Mahabalipuram
Tamil Nadu
1.5 h by bus· MTC / Private cab / TNSTC
Best: Nov–Feb · From ₹3,980 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
Weekend getaways›From Chennai
Within 6 hours
Weekend getaways from Chennai
8 places within 6 hours of Chennai, 3 of them under 3 hours — the nearest is Mahabalipuram at 1.5 h.
5 travel times come from Tourisma's curated train, bus and cab data. The rest are approximate drives: straight-line distance × 1.3 for the road at 50 km/h, with the hill stretch (the last 50–80 km into the hills) at × 1.6 and 30 km/h. Islands and high-Himalayan places are listed only with a curated time.
Under 3 hours
Kanchipuram
Tamil Nadu
2 h by train· Local / MRTS + bus
Best: Nov–Feb · From ₹3,080 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
Tirupati
Andhra Pradesh
2.5 h by train· Saptagiri / Tirupati Express
Best: Sep–Feb · From ₹3,800 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
3–6 hours
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
Puducherry
3 h by bus· SETC / Private AC Bus
Best: Oct–Mar · From ₹4,900 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
Auroville
Puducherry
~3.4 h approx. drive · ~169 km
Best: Oct–Mar · From ₹5,300 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
Tiruvannamalai
Tamil Nadu
~4.2 h approx. drive · ~211 km
Best: Nov–Feb · From ₹3,000 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
Bengaluru
Karnataka
5 h by train· Shatabdi / Vande Bharat Express
Best: Sep–Feb · From ₹4,900 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
Chidambaram
Tamil Nadu
~5.1 h approx. drive · ~256 km
Best: Nov–Feb · From ₹2,900 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)