Tamil Nadu, India Travel Guide: Best Places to Visit, Food & Travel Tips

I still remember the moment my train pulled out of Chennai and the air changed — thicker, warmer, smelling faintly of jasmine and diesel. That was my first real taste of Tamil Nadu, and over the weeks that followed, I fell hard for it. This is a state that doesn't do anything by halves. The temples aren't just old, they're towering, centuries-old Chola-era structures carved with a level of detail that stops you mid-sentence. The hill stations — Ooty, Kodaikanal, the whole Nilgiri stretch — sit wrapped in tea gardens and cool mist that feels like a different country altogether. And then there's the coast: over a thousand kilometers of it, from fishing villages to temple towns right on the water.

What surprised me most wasn't the monuments, though — it was how alive everything still is. Tamil is one of the oldest languages spoken anywhere in the world, and you feel that history everywhere, not just in museums but in daily life: temple rituals, street food stalls, the way people still greet you. If you're planning a Tamil Nadu trip, this is the state where ancient South India and modern India sit side by side without either one feeling staged. Add in Chettinad cooking — some of the best, boldest food I've had in India — and you've got a destination that rewards slow travel far more than a rushed checklist ever could.

History

Tamil Nadu's history isn't something I learned from a plaque — I mostly picked it up sideways, standing under buildings or eating lunch next to them. It goes back more than two thousand years, to what historians call the Sangam period, when three Tamil dynasties — Chera, Chola, and Pandya — ran different parts of the region and kept busy ports trading with Rome, Greece, and Southeast Asia. I didn't really get what that meant until I stopped at a small museum near Poompuhar and saw actual Roman coins pulled out of the ground there, from a harbor that doesn't even exist anymore.

Then the Cholas took over, and honestly, this is the part of the story that changes how you look at every temple afterward. Between roughly the 9th and 13th centuries they built temples on a scale that's hard to process even standing right in front of one. The Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur got me — it's part of what UNESCO now lists as the Great Living Chola Temples, and there's still debate about exactly how workers got that 80-ton granite capstone to the top without cranes. Nobody's fully agreed on the answer. Meanwhile the same dynasty had a navy strong enough to project power across the Indian Ocean, which is an odd thing to sit with while you're in a quiet rice-farming town hours from the nearest coastline.

The look most people associate with South Indian temples — the tall, brightly painted gateway towers, the pillared halls you wander through before reaching the sanctum — mostly isn't Chola at all. That came later, under the Vijayanagara Empire and the Nayak governors who followed them. I only found this out by accident, arguing with a guide in Madurai who patiently explained that the gopuram I was busy photographing was a good three centuries newer than the temple's original core.

Then the story takes a sharp turn. European trading companies showed up on the coast in the 1600s, and in 1639 the British East India Company planted itself at Fort St. George, in what was then called Madras. That fort grew into the administrative center of the Madras Presidency, and you can still walk its grounds today — one of the oldest British colonial structures in the country, oddly out of place next to temples ten times its age. After independence, and after India reorganized its states along language lines in 1956, the region settled into roughly its current shape, and by 1969 it had its current name: Tamil Nadu.

None of this reads like closed history once you're actually there, though. Carnatic music concerts still fill halls in Chennai every December. Temple festivals still run on calendars set generations ago. In a small town called Swamimalai, I watched a craftsman cast a bronze idol using the lost-wax method his family's used for something like a thousand years — he barely looked up while he talked me through it, like it was just Tuesday.

Best Time to Visit

If someone asks me when to go, I always say the same thing: November through February, no contest. I made the mistake of ignoring that advice once and landed in Madurai in late April — the kind of heat where you step outside and immediately regret every decision that led you there. Winter is different. Days sit somewhere around 20–30°C, the humidity backs off, and suddenly walking around a temple complex for three hours doesn't feel like a punishment.

Why I Keep Coming Back in Winter

Part of it is just comfort — you can actually spend a full day outdoors, wandering through heritage sites or driving the coast roads, without needing to duck into shade every twenty minutes. But the timing lines up with things I'd hate to miss. Chennai's Music Season hits every December, when the city fills with Carnatic concerts happening in courtyards, halls, even someone's living room if you know where to look. Then in mid-January there's Pongal, the harvest festival, and if you're anywhere near a Tamil household during it, you'll probably get pulled into the celebrations whether you planned to or not — I certainly wasn't planning on it the year it happened to me.

