[searacer932]

Originally Posted by searacer932

I am planning to start from Hyderabad coming Saturday around 4 AM. Planning to drive all the way till Chennai (OMR). Are there any good options for lunch on this route? I will skip breakfast and directly try having lunch. Prefer only Veg option unfortunately.

I couldn't do this trip last weekend but did the trip today (11th June). Thanks to Narayan for suggesting A5 hotel.

Key Points & Observations from the journey

1. Started from Bandlaguda Jagir sharp at 4.00 AM.
2. Quickly connected to ORR Hyderabad. ORR Hyderabad was quite smooth and easy to drive. Connected to the Hyderabad - Vijayawada Highway
3. The first 10 kms or so was quite bad on the Hyderabad - Vijayawada highway. It didn't look like a highway at all but looked like a city road! But things improved after 10 kms or so.
4. Connected to the NAM road (it's not an expressway!) at Narketpalle. Going via the NAM road is still the best option to drive between Hyderabad and Chennai. The road can definitely be so much much better.It needs a proper 4 lane continuously and proper bypasses for all the small towns
5. Luckily I didn't encounter any major traffic snarls on this road (probably due to my start time?)
6. Connected to the Kolkata - Chennai highway and reached A5 hotel around 11.00 AM IST. Had breakfast at this place. This is a decent place to stop and I think this is better than N5!. The rest rooms could be cleaner in A5!
7. After a 30 minutes break, started from A5 and continued the journey and reached my home at OMR by 2.00 PM IST.

Door to door time taken

• 10 hours (including 30 minutes break for breakfast & 2 fuel stops)

Other points:
a) The Kolkata - Chennai highway is excellent between Medarmatla and Nellore (6 lane highway) but the Nellore - Chennai section is not so great and is only a 4 lane.
b) There is a proper connectivity to Chennai ORR from Kolkata - Chennai highway while coming from Hyderabad but this is the not case in the reverse way. I wonder why they didn't build a proper cloverleaf interchange here!

[Gansan]

I may have to do a Chennai - Hyderabad - Chennai trip around 25th of this month. Will be in Hyderabad for a few days before returning. My son is joining in his first job there and we need to fix up an accommodation and a few other things for him. If we need to be there before nightfall what time should we leave from Chennai? Are the road conditions good throughout? While going my son and I will take the wheel in turn, but while returning I will have to drive alone.

Is this the monsoon season there? Is a road trip advisable or will it be better to travel by air or train?

Also would like some pointers regarding accommodation for him, good PG with food, or an apartment if rent is not too expensive. His office is in Gachibowli.

[hserus]

Flying would be the best option if your son's office is somewhere along the outer ring road (like most software companies and other MNCs) rather than inside hyderabad proper. Or train if you can get reservations but very few chennai - hyderabad trains so ..

12+ hours and while the road goes through some pretty countryside crossing the Krishna, facilities are quite basic along several parts of the route.

If you decide to drive, just leave fairly early in the morning. Depending on where your son's office is - if its around the outer ring road it should be around 12 hours or so, maximum.

Road conditions are mostly good with some patches of heavy roadwork on my last trip but that was 4-5 months back so hopefully they are finished. There are very few places with good food options on the route and they're covered in this thread. Pack food if you want. Toilets are going to be far better in petrol pumps than in restaurants, as a rule.

Originally Posted by Gansan

I may have to do a Chennai - Hyderabad - Chennai trip around 25th of this month. Will be in Hyderabad for a few days before returning. My son is joining in his first job there and we need to fix up an accommodation and a few other things for him. If we need to be there before nightfall what time should we leave from Chennai? Are the road conditions good throughout? While going my son and I will take the wheel in turn, but while returning I will have to drive alone.

Is this the monsoon season there? Is a road trip advisable or will it be better to travel by air or train?

Also would like some pointers regarding accommodation for him, good PG with food, or an apartment if rent is not too expensive. His office is in Gachibowli.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Is a road trip advisable or will it be better to travel by air or train?

