Ashvinee Nagle

Tea slopes, eucalyptus air and a UNESCO-listed rack railway. Quieter, greener Coonoor makes the better base, with Mudumalai’s elephants an hour away.

The Big Temple, finished around 1010 CE, is the finest thing the Cholas built. Base yourself in Thanjavur for the whole Great Living Chola Temples circuit.

Tamil Nadu · Coromandel Coast Chennai — The Gateway City India’s oldest surviving colonial city, still called Madras by everyone who lives here: temple lanes, a 13km beach, the world’s largest classical music festival, and breakfast worth flying for. 📍 Region Coromandel Coast 🗓️ Best time Dec – Feb ⏱️ Stay 2 – 3 days

Tamil Nadu · Coromandel Coast Mahabalipuram — The Stone Coast A UNESCO World Heritage site where 7th-century Pallava sculptors carved entire temples out of standing granite, an hour and a half down the coast from Chennai. 📍 Region 60km from Chennai 🗓️ Best time Dec – Feb ⏱️ Stay 1 – 2 days 🏛️ Known

Tamil Nadu · Temple City Madurai — The Temple City One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, built in concentric rings around the Meenakshi Amman Temple and its fourteen soaring towers. 📍 Region Southern plains 🗓️ Best time Dec – Feb ⏱️ Stay 1 – 2 days 🛕 Known for Meenakshi Temple In

Karnataka · Coast Gokarna — Karnataka’s Quiet Coast A Hindu temple town fronting a string of laid-back beaches — Om, Kudle, Half Moon and Paradise — linked by an easy clifftop trail. The mellow, un-commercialised answer to Goa. 📍 Region Karnataka Coast 🕑 Best time Oct – Mar ⏳ Stay 2 – 3 days 🏖️

Karnataka · Western Ghats Chikkamagaluru — Karnataka’s Western Ghats Escape Coffee estates rolling up into the Western Ghats, crowned by Mullayanagiri, Karnataka’s highest peak — a quieter, greener alternative to Coorg. 📍 Region Western Ghats 🕑 Best time Oct – Feb ⏳ Stay 2 – 3 days ⛰️ Known for Treks & coffee In short

Karnataka · Coffee Hills Coorg (Kodagu) — Karnataka’s Coffee Hills Misty, forested hill country often called the ‘Scotland of India’ and the source of much of the country’s coffee — plantation walks, waterfalls, and slow Kodava-style meals. 📍 Region Western Ghats 🕑 Best time Oct – Mar ⏳ Stay 2 – 3 days ☕ Known

Karnataka · UNESCO Site Hampi — Karnataka’s Lost Empire A UNESCO World Heritage site scattered across a surreal boulder landscape on the Tungabhadra River — the ruined capital of the once-mighty Vijayanagara empire. 📍 Region North Karnataka 🕑 Best time Oct – Feb ⏳ Stay 2 – 3 days 🏖️ Known for UNESCO ruins In

Karnataka · Palace City Mysuru — Karnataka’s Palace City The royal heart of old Karnataka: a floodlit Indo-Saracenic palace, a hill-top temple, and some of the best masala dosa and Mysore pak you’ll find anywhere — an easy trip from Bengaluru. 📍 Region Southern Karnataka 🕑 Best time Oct – Mar ⏳ Stay 2 days