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Bangalore to Kodaikanal: Distance, Every Way to Get There and What It Costs
Kodaikanal is about 408 km from central Bengaluru by road. The road runs out on Hosur Road, across Tamil Nadu through Dharmapuri, Mettur, Erode and Dharapuram to the temple town of Palani, then climbs about 57 km of ghat road into the Palani hills. Here is every way to do it, what each costs, and where to stop.
Photo: KARTY JazZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Bangalore to Kodaikanal is about 408 km by road, roughly 6 hours 10 minutes of driving on a clear road (a free-flow routing estimate; the last 57 km is a slow ghat climb, so allow longer). The cheapest way is the overnight 16236 train from KSR Bengaluru (21:15) to Kodai Road (06:23), ₹285 in Sleeper or ₹750 in 3A, then on by bus or taxi, as Kodaikanal has no railway. Private overnight buses go straight to Kodaikanal from about ₹755. By car the petrol alone is about ₹3,050 one way, plus tolls.
How we worked it out. On 12 November 2026 we routed from central Bengaluru (12.9716, 77.5946) to Kodaikanal (10.24, 77.49) with OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) and looked up the towns along the line. Drive times from routing assume an empty road, so treat them as a floor. Train fares are the lowest listed on ConfirmTkt on 5 November 2026, from our Kodaikanal by train guide. Bus fares come only from official notices, dated news or a dated listing; where we found none, we say so and give no number. Open the route on Google Maps for live traffic.
Every way to get there
| Way | Route | Time | Cost, one way | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train + bus or taxi | KSR Bengaluru → Kodai Road (16236), then road up the hills | 9 h 8 min on the train, then about 2 h or more by road (Kodai Road is about 88 km away) | ₹285 Sleeper, ₹750 3A, ₹1,055 2A, plus the bus or taxi up | ConfirmTkt, read 5 Nov 2026; OSRM, 5 Nov 2026 |
| Private overnight bus | Bengaluru → Kodaikanal, direct | about 10–12 h (our Kodaikanal data) | From about ₹755 | ixigo listing, 6 Nov 2026 |
| State bus (KSRTC, TNSTC, SETC) | Bengaluru → Kodaikanal or Palani | — | Check the live fare (no official or news fare found) | ixigo listed no state buses on 6 Nov 2026 |
| Own car | 408 km via Hosur, Mettur, Erode, Dharapuram and Palani | 6 h 10 min free-flow | About ₹3,050 petrol, plus tolls (not checked) | Petrol ₹111.68/l in Bengaluru, 11 Nov 2026; 15 km/l assumed |
- Getting off the train. The 16236 reaches Kodai Road at 06:23. We could not confirm any bus from Kodai Road station itself; the reliable buses up leave from the bus stands in Dindigul, Madurai and Palani. From Palani the bus is about ₹60, 11 a day, about 2 hours (bus-timings listing, January 2026). See our Kodaikanal by train guide for every station and the fast trains that skip Kodai Road.
- State bus fares. Karnataka raised KSRTC fares by about 23% on average from 5 November 2026 (The South First, 4 November 2026). We found no official KSRTC, TNSTC or SETC fare for Bengaluru to Kodaikanal before or after that, so check the live fare at the counter or on the operator's own site.
- The car maths. 408 km ÷ 15 km a litre (our assumption for a petrol hatchback; yours may differ) × ₹111.68 a litre = about ₹3,050. Split four ways, fuel comes to about ₹760 a person each way, before tolls.
- Tolls. The route uses national highways out of Bengaluru and through Dharmapuri, so expect toll plazas, but we could not check the amounts: the NHAI toll information site did not answer on 12 November 2026.
- Booking. Indian Railways and the state transport corporations sell their own tickets online and at the counter. Aggregators list the same trains and buses with private ones; Trip Under does not link to them and takes no commission.
The road and where to stop
Infographic · the route
Bengaluru to Kodaikanal by road
About 408 km. Distances and road names: OSRM, 12 Nov 2026; towns from Nominatim.
OSRM's route leaves Bengaluru on Hosur Road (NH44) and crosses into Tamil Nadu at Hosur, about 40 km out. It takes NH844 through Rayakottai to the Dharmapuri bypass, rejoins NH44 briefly, then turns west on NH544H past Thoppur to Mettur and on to Bhavani and past Erode. From there state and district roads run south through Muthur and Dharapuram to Palani, about 351 km in, where the Kodaikanal–Palani ghat road climbs the last 57 km. Open the route on Google Maps for live traffic before you choose.
- Hosur (about 40 km in): leave Bengaluru before the morning rush. The free-flow time assumes an empty Hosur Road; city traffic adds to it.
