Coimbatore, locally Kovai, is not a city that sells itself on monuments. It is a mill and workshop town that grew up beside the Noyyal river and the Palakkad Gap, and is known as the Manchester of South India for its cotton industry and as the Pump City for its motor and pump makers. What it offers visitors is a calm, well-run base with the Western Ghats on its western edge, and a ring of temples, waterfalls and forest within an hour's drive.
The region has a long past. It was held in turn by the Cheras, Cholas, Vijayanagara, the Madurai Nayaks and Mysore before the British took it into the Madras Presidency in 1799. Two of its oldest places of worship, the Perur Pateeswarar temple on the Noyyal and the Marudamalai hill temple, still anchor local religious life, and the city's industrial families left behind museums, a car collection and a forest museum dating from 1902.
The sensible way to plan Coimbatore is by direction. Marudamalai, Perur and the Isha Yoga Centre with its Adiyogi bust lie to the west. The Gass Forest Museum and the Gedee Car Museum are in town. Kovai Kutralam falls and the Anamalai hills are forest-department country and need a car and an early start. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway begins at Mettupalayam, about 45 km to the north, and Ooty has its own page on Raahzo, so here it is only a day-trip option.
For parents and older travellers, the city is easier than most in South India. The weather is moderate for most of the year, the airport is close, hospitals are good, and the food is mostly vegetarian and gentle. The things to plan around are steps at hill temples, noise and crowds at festival times, and the rain of October and November.
Before you plan
Coimbatore at a glance
- Best months
- December to February is the most…December to February is the most comfortable and driest. June to September is mild and breezy. March to May is hot, and October and November bring the heaviest rain.
- Ideal trip length
- 2 to 3 days for the city and its temples2 to 3 days for the city and its temples; add a day for the Anamalai hills or Mettupalayam and the Nilgiri hills
- Airport
- Coimbatore International AirportCoimbatore International Airport (CJB) at Peelamedu, about 10 km from the city centre
- Railway station
- Coimbatore JunctionCoimbatore Junction (CBE) on State Bank Road is the main station; Coimbatore North and Podanur are the other junctions
- Getting around
- App cabsApp cabs, autos and a private car with driver; city buses are frequent but crowded. A car is the practical way to reach the temples and falls.
- Daily budget
- Moderate by Indian city standards:…Moderate by Indian city standards: vegetarian meals are inexpensive, and a car with driver for out-of-town days is the biggest variable cost
- Senior comfort
- Good in townGood in town; hill temples and waterfalls involve steps or short forest walks, but vehicles or shuttles reach most of the way up
- Language
- Tamil locallyTamil locally; English is understood in hotels, shops and at major sights
Prices, opening hours and weather change. Recheck live details before booking.
Best time to visit Coimbatore: January, February, December. Month-by-month weather →
How many days do you have?
Coimbatore itinerary
One good day
1 day in Coimbatore
Start early at Marudamalai and take the vehicle road or shuttle rather than the long stairway, then see the view over the city from the hill. Drive to Perur Pateeswarar temple on the Noyyal for its carved halls, ideally before the midday closing break. Have a vegetarian lunch at one of the Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowrishankar restaurants and rest. In the afternoon, visit the Gedee Car Museum on Avinashi Road or the Gass Forest Museum on Cowley Brown Road, both indoor and level. Finish with a stroll along Oppanakara Street if you want cloth and gold, or an early dinner.
Two days
2 days in Coimbatore
Begin with Marudamalai in the morning light, then continue to Perur Pateeswarar temple. Have lunch and rest in town. In the late afternoon, visit Eachanari Vinayagar temple on the Pollachi road, which suits a short, easy stop.
Day-by-day plan →Three unhurried days
3 days in Coimbatore
Do Marudamalai at opening time, then Perur Pateeswarar temple. Take a long lunch and a rest, then drive out to Eachanari Vinayagar temple at the end of the afternoon.
