Chennai to Coonoor

The distance between Chennai and Coonoor is approximately 540 kms by road and takes around 10 - 11 hrs to travel between these two cities. There are several private bus operators along with government buses offering daily services between Chennai and Coonoor. The first bus leaves for Coonoor from Chennai at 7:45 PM while the last bus leaves at 9:00 PM. The prominent private bus operators offering services on this route include KPN Travels, Kallada Travels, YBM Travels, Shri Bhagyalakshmi Travels, Sam Tours and Travels and Praveen Travels.   

Boarding Points

Nearly all the buses for Coonoor can be boarded from these places in Chennai - Koyambedu, SRM University, Urapakkam, Guduvanchery, Mahindra City, Perungalathur, Porur Toll Gate and Singaperumalkoil to name a few boarding points. 

Dropping Points

The dropping point in Coonoor include - near the railway station, near Coonoor bus stand, Coonoor JPR Agency and Coonoor bus stand opposite Hyderabadi Biryani House. 

Bus Type

The different buses available on this route include - Non AC Sleeper (2+1), Non AC semi sleeper (2+2) and AC Sleeper (2+1).

Bus Fare

The bus fare is depended upon the bus type opted for and the operator. However, the average bus fare for the Non AC semi sleeper buses starts from INR 1250, while the AC Sleeper bus fare starts from INR 1190. 

Rest Stops

All the buses enroute to Coonoor offer food and few bio breaks for a comfortable journey.

The distance between Chennai and Coonoor is approximately 539 kms via the Chennai - Villupuram - Trichy - Kanyakumari Rd and NH 79. The entire drive takes roughly around 10 to 11 hours to complete without breaks. The ride is not too strenuous and offers a great road trip experience. 

Cab Options
One can also hire an outstation cab from Chennai for Coonoor and enjoy an exciting road trip without straining yourself driving. There are plenty of car rental services available in Chennai that offer a variety of cars to choose from, thus catering to all needs and preferences. Few of the prominent car rental agencies available in Chennai include savaari.com, megacabs.com, Shree Ganapathy outstation car rental, Bharathi Travel Smart and Uber and Ola outstation cabs among others. 

Approximate Cost

The cost of hiring an outstation cab depends upon the car rental agency, destination, kind of trip - one way/ round trip and the type of car chosen. The average prices for an Indica car to Coonoor can cost INR 10,876, while a mid-size car like Etios can cost INR 11,500 and an SUV can cost INR 14,871.

Route Options

Some of the popular route options opted by travellers are as follows;

Route 1: Via Chennai - Villupuram - Trichy - Kanyakumari Road - NH 79: Chennai - Tindivanam - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Attur - Salem - Avinashi - Mettupalayam - Coonoor.

Route 2: Via Chennai - Villupuram - Trichy - Kanyakumari Road - Kumaramangalam - Panruti Road: Chennai - Tindivanam - Villupuram - Ulundurpet - Samayapuram - Musiri - Karur - Avinashi - Mettupalayam - Coonoor.

Route 3: Via NH 48 - Chennai - Vellore - Krishnagiri- Dharmapuri - Salem - Perundurai - Avinashi - Annur - Mettupalayam - Coonoor. 

Eating Options

There are ample local eateries and small restaurants along the Chennai - Coonoor route offering excellent quality food at reasonable rates. Some of the top choices are A2B restaurant at Villupuram, Hotel Aryaas Garden, Acharapakkam, Sree Balaji Bhavan on NH 32, Hotel Gomathy in Pathrapuliyar, Sree Saravana Bhavan located in Namakkal, Krishnagiri and Salem to name a few.    

Possible Stopovers

Since the drive between Chennai and Coonoor can be completed within 11 hr, there is no need to stop over at any particular location. However, if you have started late from Chennai and have not reached Coonoor by nightfall, you can consider a night halt at Coimbatore or Mettupalayam.   

Coonoor does not have its airport as such; there is no direct flight connectivity to this hill station. The nearest airport from Coonoor is the Coimbatore airport located approx. 81 kms via NH 181. Coimbatore airport is well connected with daily flights to and from Chennai. The primary flight operators on this route are SpiceJet, Indigo, Jet Airways and Air India. The first nonstop flight for Coimbatore leaves at 9:10 AM.

