Chennai to Kanchipuram Cab Fare
Seventy-two kilometres west, and another route where the product you choose matters more than the rate. Drop fares, the day-package arithmetic, and the combined run with Mahabalipuram.
In short
Chennai to Kanchipuram is 72 km and takes about 2 hours. A one-way drop is ₹1,300 – 1,800 in a sedan and ₹2,000 – 2,600 in an Innova. A day trip with the car waiting is better bought as a local package: about ₹3,132 – 3,560 in a sedan on the 8 hr / 80 km slab including the overage.
Reviewed 20 September 2026 · fares and the package-versus-outstation comparison re-checked each quarter
Three ways to buy a Kanchipuram day
A round trip is about 144 kilometres, which sits below the 250 km per day outstation minimum. That single fact decides which product you should be buying.
| How you buy it | What it covers | Sedan | Innova | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-way drop | Chennai to Kanchipuram, car leaves | ₹1,300 – 1,800 | ₹2,000 – 2,600 | Right only if you are staying on |
| 8 hr / 80 km package | Full day, car waits, ~64 km of overage | ₹3,132 – 3,560 | ₹4,488 – 5,016 | The usual best buy for a temple day |
| 12 hr / 120 km package | Long day, car waits, ~24 km of overage | ₹3,512 – 3,960 | ₹5,008 – 5,656 | Right if you are adding Mahabalipuram |
| Outstation round trip | Billed at the 250 km daily minimum plus bata | ₹3,750 – 3,850 | ₹4,850 – 5,400 | Wrong product — over 100 km of air |
Why the 8-hour package usually wins
Kanchipuram is close enough that the outstation minimum is pure loss. Buy the day as an outstation round trip and you pay for 250 kilometres and a driver's bata; drive it as a local package and you pay for 80 kilometres plus roughly 64 of overage and no bata at all. On a sedan that is about ₹3,132 to ₹3,560 against ₹3,750 to ₹3,850 — and the package gives you the same eight hours.
The 12-hour slab becomes the better buy the moment the day grows. Four or five temple stops across the town, a silk-weaving visit and lunch will spend more than eight hours, and the 12 hr / 120 km package at ₹3,200 to ₹3,600 plus about 24 kilometres of overage is only a few hundred rupees more than the 8-hour version with its larger overage.
Neither of those is the sum an operator wanting the largest invoice would show you. We do it at quote stage anyway, because the alternative is a customer who overpays once and books elsewhere twice.
Kanchipuram with Mahabalipuram in one day
The combined day is one of the most-requested itineraries out of Chennai: 72 kilometres west to Kanchipuram, back across and 55 to 60 kilometres south down the coast to Mahabalipuram, then home. It works, and it needs an early start — not because the driving is long but because both places are worth more than forty minutes each.
The correct product is the 12 hr / 120 km package: ₹3,200 – 3,600 sedan, ₹4,000 – 4,600 Ertiga or Carens, ₹4,600 – 5,200 Innova, ₹5,600 – 6,400 Crysta and ₹6,500 – 7,500 for a 12 to 14 seat tempo traveller. The hours fit comfortably. The kilometres do not — a loop taking in both from a city pickup runs past 120 — so expect overage at the published per-kilometre rate, worked out for your exact pickup address at quote stage rather than guessed at here.
If you would rather do one of the two properly, the Mahabalipuram day trip page prices that side on its own.
Timing, traffic and the road west
Two hours for 72 kilometres tells you most of what you need to know about this road: it is not a highway run. The stretch out of the city is urban for longer than the map suggests, and a nine o'clock departure spends its first forty minutes in traffic that a six-thirty departure does not meet at all.
For a temple day that matters more than usual, because arriving before the middle of the day is the difference between walking around Kanchipuram and standing in the heat. Our standard suggestion on this route is a departure before seven; if your booking says nine we will mention it once and then do what you asked.
Kanchipuram is in Tamil Nadu, so there is no inter-state permit on this route. The quote carries the package or per-kilometre charge, tolls and parking at actuals, and 5% GST — nothing else.
Questions we answer daily
What is the cab fare from Chennai to Kanchipuram?
A one-way drop is ₹1,300 to ₹1,800 in a sedan and ₹2,000 to ₹2,600 in an Innova, over 72 km and about two hours. For a day trip with the car waiting, an 8 hr / 80 km local package with the roughly 64 km of overage works out at about ₹3,132 to ₹3,560 in a sedan.
Should I book a package or an outstation round trip to Kanchipuram?
A package. The round trip is about 144 km, well under the 250 km per day outstation minimum, so an outstation booking charges you for over 100 kilometres you never drive plus ₹500 to ₹600 driver bata. A local package carries no bata at all.
How long does it take to reach Kanchipuram from Chennai?
About two hours for the 72 kilometres. It is not a highway run — the stretch out of the city stays urban longer than the distance suggests, and a nine o'clock departure loses forty minutes that a six-thirty departure never meets. For a temple day, leaving early changes the whole day.
Can I do Kanchipuram and Mahabalipuram in the same day?
Yes, on the 12 hr / 120 km package and an early start — ₹3,200 to ₹3,600 sedan, ₹4,600 to ₹5,200 Innova, ₹6,500 to ₹7,500 tempo traveller. The hours fit; the kilometres usually do not, so there will be overage at the published rate, calculated for your pickup address at quote stage.
Is there a waiting charge at Kanchipuram?
Not on a local package — you have bought the car's hours and it makes no difference whether they are spent driving or parked. Waiting at ₹150 an hour applies only to one-way drops, which is one more reason the drop is the wrong product for a day of temple visits.
Which vehicle suits a Kanchipuram day trip?
A sedan for up to three people at ₹3,132 to ₹3,560 all in on the 8-hour package, an Ertiga or Carens for five or six, and a 12 to 14 seat tempo traveller for a family group at ₹6,500 to ₹7,500 on the 12-hour slab. Temple days involve a lot of getting in and out, so seat height is worth thinking about for older travellers.
Is there a permit charge on the Chennai to Kanchipuram route?
No. Kanchipuram is in Tamil Nadu, so no inter-state permit arises. Your quote carries the package or per-kilometre charge, tolls and parking at actuals and 5% GST as its own line — and nothing that appears only when the driver asks.
Related pages
- Mahabalipuram day trip The other half of the combined day
- Local 8 and 12 hour packages The right product for short routes
- Full Chennai rate card Slab rates and overage
- Chennai to Vellore cab Further west, and different maths
- Fare calculator Compare package against outstation
- Sedan rental ₹2,300 – 2,600 for 8 hr / 80 km
Send the trip. Get the whole number back.
Pickup, date, vehicle, passengers. A written all-in price on WhatsApp, usually inside 30 minutes, 6 am to 11 pm. No advance needed for a quote.