Chennai to Kanchipuram by Force Urbania

Seventy-five kilometres and a little over two hours on flat highway, assuming a reasonable start. The road is easy throughout; the time you lose is in Chennai's own traffic if you leave late.

Before half past six. Most temples in Kanchipuram close for several hours around midday, so an early start is not about beating traffic — it is about how many temples you actually get inside. Leaving at nine typically costs you two of them.

Three or four properly, if you start early and accept the midday closing. Attempting all the major ones in a single day produces a group that has seen a lot of gopurams from the outside. We would rather plan four well than seven badly.

Not usually. The streets around the major shrines are narrow, crowded and effectively one-way regardless of the signage. The chauffeur drops at the nearest workable point and holds in a designated area, so expect a short walk at each temple.

No. The route stays within Tamil Nadu throughout, so no interstate permit applies. Tolls on the Bengaluru highway as far as the Kanchipuram turn are charged at actuals against receipts.

It fits the day well, because the weaving cooperatives are open through the midday hours when the temples are not. They sit on the edge of town rather than in the congested centre, so the vehicle can get close.

More than people expect — a short walk to each temple from where the vehicle can stop, then a good deal of walking inside large complexes, on stone that is hot underfoot in the afternoon. Tell us if anyone in the group has difficulty walking; it changes which temples we would suggest.

The town transforms. Crowds swell, and the streets around the major temples close to vehicles entirely, which pushes the drop point much further out. It is still a good day, just a different one. Check the calendar before fixing a date, and tell us so we can plan the drop.

Yes, and it makes a natural two-day temple circuit from Chennai rather than two separate day trips. What does not work is both in one day — you would arrive at Tiruvannamalai with the light going and the temple about to close.

The 13 seater for most groups. The highway suits any of the three, but the narrow temple streets favour the shorter vehicle, and on a day with four or five stops that difference is felt every time.

October to February. April to June is hot, and it matters more here than the air temperature suggests because temple courtyards are stone underfoot and you walk them barefoot.

It is, provided the walking is planned for. The drive is short and easy, there is no climb or altitude, and the day has natural breaks built into it by the midday closing. It is the temple circuit we would suggest first for a group with older relatives.