October's worth a mention too, even though most guides skip past it. The monsoon's tapering off, there's a breeze that wasn't there a month earlier, and the crowds haven't arrived yet — you get some of winter's calm without quite all the polish.

Summer, March through May, is a different story entirely. Inland the temperature climbs past 40°C, and it's the kind of heat that just sits on you all day. The one exception is the hill country — Ooty and Kodaikanal stay cool enough to be worth a trip even in peak summer, which is why so many people from Chennai head up there to escape it. And I should mention the northeast monsoon, which technically runs October through December and does bring the rain the eastern coast depends on — but a few afternoons of localized flooding or a delayed bus is usually the worst of it, not something that should keep you from booking the trip.

Things to Do and See

1. Boat through Pichavaram Mangrove Forest

I wasn't prepared for how quiet it gets out here. Near Chidambaram, Pichavaram is the world's second-largest mangrove forest, and once your boatman cuts the flat-bottom boat into one of the narrow canals, the sound just drops away — no traffic, no crowds, just water lapping against thousands of tangled Rhizophora roots forming natural tunnels overhead. There are over 4,400 canals threading through the place, and if you go early enough, you'll share them with herons, storks, and whatever migratory bird happens to be passing through that season.

2. Explore Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai

Nothing quite prepares you for walking into Meenakshi Amman for the first time. Fourteen gopurams rise around the complex, each one crammed with carved figures painted in colors that shouldn't work together but somehow do. I spent close to an hour just wandering the Hall of a Thousand Pillars, the Ayiram Kaal Mandapam, before I even got near the sanctum dedicated to Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. This isn't a museum piece — it's a working temple, and that's exactly what makes it overwhelming in the best way.

3. Visit Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur

The Big Temple, as everyone in Thanjavur calls it, is the kind of structure that makes you stop talking mid-sentence. Raja Raja Chola I built it entirely from granite back in the 11th century, and the vimana climbs 216 feet, capped by a single stone weighing somewhere around 80 tons — nobody's entirely sure how workers got it up there without modern equipment. It's one of the Great Living Chola Temples recognized by UNESCO, and standing at its base, you get why.

4. Trek to Doddabetta Peak, Ooty

Doddabetta is the highest point in the Nilgiris at 2,637 meters, and the climb up rewards you with exactly what you'd hope for — tea plantations rolling out in every direction, eucalyptus groves, and the protected folds of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve stretching into the haze. Go early. The mist tends to roll in by mid-morning and swallow the whole view whether you're ready for it or not.

5. Sunrise at Kanyakumari Beach

This is mainland India's southern tip, where three seas — the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean — meet, and watching the sun come up over that meeting point is worth the early alarm. From the rocky shore you can see the 133-foot statue of Thiruvalluvar and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial sitting just offshore, both lit up gold as the light changes. I stood there longer than I meant to.

6. Attend a Bharatanatyam performance at Kalakshetra, Chennai

Kalakshetra isn't just a venue — it's an institution, founded in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale specifically to keep Bharatanatyam alive in its traditional form. Classes still happen outdoors under banyan trees, the way they always have, and if you catch a performance, you're watching something that's been passed down almost exactly as it was taught a century ago.

7. Explore the Government Museum, Chennai

The Egmore Museum has been around since 1851, and while the whole complex is worth a wander, it's the Bronze Gallery that stops people in their tracks — room after room of Chola-era lost-wax bronzes, including some of the finest Nataraja sculptures anywhere in the world. I went in expecting to spend twenty minutes. I left almost two hours later.

8. Walk Coaker's Walk and Pillar Rocks, Kodaikanal

Coaker's Walk is a narrow paved path cut into a mountain ridge, and on a clear morning it opens up views straight down to the southern plains. From there it's a short trip to Pillar Rocks — three granite formations rising 122 meters straight up, usually half-wrapped in mist by the time you arrive, which somehow makes them look even taller.

9. Take a Chettinad cooking class, Sivaganga district

I signed up for this half out of curiosity and left with a completely different understanding of Indian food. Inside a restored 19th-century Chettinad mansion, you learn to roast and grind whole spices by hand — star anise, kalpasi, maratti mokku — using stone tools that have been doing the job for generations. It's slower than any cooking I'd done before, and the flavor difference is impossible to miss once you taste it.