Unless you have significant luggage. For your use case (searching accomodation) you might be better off without a car. You'll end up taking an auto for those local runs anyway

There are one-off deluges (like the one that took vnabhi's Fiesta, even that is late September I think), but most others are not as bad as what we see in Madras.

If we need to be there before nightfall what time should we leave from Chennai?

If you are driving. Best to do an early morning start, this way you'll avoid the Moolakadai-Tada traffic which also has diversions. Hyderabad peripheral traffic is also bit saner in the afternoon times. More or less same strategy for the return so Tada-Moolakadai can be negotiate in early afternoon.

You are looking at 10 hours driving time (excluding breaks) regardless of the route you take.

[FlashMustang]

Originally Posted by Gansan

My son is joining in his first job there and we need to fix up an accommodation and a few other things for him.

Originally Posted by Gansan

If we need to be there before nightfall what time should we leave from Chennai? Are the road conditions good throughout?

Originally Posted by Gansan

Is this the monsoon season there? Is a road trip advisable or will it be better to travel by air or train?

Congrats and best wishes to your son!

I'm taking a slightly different view of your situation.

If you plan to search for and fix up an accommodation, you might be better off with your own transportation and Google Maps. The flexibility and the convenience you would get by having your own car to visit multiple potential apartments in a day would be reason enough to get your own car. It would also help to talk to a few of the potential options a day or two prior to your visit, and fix up a time window within which you can visit to take a look at the places. That would allow you to plan and sequence the visits. (I did something similar the first time I reached Hyderabad, except that I didn't have a car back then, and had to take auto rickshaws or buses).

The rains in Hyderabad is another reason to get your own car. It would be a hassle to get auto rickshaws or cabs for each visit. An alternative might be to hire a car with a driver during your stay in Hyderabad, if you would really prefer taking the flight or the train.

I might suggest starting no later than 5 AM, and, the sooner you start, the better. My preferred start time is 3 AM, and I usually take about 12 hours door to door, with relaxed breaks for breakfast, lunch, and coffee along the way.

I traveled in June (Hyderabad - Chennai - Hyderabad), and it was fine, except for road works near Audisankara college which was a significant diversion that I recall. Traversing Piduguralla town is another pain-point. The rest were minor.
In my experience, it's usually manageable by road till September, even when it rains. I usually avoid October and November for road trips when there are chances of storms and the roads typically get affected along the AP stretch.

Hope this helps!
Good luck and best wishes!

[Majetisantosh]

Hi,

I am planning a road trip from Hyderabad to Chennai on 7th August 2022. Looking to start at 6 am to beat the city traffic and reach by 4:30-5 pm.
I got the lay of the land from all the posts I have read in this thread. However, I have a few questions.
1. Google Map indicates that it takes close to 11-12 hours door to door (648 km). Not sure it takes into account the bio breaks as well as B/f and lunch breaks but can you guys please give a sense as to whether it takes longer than 11 hours between Hyderabad and Chennai? I need to reach Chennai by 5:00 pm. My cousin's family accompanying me have to catch a train to Rameswaram by 5:45 pm.
2. Petrol stations. There are quite a few gas stations along the Ongole-Gudur stretch. Can you suggest a couple of credible ones? Closer to Nellore Grand where I plan to take a pitstop for lunch.
3. Is Nellore Grand a decent place for food (vegetarian)? What about the washrooms?
4. Is Fastag accepted on the NAM highway? Some of the posts (Dec 2021) say so but just want to reconfirm.
5. Is the Pagidipalli bypass ready?
6. Is there any improvement in the road quality in the stretch between Tada and Chennai? I may not take the bypass since I need to get to Egmore.

Car/Trip details.
1. Renault Triber AMT
2. My cousin and I are not very aggressive when it comes to driving. We plan to drive at around 80-100kmph for most of the stretch.
3. Breakfast at Pagidipalli
4. Lunch at Nellore Grand. Many suggested A5 but I am not sure we can reach A5 by 1:30-2 pm if we start by 6 am.
5. Destination- Egmore station by 5 pm.

