
Thekkady (Periyar)
Kerala
~2.9 h approx. drive · ~144 km
Best: Oct–Jun · From ₹3,890 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)
Weekend getaways›From Madurai
12 places within 6 hours of Madurai, 1 of them under 3 hours — the nearest is Thekkady (Periyar) at roughly 2.9 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.

Kerala
~2.9 h approx. drive · ~144 km
Best: Oct–Jun · From ₹3,890 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Tamil Nadu
3 h by cab· Cab Madurai–Kodaikanal
Best: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct · From ₹4,460 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Tamil Nadu
3.5 h by train· Pamban / Sethu Express
Best: Oct–Apr · From ₹3,000 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Tamil Nadu
4 h by train· Intercity Express
Best: Nov–Feb · From ₹3,560 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Kerala
4.5 h by cab· Cab Madurai–Munnar via Bodimettu
Best: Sep–Mar · From ₹4,750 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Kerala
4.5 h by train· Nagercoil / Intercity Express
Best: Sep–Mar · From ₹4,000 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Tamil Nadu
~4.6 h approx. drive · ~229 km
Best: Oct–Mar · From ₹3,500 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Kerala
~5.2 h approx. drive · ~261 km
Best: Nov–Feb · From ₹4,800 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Kerala
~5.3 h approx. drive · ~264 km
Best: Oct–Mar · From ₹4,500 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Kerala
~5.4 h approx. drive · ~268 km
Best: Oct–Mar · From ₹4,400 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Tamil Nadu
~5.4 h approx. drive · ~269 km
Best: Sep, Nov–Feb · From ₹2,700 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)

Kerala
~5.5 h approx. drive · ~273 km
Best: Sep–Mar · From ₹4,300 for two, 2 days (stay, food, local; excl. travel)