A Mysore and Ooty trip usually starts in Bengaluru: a day of palaces and temples at Mysore, then the drive through Bandipur and Mudumalai forests up to Ooty in the Nilgiris. Four nights covers both comfortably. Kodaikanal is a separate hill station further south, a full day’s drive from Ooty, so adding it makes a 6 or 7-night trip; honeymooners often do Ooty and Kodaikanal together and skip Mysore. We plan the route, book the hotels and the Nilgiri toy train, and apply for the Tamil Nadu e-pass that cars from outside the district need to enter Ooty and Kodaikanal.
Mysore, Ooty and Kodaikanal packages at a glance
| Package | Nights | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mysore and Ooty from Bengaluru | 4N / 5D | Srirangapatna, Mysore Palace and Chamundi, the forest drive, Ooty and Coonoor | Families, first-timers, school holidays |
| Ooty and Kodaikanal | 5N / 6D | Toy train up from Mettupalayam, Ooty and Coonoor, two nights at Kodaikanal | Honeymooners, couples |
| Mysore, Ooty and Kodaikanal | 7N / 8D | All three, Bengaluru in and Madurai out | A full week in the south |
| Mysore weekend | 2N / 3D | Mysore, Srirangapatna, Brindavan Gardens | A short break from Bengaluru |
The full day-wise plan for Mysore and Ooty 4N/5D is on its own page. The other formats are built from it, adding or dropping days, and any of them can be changed to suit you.
Mysore: the palace and Chamundi Hill
Mysore Palace is open from 10 am to 5:30 pm every day, with last entry at 5 pm. Shoes come off before the interiors, and photography isn’t allowed inside. The palace is lit up with thousands of bulbs from 7 to 8 pm on Sundays and public holidays, and every evening during Dasara, so we try to put your Mysore night on a Sunday. On other evenings there’s a sound and light show instead.
Chamundi Hill, above the city, has the Chamundeshwari temple and the giant Nandi carved halfway up; you can drive to the top or climb the old stone steps. Srirangapatna, on the Bengaluru side, has the Ranganathaswamy temple and Tipu Sultan’s summer palace, so it fits on the drive in. Dasara is Mysore’s biggest event; in 2026 it ran from 11 to 21 October. Hotels fill for those ten days, so book early if you want to see it.
The drive through Bandipur and Mudumalai
The road from Mysore to Ooty runs through two tiger reserves, Bandipur in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu. You often see deer, elephants and peacocks from the car. Because of the wildlife, the highway is closed to traffic at night, from 9 pm to 6 am, so the drive has to be done in daylight. After Mudumalai the road climbs into the Nilgiris. Some people get carsick on the bends, so carry tablets if you need them.
The Ooty and Kodaikanal e-pass
Since May 2024, on the Madras High Court’s orders, vehicles from outside the district need an e-pass to enter the Nilgiris (Ooty, Coonoor) and Kodaikanal. It’s free, and is issued on the Tamil Nadu government’s official e-pass portal. For the 2025 summer season the court also capped the number of vehicles: 6,000 a day on weekdays and 8,000 at weekends for the Nilgiris, and 4,000 and 6,000 for Kodaikanal. Local vehicles, government buses and the mountain railway are exempt, and people arriving by train or bus don’t need one.
Good to know: sources disagree on whether the e-pass now applies all year or only in the busy April to June season, and the caps can change each year. We apply for the pass for your car once dates are fixed. Don’t pay any other website for it; the official pass costs nothing, though a small green tax is collected at the check post.
Ooty, Coonoor and the Nilgiri toy train
Ooty’s sights are the Government Botanical Garden, the lake, Doddabetta peak and the tea estates and factories around town. Coonoor, lower down, is quieter, with Sim’s Park and the viewpoints at Dolphin’s Nose and Lamb’s Rock. The flower show in the botanical garden in May is the busiest week of Ooty’s year.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage line like the Darjeeling toy train, climbs from Mettupalayam to Ooty on a rack track. The morning train leaves Mettupalayam at 7:10 am, after the overnight Nilgiri Express from Chennai arrives, and reaches Ooty around noon. Seats are few and are booked on IRCTC, so we book as soon as the reservation window opens. If you come from Mysore by road, the short Ooty to Coonoor section is an easy way to ride it.
Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal is greener and quieter than Ooty. The main sights are the lake, Coaker’s Walk, a paved path about 1 km long along the edge of the hill, Pillar Rocks, the pine forest and Bryant Park. Mist usually comes up by around 10 am and can hide the views completely, so do the viewpoints first thing. The nearest railway station is Kodai Road, about 80 km away, and the nearest airport is Madurai, around 120 km.
Best time to go
October to June is the season. April and May are the peak, with Indian summer holidays, the flower show and e-pass caps; book well ahead. October to February is cool to cold in Ooty and Kodaikanal at night, and the views are clearer. The southwest monsoon, June to September, brings heavy rain to the Nilgiris and sometimes landslides on the ghat roads and the railway line.
Getting there
Bengaluru is the usual start, with flights from Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. Mysore is a short drive on the Bengaluru to Mysuru expressway. For Ooty and Kodaikanal without Mysore, fly to Coimbatore, the closest airport for Ooty, and leave from Madurai after Kodaikanal. Travellers from Chennai can take the overnight Nilgiri Express to Mettupalayam and the toy train up.
With elderly parents or small children
This is one of the easiest hill trips in India for seniors: no permits for people, no high altitude and short walks at most sights. The Mysore Palace tour involves a lot of standing and walking barefoot, and Chamundi Hill’s steps are best skipped; drive to the top instead. Ooty and Kodaikanal nights are cold from November to February, so pack sweaters. The toy train has small, upright seats, and the climb from Mettupalayam takes most of the morning.
Questions people ask before booking
Do we need the e-pass if we come in your car?
If the car is registered outside the Nilgiris or Kodaikanal, yes, when the e-pass is in force. We apply for it with the car and driver details. If you come up by the toy train or a government bus, you don’t need one.
Can we do Mysore and Ooty in three nights?
Yes, with one night in Mysore and two in Ooty, but you lose Coonoor and the slower afternoons. Four nights is more relaxed, especially with children.
Is it easy to go from Ooty to Kodaikanal?
It’s a full day in the car, down to the plains and up another ghat road. We start early and stop for lunch on the way. There’s no train or direct flight that saves time.
When is the palace lit up?
From 7 to 8 pm on Sundays and public holidays, and every evening during Dasara. Seeing it from the grounds is free.
Checked November 2026. Mysore Palace timings, illumination and rules are from Karnataka Tourism. The e-pass rules and the 2025 vehicle caps are from Madras High Court orders as reported by DT Next and Outlook Traveller, and the night traffic ban on the Bandipur and Mudumalai highway from news reports and highway records. Toy train timings are from Indian Railways listings, and Kodaikanal distances from tourism guides. The e-pass period for 2027 had not been announced when we checked, and we confirm it again when we send your quote.