10. Sunset at Vattakottai Fort, Kanyakumari district

Vattakottai is an 18th-century granite fort built during the Travancore Kingdom's rule, and it's easy to have almost entirely to yourself at sunset. Climb up onto the ramparts and you get the ocean stretching out on one side and the misty green edge of the Western Ghats on the other — one of those spots where you just sit for a while and don't bother checking your phone.

Food & Dining

Nobody warned me how much of Tamil Nadu you learn through its food. Almost everything traces back to a handful of staples — short-grain rice, black gram, coconut cracked open the same morning you eat it, tamarind for that sour edge, and spices that get roasted and ground fresh rather than pulled off a shelf. Sesame oil and ghee do most of the heavy lifting in the kitchen. Breakfast tends to be steamed and light, dinner can turn into a full multi-course spread served on a banana leaf, and none of it feels random — meals here still follow the rhythm of harvest seasons and old Ayurvedic logic about what your body needs and when.

Must-Try Local Dishes

1. Idli – The first thing I ate in Tamil Nadu, and still what I miss most. These fermented rice-and-lentil cakes come out impossibly soft, steamed rather than fried, and they're built for coconut chutney and a ladle of hot sambar poured right over.
2. Medu Vada – Deep-fried lentil fritters with a crackly golden shell and a soft, peppery middle — ginger, curry leaves, and whole black pepper doing most of the work. Best eaten hot, straight off the pan, before the crunch fades.
3. Dosa – A paper-thin, fermented rice-and-urad-dal crepe that somehow manages to be crisp at the edges and tender in the center. I usually go for the masala version, stuffed with spiced potato, but a plain dosa with good chutney needs nothing else.
4. Ven Pongal – A savory breakfast of rice and moong dal cooked down soft, finished with ghee, black pepper, cumin, ginger, and a scatter of cashews. Comfort food in the most literal sense — this is what people make when they want something gentle.
5. Sambar – The lentil stew that shows up at nearly every meal, tangy from tamarind and built around drumsticks, shallots, and a spice powder that's roasted fresh rather than bought pre-mixed. Every household seems to have its own version, and everyone insists theirs is the right one.
6. Rasam – Thin, peppery, and sharp with tomato, tamarind, garlic, and crushed coriander. I've had it sipped on its own like a broth and poured over rice — either way, it's the dish people reach for when they're not feeling well, and it works.
7. Chettinad Chicken – This is where Chettinad cooking shows off. Chicken braised in a paste of roasted dried red chilies, black pepper, fennel, and kalpasi — that stone flower spice that gives the dish its smoky, unmistakable edge. Not a mild dish, and not meant to be.
8. Kozhi Varuval – Dry-roasted chicken, marinated first in ginger-garlic paste and crushed red chilies, then pan-fried with fennel seed and curry leaves until the edges char slightly. Order it as a side and it'll probably outshine the main.
9. Paruppu Usili – A dry, crumbly dish made from steamed chana and tuvar dal, stir-fried with cluster beans or banana flower. It doesn't look like much on the plate, but the texture and mild spicing make it one of those dishes that grows on you fast.
10. Thayir Sadam (Curd Rice) – Rice mashed soft into fresh yogurt, tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilies, and ginger. This is what ends the meal in most Tamil households — cooling, simple, and after a spicy Chettinad dish, exactly what you want.

Shopping

I didn't plan on shopping much in Tamil Nadu, and then I ended up needing an extra bag to get everything home. That's kind of the pattern here — the state has some of India's oldest weaving and metalworking traditions still running, not as a museum display but as actual working trades, and it shows the moment you step into a bazaar near any major temple. Beyond the market stalls, there are also government-run craft cooperatives worth seeking out, where the pricing is fairer to the artisans and you're not stuck guessing whether you got a good deal.

