Visiting the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu

Yes, you heard me right. I am talking about the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu. Not the famous Golden Triangle of North India that consists of the capital of India New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. But rather the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu in South India that consists of Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari – the three most important sacred Hindu Pilgrimage Destinations of India. Unfortunately, I haven’t done a tour of all three of these together. Rather, I visited Madurai on our 5 days year end trip in 2021, along with visiting Karaikudi and Chettinad Tourist Places, Thanjavur, Thanjavur Big Temple and Rameswaram Temple.

Although I did visit Rameswaram on this trip, but I couldn’t do full justice to the place due to lack of time. So, I did another 2 days trip to Rameshwaram in early 2023. Also, we visited Kanyakumari on a totally different trip – our week long Kerala Road trip. Wherein on the second last day of our trip we drove from Trivandrum to Kanyakumari, visiting Padmanabhapuram Palace on the way.

If you plan to visit the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu in one single trip, then this article is just what you need. Here I am going to compile for you the complete trip plan of the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu along with several resources from our own trips to each of these destinations on where to stay and what things to do and what places to visit etc. So, let’s get started.

A crisp itinerary for visiting the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu

 

We propose Madurai as the place to start and end this trip. Because Madurai is very well connected with the rest of the country through road, rail and airways. So, you can take a flight to Madurai, take a train to Madurai or even take a road trip to Madurai from neighbouring places. Like we took a road trip from Bangalore to Madurai on NH 44.

If you have more time at hand, you should add one extra day at Madurai. Since there are so many other temples and places to visit in Madurai apart from Meenakshi Amman Temple. 

Route to be taken on this trip : Madurai -> Rameswaram (NH 87) -> Kanyakumari (NH 32) -> Madurai (NH 44)

Madurai to Rameswaram trip

We drove from Madurai to Rameswaram on both our trips in this region. The road trip from Madurai to Rameswaram is a short and sweet one. You drive on NH 87 all the way from Madurai to Rameswaram. The driving distance between Madurai and Rameswaram is a little less than 180km. And it can be easily covered in 3 – 3.5 hours. Right before the Rameswaram road Bridge, you can stop for lunch as well. There is less traffic on this road. And there are not many fancy restaurants. We stopped at a simple but decent place for simple meal. The place had very clean washrooms as well.

Another option to reach Rameswaram from Madurai is via train. Traveling to Rameswaram on a train is an experience of a lifetime. As the train passes on the famous Pamban bridge – on the Bay of Bengal. A one of a kind experience in India.

Rameswaram to Kanyakumari trip

The distance from Rameswaram to Kanyakumari is around 309 km. And it takes around 6 hours to cover this distance. The roads are once again very scenic, along the NH 32.  And you drive through several coastal stretches providing scenic views of the majestic coastline that India has.

There is also a train from Rameswaram to Kanyakumari – 22621 Rmm Cape Exp – which takes over 7 hours. Train would be the second best option to reach Kanyakumari from Rameswaram.

Kanyakumari to Madurai trip

The distance from Kanyakumari to Madurai is around 245 km. But it takes only around 3 hours to navigate this distance from Madurai to Kanyakumari. The reason being the excellent condition of roads on NH 44 on this stretch. It is also one of the most scenic road trips to take in India. Since the highway is dotted with the range of eastern ghats on one side and western ghats on the other side. With green valleys stretching on the bottom of the hills. And whitewashed windmills rotating in a slow rhythm along the route. A road trip from Kanyakumari to Madurai is hands down one of the top road trips we have taken in India which provides excellent driving pleasure.

Now that we have established the round trip details, lets look at where to stay at each of these destinations.

Where to stay on the trip to the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu

Where to stay in Madurai

We stayed at JC Residency on our first trip to Madurai. This is a comfortable hotel located in the heart of Madurai just 4 km from the Meenakshi Amman Temple. There is an auto rickshaw stand right outside the hotel from where we could easily hire an auto to visit the temple. On our second trip to Madurai, we stayed on the outskirts of the town, at Kfour Apartment and Hotels in Madurai. Since, it was located outside the main town, we had to book a cab to visit the temple from here. Nevertheless, the hotel was really good, particularly if you are visiting in a larger group. Since it has small 2 BHK apartments with 2 rooms in each apartment, 2 bathrooms and an unfurnished kitchen area along with living and dining areas. And they also have a restaurant on the ground floor.

You can also browse this list of hotels in Madurai to determine where best you will like to stay in Madurai.