Ps: Haven't budgeted for the rains. Hope that is fine.
Thanks in advance

[FlashMustang]

Good luck with the trip!
I will try to answer a few of your questions to the best of my knowledge. Our veterans on this thread might be able to help you better.

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

1. Google Map indicates that it takes close to 11-12 hours door to door (648 km). Not sure it takes into account the bio breaks as well as B/f and lunch breaks but can you guys please give a sense as to whether it takes longer than 11 hours between Hyderabad and Chennai? I need to reach Chennai by 5:00 pm. My cousin's family accompanying me have to catch a train to Rameswaram by 5:45 pm.

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

2. My cousin and I are not very aggressive when it comes to driving. We plan to drive at around 80-100kmph for most of the stretch.

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

Ps: Haven't budgeted for the rains.

This is going to depend on your starting point from Hyderabad, how long your breaks are going to be for, and your driving style. With a train to take at the end of the journey, I might take a conservative estimate, and might suggest starting from Hyderabad no later than 4:30 AM. With about 690 km door to door distance to cover, it usually takes me about 12 hours, with about 15-20 minutes of breakfast break, about 30 minutes of lunch break, and about 20 minutes of coffee breaks. No two trips are the same, and there can be delays of about an hour, if some of the breaks stretch a bit longer, traffic conditions are not favorable, rains, and other variables.

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

2. Petrol stations. There are quite a few gas stations along the Ongole-Gudur stretch. Can you suggest a couple of credible ones? Closer to Nellore Grand where I plan to take a pitstop for lunch.

I usually prefer filling up at good petrol stations, and my preferred stops are:
JRO Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
or
B P Ongole Retail Outlet-Bharat Petroleum

Bharat Petroleum, Petrol Pump -Gudur Filling Station Manubolu

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

4. Is Fastag accepted on the NAM highway? Some of the posts (Dec 2021) say so but just want to reconfirm.

Yes, Fastag is accepted on the NAM expressway.

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

6. Is there any improvement in the road quality in the stretch between Tada and Chennai? I may not take the bypass since I need to get to Egmore.

As per my experience in June, there are still about 3 or so diversions. I usually find myself making slower progress upon entering Tamil Nadu.

Take care and safe travels! Happy driving!

[searacer932]

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

Hi,

I am planning a road trip from Hyderabad to Chennai on 7th August 2022. Looking to start at 6 am to beat the city traffic and reach by 4:30-5 pm.
I got the lay of the land from all the posts I have read in this thread. However, I have a few questions.
1. Google Map indicates that it takes close to 11-12 hours door to door (648 km). Not sure it takes into account the bio breaks as well as B/f and lunch breaks but can you guys please give a sense as to whether it takes longer than 11 hours between Hyderabad and Chennai? I need to reach Chennai by 5:00 pm. My cousin's family accompanying me have to catch a train to Rameswaram by 5:45 pm.

I will also take a conservative approach like the above post. Please start at least 4.30 AM IST.

1. NAM Highway (I wouldn't call it expressway!) accepts FASTag
2. Fuel stations are not an issue at all. I would suggest you top up to full tank the previous night itself.
3. Both A5 and Nellore Grand are good options for Veg food options.

End-to-end you might need around 11 hours. So, please factor in at least 11 hours of driving time considering you be driving a AMT transmission car!

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by Majetisantosh

Hi,

I am planning a road trip from Hyderabad to Chennai on 7th August 2022. Looking to start at 6 am to beat the city traffic and reach by 4:30-5 pm.

I took the route as seen in my attached timeline.

Nellore Grand is good for everything you mentioned. We took 1 hour lunch there.

I started at around 5.30 am. I was at Marina beach at 4.50 pm. Total distance - 650km.
Drove at around 90 to 100 km/h wherever possible.
Alert: Speed guns at many places in Ongole region.

