Madurai Travel Guide

Facts

Name: Madurai
Area: 147.96 sq. km. (57.13 sq. mi.)
Population: 1,560,000
Language: Tamil, Saurashtra, English, Hindi
State: Tamil Nadu
Currency: Rupee
Time Zone: UTC+5:30 (IST)
Religions and Beliefs: Hinduism, Jainism, Muslims and Christianity

Located on the bank of the Vaigai River, Madurai is the second-largest city in Tamil Nadu state. It is a famous historical city with more than 2,500 years of splendid culture. As one of the seven sacred Hindu cities, Madurai is well-known for its magnificent temple architecture and exquisite carving arts. Madurai has close to ten major and over twenty smaller temples, making it an important center for pilgrimage among Hindus. Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal is a classic fusion of Dravidian and Rajput styles; Meenakshi Temple, one of Madurai’s most important landmarks, is a trapezoidal structure, surrounded by countless statues, and decorated with gilded towers. Unlike other Temple Cities in Tamil Nadu that only celebrated for their remains, Madurai is a modern and developing tourist city.

Best Places to Visit

1. Meenakshi Temple
2. Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
3. Gandhi Museum
4. Alagar Kovil Temple
5. Samanar Hills
6. Thirupparamkunram Murugan
7. Athisayam
8. Koodal Azhagar Temple
9. Saint Mary’s Cathedral
10. Puthu Mandapam

The historic Meenakshi Temple comprises 14 giant gopurams - tall towers. The tallest one at the southern end is 52m (170 feet) high, featuring great artistic statues on every wall and pillar. Spreading in a large area, Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal holds an eastern entrance with a large courtyard enclosed by tall columns, which are decorated with attractive stucco figurines. Dance Hall in the northwest corner of the palace is another popular building. In the Gandhi Museum, tourists can see the life of the legendary leader of India, Mahatma Gandhi and admire his important relics like autograph letters. Also do not miss Samanar Hills and Alagar Kovil Temple to fulfill your Madurai travel.

Best Time to Visit Madurai: October to March

Madurai is best visited in the winter season from October to March when the temperature fluctuates between 20℃ and 29℃ (68-84.2℉), perfect for sightseeing and outdoor activities. Summer from March to June is marked by heat and humidity, making the Madurai travel uncomfortable. May is the hottest month with the temperature soaring up to 37℃ (98.6℉). Monsoon season in Madurai lasts from June to August. The rainfalls make the weather gloomy but the city is still beautiful since the nature around Madurai mainly benefits from this rain. It’s a nice visiting period for tourists who love greenery and the lush natural surroundings.

Ranking List of Madurai Food

1. Mutton Kari Dosai
2. Jigarthanda
3. Fluffy Soft Idli

Madurai is referred to as the gourmet capital of Tamil Nadu because of its cuisines in rich styles and genres. Mutton Kari Dosai consists of the base layer of plain dosa, the middle layer of an egg omelet, and the top layer of minced meat, usually being served with sambar and chutneys. Jigarthanda is an extremely palatable hand-churned cold ice-cream, made from condensed milk, fruit syrups, almond jelly and tree gum. As an essential food for every South Indian, Fluffy Soft Idli is a nutritious steamed rice cake that can be eaten alone, or with different chutneys. Also try Samosas, Vazhiyal - an egg dish…

Best Restaurants in Madurai

1. Murugan Idli Shop: No 196, Near Pothys & Jos Alukas, West Masi Street, Madurai
Serving Indian and Asian cuisines, this casual dining restaurant is renowned for authentic idlis, dosas, Jigarthanda, varied accompaniments and meals.

2. Phil’s Bistro: 444 Meenakshi Street, 9Th Main Road KK Nagar, Madurai
The first Italian & American restaurant at Madurai, Phil’s Bistro offers yummy soup like Creamy Corn and Chicken Mushroom, starters, pizzas, pasta and risotto.

3. Sree Sabarees: 56A, West Perumal Maistry Street, Town Hall Road, Madurai
It’s strongly suitable for pure vegetarians, well-known for the undisputed taste and quality at a reasonable price of ₹20-200.

Where to Stay in Madurai - 90% People Choose Hotels on Veli Street

1. Veli Street: 90%
2. Avani Moolai Street
3. 80 Ft Road

One of the busiest stretches in Madurai, Veli Street spontaneously becomes the most popular area to stay. It is the outermost square from the most popular spot in Madurai travel - Meenakshi Temple, and easily accessible to many other famous sites like Koodal Azhagar and Thirumalai Nayakkar. Avani Moola Street, the second square from Meenakshi Temple houses many stays that offer the most perfect view of the temple, like Hotel Senthil Residency. Nestled beside the Vandiyur Lake, hotels on 80 Ft Road provide nice views and peaceful surroundings and they are also very close to Gandhi Memorial Museum and Goripalayam Mosque.

Transportation in Madurai

Madurai Airport (IXM) is located 15km (9.3mi) from Madurai city center. Some international flights are directly available like Dubai, Colombo and Singapore. Tourists who plan a Madurai travel can take Indian domestic flights from New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru, taking 3h15min, 2h15min, 2h10min, 1h10min, and 1h05min. Most visitors prefer to reach Madurai by train. There are direct trains to Madurai Railway Station (MDU) from cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

Travelling to Madurai by bus is perhaps the cheapest way. The main bus stands in Madurai are Periyar, Complex, Arappalayam and Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Terminus. It costs about ₹200, ₹400 and ₹380 from Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The taxi is the most comfortable transport to tour Madurai, which costs ₹1,400-1,800 for a day’s sightseeing. Auto-rickshaws are easily available throughout the city at all hours of the day. Usually, it costs ₹100 from Arappalayam Bus Stand to the downtown. Tourists can take Bus Lines 3, 66, 75 and 700 from Periyar Bus Stand to Gandhi Memorial Museum.

Top Shopping Markets

1. Puthu Mandapam: Elukadal Street, Keelavasal, Madurai Main, Madurai
On the eastern side of the Meenakshi Temple, this market basically deals in metal, bronze and aluminum vessels. Tourists can watch the tailors sewing their bright-hued products.

2. Madurai Mart: 34, West Marat Street, W Marret St, Madurai
The very famous shopping place can fulfill your all needs including various clothes shops, a gym, boutique stores, jewelry stores and a supermarket.

3. Milanem Shopping Mall: 100 Feet Road, K.K. Nagar, Madurai
Collecting some of Madurai’s best shopping stores with multiple brands, this mall provides varieties of clothes, footwear, accessories, jewelry, etc. Also, the cinema hall and food court are major crowd pullers.