- Hogenakkal (a detour west from the Dharmapuri side): where the Kaveri enters Tamil Nadu through a rock gorge and you ride a round coracle under the falls. It is not on the direct line, so it suits a break on the way rather than a quick stop; see our Hogenakkal page.
- Palani (about 351 km in): the temple town at the foot of the hills and the last real town before the climb. Fuel, eat and stretch here. If you came by bus or train, the bus up from Palani is about ₹60.
From June to August heavy rain brings landslips on the Palani ghat road (our Kodaikanal data). Do the climb in daylight, and not after dark in the rain.
When to go, and what a day there costs
Infographic · month by month
Kodaikanal month by month
Month-by-month as text
Jan: Good · Feb: Good · Mar: Good · Apr: Good · May: Passable · Jun: Passable · Jul: Passable · Aug: Good · Sep: Best · Oct: Best · Nov: Best · Dec: Best
September to March is the window — clear, cold at night, and green. April and May are busy with domestic holidaymakers; June to August brings heavy rain and landslips on the ghat road.
Best months by our scores: Sep–Dec. On the ground, a day in Kodaikanal costs about ₹1,000 on a shoestring, ₹1,700 mid-range and ₹3,400 comfortable, per person, with the bed, food, local transport and entry fees (our cost model). April and May are busy with holidaymakers. Full breakdown on the Kodaikanal page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the distance from Bangalore to Kodaikanal?
About 408 km by road from central Bengaluru to Kodaikanal (OSRM, 12 November 2026), via Hosur, Dharmapuri, Mettur, Erode, Dharapuram and Palani.
How long does it take to drive from Bangalore to Kodaikanal?
About 6 hours 10 minutes on a clear road by routing estimate. City traffic out of Bengaluru, breaks and the 57 km ghat climb from Palani add to that, so plan for most of a day.
What is the cheapest way from Bangalore to Kodaikanal?
The overnight 16236 train from KSR Bengaluru to Kodai Road, ₹285 in Sleeper (lowest listed fare, 5 November 2026), then a bus up from Dindigul, Madurai or Palani. Private overnight buses go direct from about ₹755 (6 November 2026).
Is there a train from Bangalore to Kodaikanal?
Not all the way: Kodaikanal has no railway. The 16236 leaves KSR Bengaluru at 21:15 and reaches Kodai Road, about 88 km from Kodaikanal, at 06:23. Our Kodaikanal by train guide has every station and fare.
Which is the best route from Bangalore to Kodaikanal?
OSRM's fastest route on 12 November 2026 runs Hosur Road to Hosur, NH844 to Dharmapuri, NH544H through Mettur and Bhavani, past Erode, then Dharapuram, Palani and the Palani ghat road.
How much does it cost to drive from Bangalore to Kodaikanal?
About ₹3,050 of petrol one way at ₹111.68 a litre and an assumed 15 km a litre. Tolls are extra; we could not check them.
What is the best time to visit Kodaikanal from Bangalore?
Sep–Dec by our month scores. September to March is clear and green; April and May are busy; June to August brings heavy rain and landslips on the ghat road.
Sources and how we priced this
- Distance, drive time and roads: OSRM driving route (router.project-osrm.org) from Bengaluru (12.9716, 77.5946) to Kodaikanal (10.24, 77.49), 12 November 2026; towns from OpenStreetMap Nominatim reverse lookups of points on the route, 12 November 2026.
- Trains: ConfirmTkt route listings, read 5 November 2026 for travel on 6 November, stops checked on erail.in; station road distances from OSRM, 5 November 2026 (see our Kodaikanal by train guide).
- Buses: ixigo overnight bus listing, 6 November 2026; coachbuildersindia bus timings (Palani to Kodaikanal, updated January 2026); The South First, Karnataka bus fare revision from 5 November (4 November 2026). No official KSRTC, TNSTC or SETC fare for Bengaluru to Kodaikanal was found.
- Fuel and tolls: petrol price in Bengaluru, ₹111.68 a litre on 11 November 2026 (Upstox fuel price page); mileage of 15 km a litre is our assumption. NHAI TIS (tis.nhai.gov.in) did not respond on 12 November 2026, so tolls were not checked.
- Stops, season and daily costs: Trip Under's Kodaikanal and Hogenakkal pages and our cost model.
Keep reading
Plan the days once you are there
Stays, food, the lake, the walks and what a weekend in Kodaikanal costs: see the full Kodaikanal page.
Open the Kodaikanal page →Fares and fuel prices are as read on the dates given and change often; check the live fare before you travel. Distances and drive times are routing estimates. Daily costs come from Trip Under's place data and cost model (see methodology). Trip Under is not an agency and takes no commission on any booking.