Thanjavur Tour Packages from Coimbatore

How far is Thanjavur from Coimbatore?

Thanjavur is about 290 km from Coimbatore by road, a drive of around 6 hours. The route goes through Trichy (Tiruchirappalli), which is 56 km west of Thanjavur. The coimbatore to thanjavur distance is about 290 km, and the thanjavur to coimbatore distance on the way home is the same.

That makes Thanjavur a full travel day each way, not a day trip. In our 3 day Thanjavur Kumbakonam plan we leave Coimbatore early, so you reach Thanjavur after lunch and still see the palace and the Brihadisvara Temple on the first evening. The nearest airport is Tiruchirappalli, according to Thanjavur's Wikipedia page.

Thanjavur tour packages from Coimbatore: how many days

Three days and two nights is the shortest sensible Thanjavur trip from Coimbatore, at ₹11,700 per person. Longer plans fold Thanjavur into a Chola, Madurai or coastal circuit. One price covers the AC vehicle, driver, fuel, toll, parking and the hotel. Meals, entry tickets and personal expenses are extra.

The Madurai Rameswaram Thanjavur Trichy plan has a wide range, from ₹13,800 to ₹35,000 per person. The spread comes from group size, hotel category and dates, so we quote for your party. If you want the south and the sea, the 5 day Madurai Rameswaram Thanjavur Trichy plan is the better fit. If you want the east coast and the shore temples, take the 5 day Thanjavur Pondicherry Mahabalipuram plan.

What to see in Thanjavur

The main sight is the Brihadisvara Temple, built by the Chola emperor Rajaraja I between 1003 and 1010 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The Thanjavur Palace is a kilometre away. Together they fill an afternoon, and the temple is best seen when the granite is warm in the late light.

• Brihadisvara Temple. The granite vimana tower is one of the tallest in South India. The temple has one of the largest Shiva lingas in India, which is what people mean when they search for the Thanjavur big temple Shiva lingam. The octagonal dome on top rests on a single block of granite weighing about 80 tons, according to Wikipedia. It is part of the Great Living Chola Temples group.
• Thanjavur Palace. The district page puts it 1 km from the temple. The walls date to the 14th century. It was built partly by the Nayaks and partly by the Marathas, and the royal family's Chandramauleeshwarar Temple stands inside.
• Schwartz Church. Raja Serfoji built it beside the Sivaganga Tank in 1779.
• Darasuram. The Airavateswara Temple was built by Rajaraja II in the 12th century. It is on the Kumbakonam side, so our Kumbakonam plan visits it on day 2.
• Swamimalai. One of the six abodes of Lord Murugan. The village is also known for bronze idols, and our plan includes a bronze-casting workshop.

Thanjavur is also known for Thanjavur painting, a style unique to the region, and the city is called the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu because it sits in the Cauvery delta. Temple opening hours and darshan timings change with the day and festival, so we confirm them for your date when we quote.

Combine Thanjavur with nearby Chola towns

Kumbakonam is the natural second stop. See our Kumbakonam page for Darasuram and Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Trichy is on the road from Coimbatore, so a Trichy stop costs little extra time. For the south, link Thanjavur with Madurai and Rameswaram. For the coast, add Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram. The Tamil Nadu page lists every temple circuit.