Popular Things to Buy

• Kanchipuram Silk Sarees: I watched one being woven in Kanchipuram and it took the weaver nearly a week for a single piece — pure mulberry silk shot through with real gold and silver zari, worked into those unmistakable temple-border patterns. Not cheap, but you understand why the moment you see the loom.
• Tanjore Paintings: These panel paintings still use the old method — gold leaf, glass beads, and semi-precious stones set into wood, usually depicting deities. Even a small one has real weight to it, both literally and in the amount of work packed in.
• Madurai Jasmine (Malligai): The smell hits you before you even reach the flower market. Madurai's jasmine has a GI tag for a reason — something about the local soil makes the aroma stronger than jasmine grown almost anywhere else, and vendors sell it by the yard, strung into garlands.
• Chettinad Bronzeware: Heavy, hand-cast brass and bronze pieces — cooking vessels, wide uruli basins, the tall kuthu vilakku oil lamps you see in temple homes. These are built to outlast whoever buys them.
• Arani Silk: Less famous than Kanchipuram silk but worth seeking out — Arani sarees are lighter, with that distinctive two-tone body color, and honestly more comfortable to wear for a full day than some of the heavier silks.
• Thanjavur Handloom Cotton: Soft, breathable, hand-loomed cotton with simple traditional borders — this is what I actually reach for now that I'm back home in Tamil Nadu's heat-appropriate climate, or really any warm-weather day.
• Karaikudi Wooden Furniture: Old Chettinad mansions get slowly dismantled or restored, and pieces of them — teak doors, carved rosewood panels, whole chairs — end up in Karaikudi's furniture shops. Buying one feels a bit like taking home a piece of someone else's family history.
• Mango Pickles (Maanga Oorugai): I bought a jar thinking it'd last the trip. It didn't survive the week. Raw green mango, cold-pressed sesame oil, mustard seeds, and enough chili to make it interesting — this is the pickle everyone's grandmother supposedly makes better than the shops.
• Filter Coffee Powder: If you've had South Indian filter coffee even once, you'll want to bring the powder home — a dark roast of Arabica and Robusta blended with chicory, made specifically for that strong, slightly bitter degree coffee.
• Sandalwood Products: Government cooperatives sell certified pure sandalwood — oil, soap, small hand-carved pieces — which matters here since sandalwood sourcing can otherwise get murky. Worth buying from the official outlets rather than a random stall.
• Temple Jewellery (Gold): Bold, elaborate gold pieces set with rubies, emeralds, and pearls, modeled on the ornaments temple deities themselves wear. Even if you're not buying, it's worth browsing a shop just to see the craftsmanship up close.
• Kolam Powder: Simple white rice flour, but watch any doorstep at sunrise and you'll see someone turning it into an intricate geometric pattern freehand. I picked some up thinking I'd try it myself. Turns out it's harder than it looks.

Nearby Attractions

Tamil Nadu's location makes it a decent base for wandering further out, and I ended up doing exactly that more than once when I'd already covered the main circuit. About two hours south of Chennai on the East Coast Road, you hit Puducherry — still carrying its French colonial layout, quiet promenades along the water, and Auroville sitting just outside town, which is its own strange, worthwhile detour. Head west instead and you cross into Kerala, where Munnar's tea estates climb into cooler air, or Wayanad gives you a real shot at spotting wild elephants. Northwest gets you to Mysuru in Karnataka, all palaces and sandalwood shops, and if you go north into Andhra Pradesh, Tirupati is waiting — one of the most-visited pilgrimage sites anywhere in the world, and worth seeing even if you're not going for religious reasons.

• Puducherry: A former French colonial port town just south of Chennai — good for a slow day or two of wandering, coffee, and the seafront.
• Munnar: Kerala's tea country, up in the hills, where the air actually gets cold enough to need a jacket.
• Wayanad: Also in Kerala — dense forest, wildlife sanctuaries, and one of the better spots in South India to see elephants in the wild.
• Mysuru: A Karnataka city built around royal history — palaces, markets, and sandalwood everywhere you look.
• Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh's hill shrine and one of the busiest pilgrimage destinations on the planet — go early if you want to beat the crowds.

Travel Options

By Road / Car / Bike

Driving in Tamil Nadu turned out to be easier than I expected, mostly because the highway network is genuinely well kept. NH 44 runs the length of the state, connecting Hosur down through Salem, Madurai, and all the way to Kanyakumari, while NH 48 handles the Bangalore-to-Chennai stretch. My favorite drive by far was the East Coast Road — the ECR, officially NH 332A — which hugs the coastline from Chennai down past Puducherry and keeps going toward Kanyakumari. If you're heading up to Ooty or Kodaikanal, though, do yourself a favor and hire a driver instead of self-driving. Those ghat roads twist constantly, and after the fifteenth hairpin bend I was glad it wasn't me behind the wheel. FASTag works at every toll plaza now, so you won't be fumbling for cash, but keep your license, registration, insurance, and international permit (if you're coming from abroad) somewhere easy to reach — you will get asked.

