Kanyakumari in 2 days: what to see, in what order

Two rocks about 500 m off the shore, reached by a state-run ferry from the jetty beside the temple. On one is the memorial to Swami Vivekananda, who meditated on the rock in 1892. On the other is the 133 ft stone statue of the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar. Since December 2024 a glass-floored bridge joins the two rocks, so you can walk from one to the other. You can climb to the foot of the statue, not up it.

Tip: Boat tickets are Rs 100, or Rs 300 to skip the queue going out (not coming back); book on psckfs.tn.gov.in or at the counter. Boats stop when the sea is rough or very low, sometimes all day, so ask at the jetty first. In season the queues can take an hour or two.

An exhibition of photos and panels that follows Swami Vivekananda's travels across India before he reached Kanyakumari, run by the Vivekananda Kendra on the beach road.

Tip: Small entry fee. It takes about 45 minutes; skip it if you are short of time.

The temple of the goddess Kanya Kumari, the young girl goddess who gives the town its name, at the very tip of India where three seas meet. The idol wears a diamond nose ring that, by local story, once shone so bright that ships mistook it for a lighthouse.

Tip: Men take off their shirts and go in wearing a dhoti or mundu; no shorts or lungis. Women wear a saree, salwar or long skirt. Cameras are not allowed inside. Non-Hindus may visit the outer halls but not the inner shrine.

A memorial hall where an urn of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes was kept before they were put into the sea in 1948. A hole in the roof is placed so that at noon on 2 October, his birthday, sunlight falls on the spot where the urn stood.

Tip: Free. It is a two-minute walk from the temple and the Kamarajar memorial next door.

A memorial to K. Kamaraj, the Tamil Nadu chief minister and freedom fighter, with photos and a small exhibit about his life, built where his ashes were put into the sea.

Tip: Free and small: about 20 minutes is enough.

A tall white Gothic church by the sea, a few minutes north of the temple, dedicated to Mary. Its spire is one of the first things you see from the ferry.

Tip: Dress modestly and keep quiet during mass. It is about 1 km from the temple, among the fishing boats.

A small 18th century fort of granite blocks, built by the Travancore kingdom on the sea about 7 km north of Kanyakumari. Its name means round fort. From the walls you see the beach on one side and the Western Ghats on the other.

Tip: Little shade: carry water and a hat. The beach below is pretty but not safe for swimming.

The Thanumalayan temple, a large temple to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma together, with a seven-storey gopuram. Inside are musical pillars that ring when tapped, and a Hanuman statue about 18 ft tall, carved from one block of granite.

Tip: Men take off their shirts at the door; the temple has dhotis to rent. No cameras inside. It closes for several hours in the middle of the day.

A temple to the snake king in the middle of Nagercoil, which takes its name from it, with stone snake images in the courtyard. The inner shrine has a thatched roof, unusual for a big temple.

Tip: Men remove shirts for the inner shrine. Sundays draw large crowds.

The old wooden palace of the Travancore kings, the largest wooden palace in Asia, begun in about 1601. It is in Tamil Nadu but run by the Kerala Archaeology Department. Inside are carved ceilings, a council hall with mica windows and a floor polished with eggshell and coconut.

Tip: Closed on Mondays. Shoes come off at the gate, and the floors are smooth: walk carefully. Allow two hours.

A Travancore fort 2 km from Padmanabhapuram where the Dutch captain Eustachius De Lannoy, who trained the Travancore army, is buried. The grounds are now a biodiversity park with old trees and a small lake inside the walls.

Tip: Small entry fee. The tomb and a chapel are inside the fort walls.