Your driver meets you at Chennai airport or railway station and you drive west to Kanchipuram, the temple town. Visit Ekambareswarar and Kailasanathar before the temples close for the afternoon, have lunch, then see how silk is woven. Drive to Mahabalipuram for the Shore Temple in the evening light.
- 9:00 AM
Pickup at Chennai airport or Chennai Central railway station
Your driver meets you when you land or arrive. Times below assume a 9:00 AM pickup. If yours is later, we move the day to fit.
- 1 h 48 min · 68 km
- 11:00 AM
Breakfast in Kanchipuram
Try Kanchipuram idli, the temple style idli with pepper and ghee. Pay as you eat.
- 11:45 AM1
Ekambareswarar Temple
50 min hereA huge Shiva temple with a tall gopuram and a hall of 1,000 pillars. Dress modestly. The temple closes around 12:30 PM and opens again around 4 PM.
- 6 min · 2 km
- 12:45 PM2
Kailasanathar Temple
30 min hereThe oldest temple in Kanchipuram, in soft sandstone with carved Pallava lions. Quiet, with a small ASI ticket.
- 6 min · 2 km
- 1:30 PM
Lunch in Kanchipuram
A simple meals plate on a banana leaf, with a veg option everywhere.
- 5 min · 2 km
- 2:30 PM3
Kanchipuram silk weaving centre
45 min hereWatch weavers at the loom and see how a Kanchipuram sari is made. Buying is your choice, and there is no pressure.
- 1 h 41 min · 69 km
- 5:00 PM4
Shore Temple
1 h hereA 1,300 year old granite temple right on the sea, a UNESCO site. The ticket counter closes about 5:30 PM, so we arrive early. Stay on for the evening light on the beach.
- 6:30 PM
Check in at your hotel
Freshen up and have dinner on Mahabalipuram's seafood street.