Preferable Local Transportation from Coimbatore Airport

Coimbatore Airport is well connected to different parts of the city using prepaid taxis, on-call cabs and airport buses. However, if you wish to head to Coonoor directly from the airport itself, you need to get hold of an on-call taxi from any of the car rental services such as Savaari.com, Coimbatoreootytaxi.com, Ola/Uber outstation cabs, etc. Besides these, there are also fast track cabs and red taxis that can quickly get you to Coonoor from the airport. 

For those looking for buses to Coonoor need to head to Gandhipuram Bus Stand for availing SETC to Coonoor or head to Mettupalayam Road Bus Depot to get private buses for Coonoor. You can easily hire a cab from the airport for Gandhipuram bus stand or Mettupalayam Road Bus Depot. 

Approximate Cost

The cab fare to get from Coimbatore Airport to Gandhipuram Bus Stand cost approx. INR 250 while the cab fare for Coonoor from the airport starts from INR 2000 for an AC Indica Car.  

Coonoor does not have a broad gauge railway station and instead has a toy train or Himalayan train connecting it to Ooty and Mettupalayam. As such, there is no direct train between Chennai and Coonoor. The nearest broad gauge railway station located from Coonoor is Mettupalayam railway station located only 36 kms away by road. However, there is only one direct train between Chennai and Mettupalayam. Nevertheless, several chain trains can help you reach Mettupalayam comfortably. 

Train Options

Here are a few popular train options to Mettupalayam from Chennai.

1. 12671: NILGIRI EXPRESS
Operates all 7 days
Boarding Station: Chennai Central
Arrival Station: Mettupalayam
Departure Timing: 9: 05 PM
Arrival Timing: 6:15 AM (day 2)
Duration: 9 hr 10 min
Fare:
SL - INR 340
3A - INR 880
2A - INR 1240
1A - INR 2080

2. 22639 - ALLEPPEY EXPRESS
Operates all seven days.
Boarding Station: Chennai Central
Arrival Station: Coimbatore Junction
Departure Timing: 8:55 PM
Arrival Timing: 4: 12 AM (day 2)
Duration: 7 hrs 7 min
Fare:
SL - INR 315
3A - INR 805
2A - INR 1135
Transit Wait: 1 hr 3 min

3. 12671: NILGIRI EXPRESS
Boarding Station: Coimbatore Junction
Arrival Station: Mettupalayam
Departure Timing: 5:15 AM (day 2)
Arrival Timing: 6: 15 AM (day 2)
Duration: 1 hr
Fare:
SL - INR 170
3A - INR 535
2A - INR 735
1A - INR 1230

4. 06047: MAS - QLN EXPRESS:
Operates on Monday and Wednesday
Boarding Station: Chennai Central
Arrival Station: Erode Junction
Departure Timing: 8:40 PM
Arrival Timing: 2:15 AM (day 2)
Duration: 4 hrs 50 min
Fare:
SL - INR 240
3A - INR 645
2A - INR 920
Transit Wait: 35 min

5. 12671: NILGIRI EXPRESS
Boarding Station: Erode Junction
Arrival Station: Mettupalayam
Departure Timing: 2:50 AM (day 2)
Arrival Timing: 6:15 AM (day 2)
Duration: 3 hr 25 min
Fare:
SL - INR 170
3A - INR 535
2A - INR 735
1A - INR 1230

Preferable Local Transportation from Mettupalayam

One can either take a 3 hour and 20-minute toy train ride from Mettupalayam to Coonoor or rent a cab to reach Coonoor in 1 hour and 30 mins. Cabs for Coonoor can easily be availed from right outside the railway station. The cab fare starts from Rs 1500 and can go higher depending upon the tourist season and the type of car chosen.

Toy Train Options from Mettupalayam: Two daily toy trains connect Mettupalayam to Coonoor.

6. 56136: MTP UAM PASSR
Boarding Station: Mettupalayam
Arrival Station: Coonoor
Departure Timing: 7:10 AM
Arrival Timing: 10:30 AM 
Duration: 3 hr 20 min
Fare:
2S - INR 100
FC - INR 365   

7. 06171: Mettupalayam Coonoor Special Fare Special
Operates every Sunday
Boarding Station: Mettupalayam
Arrival Station: Coonoor
Departure Timing: 9:10 AM
Arrival Timing: 12:30 AM 
Duration: 3 hr 20 min
Fare:
2S - INR 735
FC - INR 1095