[Majetisantosh]

Thank you FlashMustang, searacer932 and MT_Hyderabad for your insights and wishes.
Will write a detailed post after the trip.

[Majetisantosh]

Sorry for the delayed and long post. As planned, drove down from Hyderabad on 7-Aug-2022
Trip Details:
Trip date: 07-08-2022
Start time: 6:10 am from Dr. AS Rao Nagar; Reached Egmore station by 4:45 pm
Distance: 645kms at 61kmph; Maximum speed: 110kmph Ongole to Nellore stretch
No. of fuel stops- Only one (near Ongole); more about this gas station below.
Toll charges: Rs730 (including Rs50 on Hyd ORR)
Two breaks: Breakfast at Piduguralla, Lunch at A5 Hotel

For starters, thank you all for your insights and input. I could visualize the route all through.

A few positives:
Almost entire stretch, barring a couple of towns that didn't have bypasses, was four lanes.
The weather was pleasant with occasional drizzles. I was worried about the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. Thankfully, the journey wasn't very tiring and we didn't have to crank up the AC. The same cannot be said about the Chennai weather over the last couple of weeks :-)

Pain points:
ORR exit to the first toll plaza on Hyderabad-Vijayawada Highway; One of the worst stretches for a national highway
Pidugralla stretch; Municipal guys closed one side of the road for cutting down trees; really hope they commission the bypass soon
Passing through Addanki town; nothing much to write home about
A diversion for about a km odd near Gudur. This was unexpected.
A few diversions after entering TN.
Unruly drivers- A couple of close shaves as we entered Chennai. It was as like a race track. Everyone was in a hurry.

Other observations:
Not sure it has to do with the location I was driving to, but Google Maps took me through some of the narrowest lanes in North Chennai (according to Google, it is the Chennai-Renigunta Highway; Irony!). Our usual route is through Redhills, Madhavaram, Koyembedu, and Ashoknagar to Mambalam. Maybe it had to do with the destination.
We started the trip with about 30 liters of fuel but we had to get the tank filled again. My cousin stopped at a small BPCL outlet while I was taking a quick nap. I was told that the fuel meter at the gas station started abruptly from Rs14. When confronted, the operator gave some lame excuse. This was very close to Ongole.
I felt the toll rates were on the higher side. Team-BHP, Google, and other forums have in the past suggested that it would be less than Rs700 (including Rs50 toll on ORR). Would like to know your views here.
It was a bad call on my part to trust Google on breakfast options in Piduguralla. Should have packed something at Narketpally. The place we stopped over (Balaji Tiffins) turned out to be a mediocre place and lacked basic hygiene.
A5 hotel was a bit pricey. Full marks for the ambiance but the taste was very ordinary. In hindsight, I should've had lunch at Padmavathi Vilas.

[mrkireeti]

Hi all,

After taking a lot of inputs from the forum, I feel it is important to contribute my bit. I travelled between Hyderabad and Chennai recently. With two kids (aged 5 and 1.5), I read through the forum repeatedly before going for the drive. And, it was a great trip, thanks to all the contributors.

Hyderabad to Chennai - 19th Aug
• Started at 5:10 am from Wipro Circle, Gachibowli
• Stopped for fuel just after joining NH 65 from Outer Ring Road
• Reached N5 food Plaza at 10 am
• Reached Nandiambakkam (Chennai outskirts by 3 pm)

Observations
• Entire journey was pleasant to drive - possibly down to early morning start on a holiday (Krishnashtami)
---> Had to slow down due to traffic in Piduguralla (School time)
---> Be prepared for crawling through traffic a few kilometers after entering Tamilnadu
• N5 food plaza could be avoided
--->Not so different compared to a restaurant we stopped in Piduguralla on our return journey
--->Toilets definitely need to be a lot better
--->The view was definitely different with road on both sides - kids did have fun watching the small fish kept for pedicure
• Total driving time of 8.5 hours excluding 1.5 hours of breaks

