Best places to go for an amazing road trip from Chennai

Blessed with rock-cut caves, old temples, serene beaches, and delicious food, Chennai has all the elements to lure any kind of traveller. But that’s not all to explore, and if you have time, you can even enjoy amazing road trips from Chennai. So if you are interested, for your upcoming weekend, we have compiled some amazing and interesting road trips from Chennai.

Located 75 km from Chennai, Kanchipuram is an ideal destination for a long road trip. It will take around two hours to reach Kanchipuram from Chennai. Home to beautiful and magnificent temples with fine architecture, this place is also gaining popularity because of the famous hand-woven silk sarees. It is also considered one of the famous sacred places, and one of the oldest cities of India. Some of the must-visit temples are Kamakshi Amman Temple, Devarajaswami Temple and Ekambareswarar Temple.

If you wish to seek some guidance on spirituality, then go for a day-long road trip to Tirupati, located 133 km from Chennai, and it takes around 3-4 hours to reach there. Tirupati is surrounded by various Hindu Temples, national parks, and museums. This temple city lures visitors from across the world, who are mostly devotees of Lord Venkateshwara. It is one of the top tourist attractions in India. Sri Vari Museum, Chandragiri, Kalyani Dam are some of the top sightseeing places in Tirupati.

Escape the extreme humidity of Chennai and set out on a road trip to Yelagiri, the famous hill station near Chennai. This hill station is covered in greenery and is surrounded with the wonders of nature. The weather here is pleasant, where the fresh air makes you feel alive. Swamimalai Hills, Punganoor lake are the top attractions of this hill station. Located 230 km from Chennai, take out some time for an amazing road trip to Yelagiri.

Also called Mamallapuram, Mahabalipuram is situated on the Coromandel Coast, Bay of Bengal and is an ideal place for a fun-filled road trip. It is famous for its rock-cut temples and mysterious caves. This place once used to serve as the home of famous Demon King Mahabali, hence, renamed as Mamallapuram. Its popular places are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the crocodile bank and the Shore Temple.

Nellore is a city for nature photographers and bird lovers. A road-trip to this serene city full of ancient temples, pristine lakes, lovely beaches, and handicraft artefacts is a must for an enthusiastic traveller. Go for swimming in the beautiful beaches followed by saree shopping for saree lovers. Witness the migratory birds like flamingos, and do not miss out on the well-known places in Nellore, such as the Pulicat lake, Mypadu beach, and Somasila.

This city was once the famous Danish colony and is situated 273 km from Chennai.For a quiet and peaceful road trip, Tharangambadi is the one to visit. Heritage houses and beautiful churches surround this city. There are numerous small museums built in the memory of the people who lost their lives in the 2004 Tsunami. The city boasts of many interesting areas, such as the Goldsmith street, which is an abode to India’s first printing presses. One will witness the various mix of cultures here which include Danish, British, French and German. Other than the Goldsmith street, the New Jerusalem Church built in 1718 is a must-visit.