Chennai → Kochi
Chennai to Kochi is about 700 km by road (12.0–14.8 hours via Salem and Thrissur), with a one-way fuel cost of about ₹4,853 for a petrol car.
Distance check: OpenStreetMap routing gives 698 km.
Last updated:
Chennai to Kochi at a glance
- Distance
- ~700 km
- Drive time
- 12.0–14.8 h
- Fuel estimate
- ₹4,853
- Toll allowance
- ₹1,400
- Fuel + tolls
- ₹6,253
- Per person · 2 travellers
- ₹3,127
About these numbers: petrol ₹104/litre (17 Sep 2026) at 15 km/litre; ₹2/km toll allowance, not verified against NHAI rates. Map data © OpenStreetMap. Method · Report an error
Chennai to Kochi route
Chennai → Salem → Thrissur → Kochi
Not on the mapped road: Erode, Kanchipuram, Palakkad (see distances below).
Road: NH48 · SH129 · NH38 · SH9 · MDR252 · SH6 · NH179B · MDR1241 · MDR328A
Towns on the way
- Kanchipuram ↗ · ~7 km off the mapped road
- Salem ↗ · ~4 km off the mapped road
- Erode ↗ · ~10 km off the mapped road
- Palakkad ↗ · ~7 km off the mapped road
- Thrissur ↗ · ~5 km off the mapped road
Crosses from Tamil Nadu into Kerala (ask taxis about permit charges).
Weather in Kochi
Forecast: MET Norway, CC BY 4.0
Bus, train & flight
Bus
State bus operators: TNSTC ↗ · Kerala RTC ↗.
Train
- Chennai: Chennai Central
- Kochi: Ernakulam Junction
Flight options
- Chennai: Chennai International Airport (MAA)
- Kochi: Cochin International Airport (COK)
Things to do in Kochi
- Shopping: Jew Town antiques · Broadway Market
- With children: Kerala Folklore Museum
- For adults: Kathakali dance show
Local food to try: Kerala fish curry · Appam with stew.
Best time to travel
Suggested season: Oct–Mar.
Return trip: Kochi to Chennai
Same 700 km back, about ₹6,253 each way or ₹12,507 for the round trip.