Bangalore to Mysuru, about 160 km
The Mysuru road is the easiest drive out of Bengaluru: ten-lane expressway most of the way, and about three hours door to door outside peak hours. Most families leave at six in the morning, do the Palace and Chamundi Hill, and are back the same night. If you want Brindavan Gardens and the musical fountain as well, stay the night, because the fountain runs in the evening and the drive back afterwards is long. A hatchback is enough for a couple with cabin bags. Four adults with suitcases should take the Ertiga, because the Wagon R boot takes one bag. Srirangapatna, Ranganathittu bird sanctuary and the Tipu Sultan summer palace all sit on the same road and add little to the running time, so tell the office when you book and the driver plans for them.
Bangalore to Coorg, about 265 km
Madikeri is five and a half hours away and the last forty kilometres are ghat road with tight hairpins, so this is not a trip for a tired driver or a car with bald tyres. Our drivers on the Coorg route run it regularly and know where the road narrows. Two nights works better than one: a single night means roughly eleven hours of driving around one short day. Abbey Falls, Raja Seat, Dubare elephant camp and the Talacauvery temple are the usual circuit, and a round trip suits it because you want the car waiting while you move between estates and homestays. Many Coorg homestays sit down unsurfaced lanes; an Ertiga or an Innova handles those far better than a hatchback.
Bangalore to Ooty, about 249 km
Ooty takes six and a half hours because of the Bandipur and Mudumalai stretch, where there is a night traffic ban between 9 PM and 6 AM and a strict speed limit through the forest. Plan to clear that section in daylight. The climb from Gudalur is thirty-six hairpins and a heavier vehicle rides it far more comfortably than a small hatchback, so most groups take the Ertiga or the Innova. Three nights is the comfortable minimum. Coonoor, Doddabetta, the botanical garden and the Nilgiri toy train fill the days, and the toy train needs booking well ahead in season.
Bangalore to Chikmagalur, about 245 km
Five hours to the coffee country, and the best months are right after the monsoon when the estates are green and the Mullayanagiri road is clear. Mullayanagiri is the highest peak in Karnataka and the last stretch to the summit is a narrow single lane with passing places, which is worth knowing before you book a Tempo Traveller for it. Baba Budangiri, Hebbe Falls and Kemmanagundi are the usual additions. Hebbe Falls needs a jeep for the final leg, which you hire locally; your TravelMax driver waits at the estate gate.
Bangalore to Tirupati, about 264 km
Five hours on good highway, and most people do it overnight: leave Bengaluru around ten at night, reach Tirupati before dawn, take darshan and drive back the same day. That is a long day for one driver, so the fare includes a night allowance and we plan the rest stops. Book the darshan slot yourself before you book the cab, because the slot sets the timing of everything else. An Innova suits this trip better than a sedan simply because people sleep in the car on the way up.
Bangalore to Wayanad, about 280 km
Six hours through Bandipur and Muthanga, both with the same night traffic ban, so the practical window is a morning start. Wayanad is spread out, with Edakkal caves, Banasura Sagar dam, Soochipara falls and Chembra peak sitting well apart from one another, which is why a round trip with the car staying with you works better here than anywhere else on this list. Edakkal involves a steep walk from the vehicle point. Kerala charges an interstate permit, which appears on your bill as state tax and is paid on actuals.
Anywhere else in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana or Goa is quoted the same way: distance times the per-km rate for your vehicle, plus the driver allowance. Put the route into the booking form and the fare comes back for every vehicle at once.
