Getting There & Away -- There are flights connecting Madurai to Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Bangalore, and Mumbai. The airport is 12km (7 1/2 miles) south of the city center. For information about Jet Airways' daily flights, call tel. 0452/269-0771 through -0774; Air Deccan (www.flyairdeccan.net) also offers low-cost flights, but be prepared for delays. Trains from all over southern India pull in at Madurai Junction Railway Station (W. Veli St.; tel. 0452/274-3131). The train journey from Chennai is 8 hours (via Trichy); from Bangalore, 11 hours. From Pondicherry you'll need to catch a cab to Villipuram (30-min. drive) then travel for 6 hours by train. If you're traveling by car, it's best to overnight along the way, preferably in the Chettinad/Kodaikanal area. The drive between Madurai and Kochi in Kerala takes 8 hours; best to overnight in Munnar or the Periyar area.
Visitor Information -- Staff at the Government of Tamil Nadu Tourist Office (W. Veli St., next to the Tamil Nadu Hotel; tel. 0452/233-4757; www.maduraicity.com; Mon-Sat 10am-5:45pm) provides maps, advice on government-sponsored hotels and shops, and recommendations on guides. As elsewhere, beware of fake "official guides" you meet on the streets.
Getting Around -- Auto-rickshaw drivers tend to have a field day with foreign visitors; establish a flat rate before heading off.
Festivals -- Try to time your visit to coincide with the Chittrai Festival, held at the end of April/early May, when Shree Meenakshi's marriage to Lord Sundareswara is celebrated by dragging the divine couple from temple to temple on magnificent chariots, accompanied by elephants and drummers, with revelers reaching fever-pitch radiance. The couple is again heralded during the Teppam Festival (Float Festival), held sometime in January and February, when they are set afloat in the tank near the Thirupparankundram Temple. Another good time is during the Avanimoola Festival, held in late August through early September, when temple cars are heaved through the streets by hundreds of devotees.