By Train

Trains are honestly the backbone of getting around here, and once you get the hang of booking through IRCTC, they're hard to beat. Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore handle most of the long-distance traffic, with Madurai Junction, Coimbatore Junction, and Tiruchirappalli Junction covering the rest of the state. The Vande Bharat and Shatabdi Express trains connect Chennai to Coimbatore, Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Tirunelveli fast enough that I stopped bothering with flights for those routes. But the ride I actually remember is the Nilgiri Mountain Railway — the old UNESCO-listed toy train that climbs from Mettupalayam up to Ooty through Coonoor, slow enough that you can watch the landscape change from plains to pine forest in real time. One warning from experience: book well ahead if you're traveling anywhere near Pongal or Deepavali, because tickets vanish fast during those weeks.

By Air

Chennai International handles most of the state's international traffic, with direct and connecting flights reaching across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. But I've flown into Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, and Madurai too, and all three run solid domestic schedules along with a handful of international routes to the Gulf and Southeast Asia — useful if Chennai isn't convenient for where you're actually headed. IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet cover most of the daily routes between cities. Once you land, getting into town is straightforward — Chennai has its metro and suburban rail lines right at the airport, and ride-hailing apps work everywhere else.

By Bus

Buses aren't glamorous, but they get you almost anywhere in the state, and Tamil Nadu's network — run through TNSTC and SETC — covers all 38 districts. Chennai's Koyambedu bus terminus, CMBT, is where most of that traffic funnels through, and it's one of the largest bus stations in South Asia, which becomes obvious the moment you walk in and see how many platforms are running at once. For longer overnight hauls between Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore, or across state lines to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, or Kochi, private operators run AC Volvo and sleeper coaches that are honestly more comfortable than I expected. Book these through TNSTC's site or one of the usual ticketing apps, and you'll save yourself the chaos of trying to buy in person.

Accommodation

I've stayed at both ends of the spectrum in Tamil Nadu — a converted merchant mansion in Chettinad one week, a no-frills business hotel near a train station the next — and the range here genuinely surprised me. Along the Coromandel Coast you'll find proper beachfront resorts and heritage palaces, while up in the Nilgiris there are old colonial tea bungalows that still feel like they belong to another century. Whatever your budget or itinerary, there's usually something that fits without much compromise.

Top 10 Recommended Accommodations

1. The Leela Palace Chennai – I remember stepping into the lobby here and being genuinely stopped by the scale of it — South Indian architectural details worked into every corner, ocean views from the rooms, and dining that holds its own against anywhere else in the city. This is where you stay when you want Chennai's coastline to actually feel like a highlight, not an afterthought.
2. Taj Coromandel, Chennai – A properly old-school five-star, tucked into Nungambakkam, and one of those hotels that's been doing hospitality long enough to make it look effortless. The regional restaurants alone are worth planning a dinner around.
3. Hyatt Regency Chennai – Solid, modern, and centrally placed on Anna Salai — I'd pick this one on a work trip or any stay where I wanted reliable comfort over character.
4. Vivanta Coimbatore – Right in the commercial center of Coimbatore, which makes it easy if you're there for business, but the regional food more than makes up for the fairly standard rooms.
5. The Raintree, St. Mary's Road, Chennai – This is the one I'd recommend to anyone who wants a hotel that actually tries with sustainability rather than just claiming it. Rooftop dinners here, with Alwarpet's heritage streets close enough to walk, made for one of my better evenings in Chennai.
6. The Savoy - IHCL SeleQtions, Ooty – Staying here felt like stepping into a different era entirely — a genuinely old colonial property with gardens so well kept they don't feel real. If you want the Nilgiris' colonial past to be part of the stay itself, this is it.
7. The Carlton, Kodaikanal – Wake up, open the balcony, and Kodai Lake is right there. I spent more time than planned just sitting on the lawns watching the mist move across the water.
8. Sterling Ooty Elk Hill – Set up above the main town, which means the valley views come free with every room. Good pick if you're traveling with family and want space along with the scenery.
9. The Gateway Hotel Pasumalai Madurai – Up on Pasumalai Hill, away from Madurai's noise, but close enough that the city — and the Meenakshi temple lights at night — are still visible from the grounds.
10. The Residency Towers, Chennai – Planted right in T. Nagar, which means shopping and street food are basically outside the door. Less about the property itself, more about not wanting to travel far after a long day out.

