (onward travel day)

• →Varadaraja Perumal Temple
• →Silk weaving workshop
• →Marina Beach (if time)