Where to stay in Rameswaram

On our trip to Rameswaram, we stayed at the Daiwik Hotel the first time. And at Hotel S S Grand on our second visit. Daiwik Hotel is one of the most high-end accommodations you will find in Rameswaram. While S S Grand is much more budget friendly. Both hotels have on premise restaurants and all the other facilities. And both of them are located right on the highway – NH 87. And they both have ample parking space as well. Apart from these, there are several other stay options in Rameswaram which you can browse here.

Where to stay in Kanyakumari

Although, we have not stayed overnight anytime in Kanyakumari. But from what I have heard, there are all kind of accommodation options in Kanyakumari available – from budget hotels to luxury beachside resorts. We had lunch in Kanyakumari at Annai Resort and Spa. I was impressed by the location of the resort. At one end, it has an exit to the highway while at the other end, it has an exit right on the beach road of Kanyakumari, providing easy access to the beach park and sunset view point. Most of the attractions of Kanyakumari are walkable from here. Also, right behind this resort is Sparsha Resort which is also very beautiful. You can browse through the complete list of hotels in Kanyakumari here.

Things to do on your trip to the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu

Things to do in Madurai

 

There are tons of things to do in Madurai. Although if you are limited by time, keep visiting Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai on top of your list. And try to visit either in morning or evening hours. Next, you can visit the Thirumalai Nayakar Palace in Madurai. However, it is open from 9:00am to 4:30pm. So, we visited here the very first day we reached Madurai. If you have one more day at hand, you can visit a lot of other places. Madurai is also called the food capital of Tamil Nadu. If you are foodie, you are in for a treat in Madurai. Because you will get to try a lot of cuisines – traditional South Indian thalis, dosas, idlis and vadas as well as a variety of non vegetarian food. Also, Madurai is famous for shopping “South Silk” dresses, sarees etc.

Here’s some of the resources we have on Madurai that will give you the details of places to see and things to do in Madurai

Thirumalai Nayakar Palace Madurai

The 10 most sacred temples of Madurai

Things to do in Madurai in a day

Things to do in Rameswaram

There are two major things to do in Rameswaram – (1) visiting the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram – which is one of the 4 sacred “dhams” of the Hindus and also a home to one of the jyotirlingas (2) driving to Dhanushkodi. But apart from these, there are many other smaller temples, sacred lakes and beautiful beaches to visit in Rameswaram. If you are planning a one day stay in Rameswaram, visit Dhanushkodi the day you arrive here. And then visit Ramanathaswamy Temple the next day morning, followed by rest of the temples, lakes and beaches. You will be easily done by noon. Post lunch you can depart for Kanyakumari.

Here’s some of the resources we have on Rameswaram for you

Our 2 days Rameswaram trip Itinerary

Exploring Dhanishkodi – the ghost town on the last land of India

Things to do in Kanyakumari

There are a plethora of things to do in Kanyakumari. It definitely wards for a one to two nights stay in Kanyakumari to be able to do minimum justice to the place. While in Kanyakumari, you can visit the Kanyakumari temple, one of the Shakti Peetha of Hindus. And ferry to the island in the sea that hosts the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. You can visit the food court and restaurants for excellent sea food. Or, relax in one of the beach resorts in Kanyakumari and enjoy excellent views of the emerald blue and blue green sea and ocean that meet here.

Kanyakumari being the last land of mainland India, it is a paradise for photographers. There are several sunset and sunrise points in Kanyakumari to view mesmerising sunsets and sunrises across the ocean. As the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea meet here, you get to see 3 different shades of water distinctly – creating a beautiful view. Then there are beach side parks and beach side pedestrian walkways where you can take a stroll morning or evening.

Here’s our guide on things to do and places to see in Kanyakumari in a day

 

General tips on visiting Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari

• The best time to visit the Golden Triangle of Tamil Nadu is either winter months from November till February or the post monsoon months of September and October
• Carry comfortable cotton cloths as it’s still very hot here when it’s actually winter in the rest of India
• Wear sunglasses, use sunscreen and carry an umbrella and water with you all the time
• There are dress codes to be followed in some of the temples. Try wearing traditional Indian dresses when visiting Ramanathaswamy Temple and Meenakshi Ammana Temple
• Carry slippers or slip on shoes as they are good to visit both temples and beaches – easy to slip on and off your feet
• If you are driving then the hotels that we stayed in have really good parking spaces, you can book the same.

 

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