Drive from Bangalore to Chennai

Since we bought the i10, we had been to Chennai around 7 times. And 7 being my lucky number, I wanted to share some tips and learning for those deciding to travel to Chennai and back by car.

Well, the first decision to take as ever is the route. As you would know, Chittor route is the shortest, but then many parts are still under construction / conversion from 2 lane to 4 lane. So, its advisable to use the Hosur road.

The Route
Well, this is the route that I take mostly.

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Breakfast / Tiffin Options
Hosur - Meenakshi Bhavan (just beneath the Hosur Overpass)
Hosur - Vasanta Vihar (Gauri Shankar) behind Hosur old bus stand.
A2B (about 22 kms from Hosur towards Krishnagiri, near Chinnar)
Vellore (I don't know, but I avoid it as you need to go beneath the over passes at Vellore).

Where to Speed up ?
The section from Hosur to Krishnagiri is quite good, with lots of slopes (both up & down). The hassle in this stretch could be the lorries, that find it difficult to climb the slopes, and you might have to wait and zip past a couple of over friendly lorries.

From Krishnagiri, the road to Vellore is a run-way. One can easily do average speeds of over 90 kmph, with top speed of 130 kmph. You can find Ambur bit irritating, as there is no flyover here. There are atleast couple of traffic signals that takes about 2 mins each to cross. Once you cross Ambur, you can zip to Vellore at about 100 kmph average speed.

You will be greeted with as many as 7 over passes at Vellore - yes. All the intersections at Vellore have over passes, so if you wanna take a diversion to Katpadi or Arani or other places, then watch out for sign boards.

The road from Vellore to Kanchipuram intersection is quite good, but there would be slightly increased traffic, that requires all your skills to wade through the maze. The stretch from kanchipuram crossing to Sriperumbudur is a bit patchy I would say as the tar has melted and you can see the yellow & white lines curves on the road. As a result of this, you need to tighten your grip on the steering wheel a bit, to have more control.

As I say near Tambaram, I mostly take the road from Sriperumbudur to Tambaram. This stretch is approx. 22 kms, but takes atleast 45 mins to negotiate.

Attractions
The section from Hosur to Krishnagiri is very scenic with lots of lows and highs, that offers a breathtaking view from your driver seat.

There are lots of temples around Krishnagiri - Aravamudha Perumal temple, Kaatu Veera Anjaneya Temple, etc.

Once you reach Jolarpet, you can see the Yelagiri hills on the right (if you are travelling from Bangalore to Chennai). Take a moment to capture it if you want.

Near to Vellore, you have Sripuram & Ratnagiri. Sripuram is about 14 kms from the highway, whereas you can see the Ratnagiri temple from the highway itself.

Toll Gates
Electronic City - Rs. 35 (I avoid it when travelling towards Chennai, but take it on the return. You can zip past 12 kms in about 6 mins.)
Attibele - Rs. 20
Krishnagiri - Rs. 25
Vaniyambadi - Rs. 35
Pallikonda - Rs. 45
Walajapet - Rs. 25
Sriperumbudur - Rs. 25 (I can avoid it, as I take a detour before this toll towards Tambaram)

Time Chart
Silk board to Hosur ~30 mins
Hosur to Krishnagiri ~45 mins
Krishnagiri to Vellore ~75 mins
Vellore to Sriperumbudur ~60 mins

Photos
View the various Pics that I've taken on the highway.

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Get your own

Other Tips
1. Fill up the tank before embarking on a long journey, and check the tyre pressures.
2. The best time to drive is early mornings. Better start early by around 5:00 to 5:30, and you could have a smooth exit passage from the starting city.
3. If you are stopping on a highway, be sure that your car is completely off the tar (yellow line). Most of the Truck drivers drive on the extreme left, so beware.
4. Do not get too bothered about the attractions, pay attention to the road and the moving vehicles.