South India Temples & Kerala Backwaters: Self-Launched

Land at Chennai International (MAA), take the suburban train or an app-hailed auto/cab into the city (about £2-4). Base yourself in Egmore or Triplicane — Triplicane puts you a five-minute walk from Marina Beach and Parthasarathy Temple. Spend the late afternoon walking the beach and eating your first dosa. Buy a SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~£4-6 for a month) and set up UPI or just carry cash.

🚌Suburban train or app cab from MAA airport (~£2-4)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Triplicane/Egmore (dorm £8-12, private room £15-22)

• →Marina Beach sunset walk
• →Buy local SIM and orient in Triplicane

Do the operator's Chennai day independently. Start at Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore (free, mornings best), then Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane and Ashtalakshmi Temple on Besant Nagar beach. Afternoon: Fort St. George museum (£0.50) and Santhome Basilica. Skip the Birla Planetarium and Rail Museum unless you have time — the Government Museum's bronze gallery is better value. Getting around by auto costs £1-3 per hop; a full day of autos is under £8.

🚌Autos and short suburban train hops (~£6 total)

🛏Same Chennai hostel/guesthouse

• →Kapaleeshwarar Temple
• →Parthasarathy Temple
• →Ashtalakshmi Temple
• →Fort St. George museum
• →Santhome Basilica
• →Marina Beach

Take the morning suburban train from Chengalpattu line or a bus to Kanchipuram (~1.5-2 hrs, £1.50). Wander the Kailasanathar, Ekambareswarar and Varadaraja Perumal temples — all free, and Kanchi is a silk-weaving town so a weaving workshop visit is a good free-ish add-on. Late afternoon continue by bus to Mahabalipuram (2 hrs, £1.50). Check into a guesthouse near the Shore Temple and eat at one of the rooftop cafes.

🚌Bus Chennai–Kanchipuram–Mahabalipuram (~£4 total)

🛏Guesthouse in Mahabalipuram (room £15-25, dorms cheaper)

• →Kailasanathar Temple
• →Ekambareswarar Temple
• →Varadaraja Perumal Temple
• →Kanchipuram silk-weaving streets

Early start to beat the heat and the tour buses: Shore Temple, Arjuna's Penance (a huge bas-relief), the Five Rathas and the Tiger Cave, all within walking/cycling distance for a combined entry of about £5. Optionally the Crocodile Bank on the way out. Then a bus or shared cab down the East Coast Road to Pondicherry (~2 hrs, £3). Evening on the Promenade and in the French Quarter — White Town's grid of mustard-yellow villas is free to wander.

🚌Local cycle/auto in Mahabalipuram; bus Mahabalipuram–Pondicherry (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse in Pondicherry's White Town or nearby (room £18-28)

• →Shore Temple
• →Arjuna's Penance
• →Five Rathas
• →Tiger Cave
• →Pondicherry French Quarter evening walk

Morning at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Arikamedu archaeological site a few km south (auto ~£3). Afternoon: cycle out to Auroville's Matrimandir viewpoint (free, visitor pass from the visitor centre). In the evening take an overnight or late train from Pondicherry/Villupuram toward Thanjavur (Thanjavur is the rail head for Brihadeeshwara). Sleeper class £3-5; book on IRCTC in advance.

🚌Auto/cycle locally; train Pondicherry/Villupuram–Thanjavur (~£4)

🛏Sleeper train or budget hotel in Thanjavur (£10-18)

• →Sri Aurobindo Ashram
• →Arikamedu
• →Auroville Matrimandir viewpoint

Brihadeeshwarar Temple at Thanjavur is the UNESCO-listed masterpiece of the Chola empire — go at opening, it's free and far quieter than Madurai. Optional palace and art gallery (£1). Then bus or train to Trichy (1.5 hrs, £1). Climb Rockfort for sunset over the Kaveri, and visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam — the largest functioning Hindu temple complex in the world, free, and best in late afternoon light. Browse the market streets in the evening.

🚌Bus/train Thanjavur–Trichy (~£1.50), local autos (~£4)

🛏Budget hotel in Trichy (£12-20)

• →Brihadeeshwarar Temple
• →Thanjavur Palace (optional)
• →Rockfort Temple sunset
• →Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam
• →Trichy market streets

Morning train to Madurai (2-2.5 hrs, £1-2). Drop bags and head straight for Meenakshi Amman Temple — the four gopurams are the image most people carry home from Tamil Nadu. Entry is free (camera fee ~£0.50); the temple museum is £1. Evening: Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal's sound-and-light or just the palace courtyard (£1), and a walk around the temple tank. A local guide for two hours costs £8-12 and is genuinely worth it here.

🚌Train Trichy–Madurai (~£1.50), autos (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel near the temple (£15-25)

• →Meenakshi Amman Temple
• →Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
• →Temple tank and flower market walk

The long transfer day — but a scenic one. Bus Madurai to Theni/Bodinayakanur then on to Munnar, roughly 4-5 hrs for £3-5, winding up through cardamom and tea. Afternoon in Munnar town: Tea Museum (£2) and a stroll through the tea estates. Book a shared jeep or auto for tomorrow's Eravikulam trip tonight — note that Eravikulam National Park often closes Feb-April for calving season, so check dates or swap in Top Station and the Kolukkumalai sunrise jeep instead.

🚌Local buses Madurai–Munnar (~£4)

🛏Homestay or budget hotel in Munnar (£15-25)

• →Munnar Tea Museum
• →Tea estate walk
• →Book Eravikulam/Top Station jeep

Early jeep to Eravikulam for the Nilgiri tahr and the Anamudi views (entry ~£2, jeep share ~£5). Late morning bus down to Alleppey via Munnar–Kothamangalam–Alappuzha (5-6 hrs, £4-6). Book a shared houseboat in advance — a full private houseboat is £90-150, but a cabin on a shared houseboat is £25-40 per person including meals, and a day cruise on a small shikara is £10-15 if you'd rather sleep on land. Sunset on the backwaters with dinner aboard.

🚌Shared jeep to Eravikulam (~£5); buses Munnar–Alleppey (~£5)

🛏Shared houseboat cabin (or Alleppey guesthouse if you prefer land: £12-20)

• →Eravikulam National Park
• →Kerala backwater houseboat cruise
• →Sunset on the Punnamada kayal

Disembark after breakfast and take the train to Ernakulam (1.5 hrs, £1), then the ferry across to Fort Kochi (£0.20). Walk the Chinese fishing nets, St. Francis Church (Vasco da Gama's original burial site), Santa Cruz Basilica, and Mattancherry Palace with its Ramayana murals (£1). Jew Town's spice lanes are the best shopping of the trip. If you want beach time, Cherai is 45 min by bus (£1) — but Fort Kochi's cafés and the Kathakali show (£7-10) are a better final night. Fly out of COK the same evening or next morning.

🚌Train Alleppey–Ernakulam (~£1), ferry (~£0.20), local bus/auto (~£3)

🛏Fort Kochi guesthouse if staying the night (£18-30)

• →Fort Kochi walk
• →St. Francis Church
• →Mattancherry Palace
• →Jew Town spice market
• →Kathakali performance (optional)
• →Cherai Beach (optional)

Buffer morning for the spice markets or a final Kerala breakfast, then the airport bus or app cab to COK (about 45-60 min, £3-8). Kochi's airport is well served for onward flights to Colombo, Goa or back to Europe.

🚌Airport bus or cab to COK (~£5)

🛏—

• →Last breakfast in Fort Kochi
• →Airport transfer