Facilities & Information

This is the section I wish someone had handed me before my first trip, because it's the boring-but-essential stuff that actually makes a trip run smoothly. Tamil Nadu's infrastructure held up better than I expected almost everywhere I went — 4G and 5G worked even in smaller towns, hospitals were easy to find in a pinch, and I never once struggled to pull cash or pay digitally. Foreign cards work fine at most ATMs, pharmacies stay open around the clock in the bigger cities, and UPI has basically taken over day-to-day payments if you're traveling with locals or just want to skip carrying cash.

Government Offices & Important Facilities

• Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) – Head Office, Chennai: This is where to go if you want a package tour that's actually vetted, or if you're curious about the Hotel Tamil Nadu chain — their state-run lodges, which I've used a couple of times when nothing else was nearby.
• Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) – Central Depot: Runs the intercity bus network and has staff on hand if you get stuck figuring out a route — worth knowing about if you're relying on buses to get around.
• Regional Transport Office (RTO) – Chennai South West: This is the office that handles driver's licenses and validates international driving permits, so if you're planning to drive yourself anywhere, this is where the paperwork gets sorted.
• Tourist Police – Chennai Wing: I've seen these officers stationed at beaches and major sites specifically to help visitors, and they're genuinely useful if something goes sideways or you just need directions in English.
• District Collectorate – Chennai: The administrative office behind most of the civic decisions and municipal clearances in the city — not somewhere you'll likely need as a tourist, but good to know it exists if paperwork ever comes up.

Other Useful Information

Keep these numbers saved before you land: 112 works as the general emergency line across the country, and you've also got 100 for police, 101 for fire, and 108 for an ambulance. For anything serious, Apollo Hospitals in Chennai has a strong reputation, and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai handle a lot of the public healthcare load. ATMs from SBI, HDFC, and ICICI are everywhere, even in smaller towns, and mobile coverage from Airtel, Jio, and Vi held up in most places I traveled, hills included. If you need to change currency, stick to the counters at the airport or in the main financial districts rather than anywhere informal. And one habit worth building early — stick to bottled or properly filtered water the whole trip. It's a small thing, but it's the one piece of advice that actually saves you from losing a travel day to a bad stomach.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to travel alone in Tamil Nadu?
Genuinely, yes — I'd put it among the more relaxed states in India for solo travel, women included. I still followed the usual common-sense rules, sticking to verified ride-hailing apps or licensed taxis if I was out late, but I never once felt on edge here the way I have in a couple of other places.

Do I need a special permit to visit wildlife reserves like Mudumalai?
You do, and it's worth sorting out before you show up. Reserves like Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Anamalai Tiger Reserve run on a permit system — book through the Tamil Nadu Forest Department's website ahead of time, or take your chances at the field reservation desk, though I wouldn't recommend the latter if you've got a fixed schedule.

What voltage and plug type are used in Tamil Nadu?
Standard is 230V at 50Hz, and the outlets take Type C, D, and M round-pin plugs. I learned the hard way to just travel with a universal adapter rather than betting on my charger fitting — save yourself the same mistake.

Can I use my foreign credit/debit card at ATMs?
Yes, Visa, MasterCard, and Maestro all work fine at city ATMs. One thing I'd genuinely tell you to do first, though — call your bank before you fly out and let them know you're traveling. Skip that step and there's a decent chance your card gets frozen the first time you try to use it.

How reliable is public Wi-Fi for online banking?
It exists at metro stations and airport terminals, but I never trusted it for anything involving money. Mobile data is cheap and fast enough here that I just used that instead, and if you're the cautious type, a VPN on top of it isn't a bad idea for anything banking-related.

What is the best way to travel between major cities?
For the big city-to-city hops, I always went with the Vande Bharat or Shatabdi Express — fast, comfortable, and I stopped bothering with flights for those routes entirely. But if you're building a custom itinerary or heading up into the hills, hiring a private driver is worth the extra cost. Those ghat roads aren't the place to be figuring out directions yourself.