Chennai to Hyderabad - 21st Aug
• Started at 1:05 pm from Guindy, Chennai
• Reached A5 Hotel at 3:20 pm
• Stopped for fuel a few kilometers after Gudur
• Took the diversion towards the NAM at 7:20 pm
• Reached Piduguralla and stopped for dinner at 8:30 pm
• Reached Wipro Circle, Gachibowli at 12:41 am on 22nd Aug

Observations
• Pleasant to drive as we took the same route from Hyderabad
--->Road between Medarametla (NH 167A) till Narketpalle was very good - night driving meant less traffic and road was probably repaired after rains (could notice lot of freshly done patches)
--->Afternoon start resulted in traffic on NH 16, apart from Chennai City traffic
--->There was a traffic congestion on NH 65 which took quite some time - since it was late already - around 11 pm, some of the folks were not driving clean (an i10 driver gave a small dent to our car and moved away)
• A5 Hotel menu was good with decent choices
--->The ambience is good
--->There is a kids play area too
--->Parking was nice and washrooms were very good
• Total driving time of 9.5 hours excluding 2 hours of breaks

Hoping that this will be of some use to users and thank you to all the prior contributors.

[innervoice]

Greetings All,

I am planning to drive from Hyderabad (Gachibowli) to Chennai (Tambaram) next week. I referred to the posts above (thanks for details). I have few more questions -

1) Hotel Vivera, Narketpally seems good breakfast point if early morning start is made. From Hyderabad towards Chennai, does the hotel come on the left or right of NH65. GMaps shows on the other side of the road, but I remember vaguely seeing it on left also in one of the previous trip).

2) Hotel Nellore Grand/ Hotel Padmavathi Vilas seems another recommended option for veg lunch. Which is preferable?

3) Fuel pumps - IOCL COCO or BP near Padmavathi Vilas?

4) Approaching Chennai, we have an option to take immediate ORR to go to Tambaram or go down further and take Chennai bypass. Please suggest which is better.

5) Please share any other inputs/suggestions on road conditions (after recent rains) or any thing that I need to take care of.

Thanks in advance. I will post my observations post the trip.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by innervoice

1) Hotel Vivera

There are one on each side

3) Fuel pumps - IOCL COCO or BP near Padmavathi Vilas?

If you prefer BP, there is a Ghar Dhaba after Ongole. If you prefer HP, there's a massive HP at Manubolu.

4) Approaching Chennai, we have an option to take immediate ORR to go to Tambaram or go down further and take Chennai bypass. Please suggest which is better.

If East Tambaram then Bypass-Tambaram bridge. If on Mudichur side, then ORR.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by hserus

Flying would be the best option if your son's office is somewhere along the outer ring road

Originally Posted by narayans80

Unless you have significant luggage. For your use case (searching accomodation) you might be better off without a car. You'll end up taking an auto for those local runs anyway

Originally Posted by FlashMustang

Congrats and best wishes to your son! I'm taking a slightly different view of your situation.

Thanks for all your inputs. We took a flight to Hyderabad and returned by train. The drive was postponed to a later time and I will keep all your inputs for reference. We were there between 20th and 24th August.

He is required to attend their office in Hitech city, Madhapur instead of the Gachibowli office. So We stayed in a place called Namo Suites close to Hitec City metro station. It is a decent place that offers a suite for three people at a nominal cost of Rs 2800 per day which includes breakfast.

Since his office is very close to Rayadurg Metro station we started the accommodation hunt from near Hitec City metro and expanded by one km at a time, sticking close to the metro route. Fixed up a good PG at Srinagar colony/Kamalapuri colony which is walkable from both Jubilee Hills Road 5 as well as Yusufguda Metro stations. Twin sharing Ac room @ Rs 16k per head per month, including breakfast, packed lunch, dinner, laundry and housekeeping. Another chap from Coimbatore who works for a different company shares the room with him. He commutes about 7 - 8 km to work by metro as of now, depending upon the station where he boards.