Places here
AlleppeyPalm-lined backwater canals, and the best way through them is slowly, on a houseboat.BengaluruLeafy parks, old breakfast houses and India's easiest nightlife, in a mild, modern city with its own relaxed pace.Bijapur (Vijayapura)A giant dome that carries your whisper across the room, and the tomb people call the Taj Mahal of the Deccan.ChennaiTamil temples, a very long city beach and some of India's best breakfasts, in a big, warm, unshowy city.HampiThe ruins of a lost empire scattered among huge boulders, best seen on foot in the cool months.HyderabadCharminar, Golconda Fort and the Qutb Shahi Tombs: the Deccan's great Muslim dynasties, all in one city.KochiAn old trading port you can walk, with Dutch, Portuguese and Jewish history, good food and harbour ferries.MaduraiTowering temple gateways and night food, in a busy temple city in the heart of Tamil Nadu.MahabalipuramTemples cut from single rocks, a huge carved rock face and a fishing beach, all in one small town south of Chennai.MunnarCool green hills covered in tea, and a national park where you look for wild mountain goats.MysuruA royal city with a grand palace, a busy old market and a hill above the town, easy to do in two days.OotyCool air, tea slopes, gardens and a historic mountain railway you can't count on, in the Nilgiri hills.PondicherryA former French town on the Tamil coast: colour-washed streets, cafes, a long seafront and Auroville nearby.VarkalaA cliff-top beach town with a path of cafes above the Arabian Sea, yoga, and quieter beaches along the coast.