Ooty is a beautiful hill station located in Tamil Nadu and is popularly known as the “Queen of hill stations”. It was developed as a summer resort during the British colonial era and is now every traveler’s favorite spot for a peaceful experience. If you are thinking of immersing yourself in the beauty and tranquility of this pretty town, here’s how to reach it from various metro cities.
How To Reach Mumbai To Ooty
Reaching by flight
For a quicker and comfortable travel from Mumbai, you can take a flight to Coimbatore. Coimbatore International Airport is the nearest airport to Ooty, which is just 87 km away. Flight from Mumbai to Coimbatore will be a maximum of 2 hours long, and then you will have to take a taxi to Ooty from Coimbatore, which will take another 3 hours.
Avg flight cost: starting from INR 6000
Reaching by road
If you wish to take a road trip from Mumbai to Ooty, it is approximately 1,240 km away from Mumbai. It will take you about 18 to 23 hours to travel to Ooty by road from Mumbai, depending on the traffic and route. There are no buses available that take you directly to Ooty. You can opt for taking a bus to Bangalore and then a bus to Ooty from Bangalore.
Reaching by train
If you like train journeys or find them comparatively convenient, you can take a train from Mumbai to Bangalore or Coimbatore. The train journey takes about 20-23 hours, depending on the train that you book. You can take the Trivandrum Express, LTT CBE Express, and JBP CBE Special.
Next, from Bangalore or Coimbatore, you can take a bus or a taxi that will take you to Ooty. The nearest railway station to Ooty is Mettupalayam. Ooty and Mettupalayam are connected by the Nilgiri Mountains Railway, which covers a distance of 46 km.
How To Reach Ooty From Delhi
Reaching by flight
If you wish to arrive early, take a flight to Coimbatore from Ooty. The flight from Delhi to Coimbatore takes approximately 3 hours. The Coimbatore International Airport is about 82 km away from Ooty, so you will have to take a cab. This road journey will take about 2.5 to 3 hours. So the total journey time will be about 6 hours.
Avg flight cost: starting from INR 5000
Reaching by road
The driving distance from Delhi to Ooty is about 2,400 km to 2500 km, depending on the route that you take. If you decide to drive, know that it will take about 37-40 hours, which makes it a very long journey to cover. This estimated time comes after calculating a trip with continuous driving and no extended stops.
The roads are generally good, but the route near Bandipur and Madhumalai National Parks has restricted travel time from 8 pm to 6 am, so plan accordingly.
Reaching by train
The distance from Delhi to Coimbatore is about 2,600 km, which is 40 to 42 hours. After reaching Coimbatore, you will have to take a cab from Coimbatore to Ooty, or you can also take the train from Mettupalayam to Ooty by the Nilgiri Mountain Railways. You can book Kongu Express, Kerala Express, or even Millennium Express.
How To Reach Ooty From Bangalore
Reaching by flight
If you prefer travelling by flight, you can take a flight from Bangalore to Coimbatore. You can reach Coimbatore in 4-5 hours only if you take a direct flight. After reaching Coimbatore, you can take a cab to Ooty, which is a 2.5-3 hours journey.
Avg flight cost: starting from INR 3200
Reaching by road
Ooty is the nearest to Bangalore as it is only 270-280 kms away, as compared to other metro cities. It takes about 6 to 7 hours of travelling by road, which might vary depending on the number of stops and traffic.
The most common route is Bangalore-Mysore-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Ooty. Make sure that you start early so that you can cross the forest areas of Bandipur and Mudumalai before the night restrictions begin. The ideal time would be starting at 5 in the morning to avoid traffic and cover the distance in time.
Reaching by train
There are no direct trains to Ooty from Bangalore. If you want to go to Ooty by train, you must take a train to Coimbatore from Bangalore, which will take about 6 to 7 hours.
You must then cover the last leg that is travelling from Coimbatore to Ooty by toy train, which is by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. This is a 3 to 4-hour scenic journey, which is known as one of the most scenic journeys in India.
How To Reach Ooty From Pune
Reaching by flight
Ooty does not have an airport for commercial flights, so you have to fly down to Coimbatore from Pune. A flight from Pune to Coimbatore will take only 1 hour and 40 minutes. After reaching Coimbatore, you can take a bus or a cab to Ooty, which will take another 2.5-3 hours.
Avg flight cost: starting from INR 5000
Reaching by road
If you want to take a road trip from Pune to Ooty, it will take about 16-19 hours, covering about 1020-1050 km of distance. If you follow the highway, this road trip will take you through cities like Kolhapur, Belgaum, Mysore, and finally Ooty. The last stretch has hilly roads with hairpin turns, so be careful.
Reaching by train
There are no direct trains to Ooty from Pune. So, to go to Ooty from Pune, you need to take a train from Coimbatore. It will take around 23-29 hours to reach Ooty from Pune. There are about 4 trains from Pune to Coimbatore, with 2 of them running daily, like Trivandrum Express and Kanyakumari Express. After reaching Coimbatore, you can take a cab to Ooty, which is a journey of approximately 3 hours.
Weather, Best Time To Visit, and More
Ooty looks and feels the best from March to June and then from September to November. These are the best months to travel to this scenic heaven on earth.
Ooty’s weather is pleasant all year round, but during the above-mentioned months, it is warm during the days and cooler by night with occasional rains. From the month of October, you can expect the temperature to drop and get quite chilly.
If you are travelling by flight or live in Bangalore, Ooty can be the perfect spot for a long weekend getaway. Otherwise, a 3-5 day itinerary is enough to explore this wonderful hill station.
Summing up
Now that you have the whole guide on how to reach Ooty, no matter which city you are travelling from or what mode of transport you want to take, make sure you visit Ooty ASAP!
