- Distance
- About 195 km by road
- Drive time
- 4 hours one way
- Pickup
- Chennai
- Destination
- Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
- Trip type
- Same-day return possible
- Vehicles
- Sedan, SUV, tempo traveller, coach
About the trip
Tiruvannamalai is a temple town at the foot of Arunachala hill, sacred to Shiva as the fire element. Pilgrims come for the huge Arunachaleswarar temple, Ramana Maharshi's ashram and the 14 km girivalam walk around the hill, especially on full moon nights. The road goes via Vandavasi or Tindivanam through farmland, with Gingee Fort a short detour.
What to see in Tiruvannamalai
- Arunachaleswarar Temple
- Sri Ramana Ashram
- Girivalam path around Arunachala
- Skandashram and Virupaksha cave
On the road
Take the road via Vandavasi, or NH 32 to Tindivanam and then via Gingee. Leave by 6 am; full moon days are very crowded.
A same-day plan
- 6:00 AMPickup from your place in Chennai
- 10:00 AMReach Tiruvannamalai and visit the Arunachaleswarar Temple
- 12:00 PMSri Ramana Ashram
- 1:00 PMLunch in town
- 2:30 PMDrive the girivalam route with stops at the lingam shrines
- 4:30 PMStart back towards Chennai
- 8:30 PMDrop at your place
Timings are a guide — tell us when you want to leave and what you want to see, and the driver will work around it.
Choose your vehicle
Airport runs, couples and small families on short trips.
The usual pick for family trips, ghat roads and long days on the highway.
Extra room and comfort for special occasions and senior guests.
Extended families, pilgrimage parties and office outings.
Weddings, school trips and temple tours with a big party.
Every car is air-conditioned and comes with an experienced driver. Our quote is all-inclusive — fuel, tolls, parking, interstate permit and driver batta — and is confirmed in writing before you book.
More car trips from Chennai
Outstation345 km · 6–7 hrsKarnatakaChennai to BangaloreHire a chauffeur-driven car from Chennai to Bangalore on NH 48 for a comfortable drive via Vellore and Krishnagiri, with good food stops.
KarnatakaView route →
Day trip75 km · 1.5–2 hrsTamil NaduChennai to KanchipuramTake a day trip from Chennai to Kanchipuram, the city of a thousand temples, for ancient shrines and its famous silk sarees.
Tamil NaduView route →
Outstation460 km · 7.5–8 hrsTamil NaduChennai to MaduraiBook a car from Chennai to Madurai on NH 32 and NH 38 for the Meenakshi Amman temple, a full-day drive with temple towns en route.
Tamil NaduView route →
Day trip58 km · 1.5 hrsTamil NaduChennai to MahabalipuramTake a day trip from Chennai to Mahabalipuram along the ECR for the Shore Temple, Five Rathas and rock carvings by the sea.
Tamil NaduView route →
Day trip150 km · 3–3.5 hrsPuducherryChennai to PondicherryHire a car from Chennai to Pondicherry along the East Coast Road for the French Quarter, promenade, Auroville and seaside cafés.
PuducherryView route →
Day trip135 km · 3–3.5 hrsAndhra PradeshChennai to TirupatiPlan a day trip from Chennai to Tirupati for darshan at Tirumala with a private car, a driver who knows the ghat and a same-day return.
Andhra PradeshView route →Book a car for this trip
Send us the date, pickup point, number of people and whether you need a return. We reply with the vehicle and a single all-inclusive price.
