Top places to visit in Ooty

• Government Botanical Gardens

  Nature · 4.4 rating · about 1.5 h · entry INR 30

  Terraced 1848 colonial gardens spread over 55 acres with rare conifers, a fossilised tree, Italian-style lawns and the famous May flower show.

• Ooty Lake

  Nature · 4.2 rating · about 1.3 h · entry INR 10

  A scenic 1824 artificial lake ringed by eucalyptus, offering pedal- and row-boating and a small amusement park — a classic Ooty family outing.

• Doddabetta Peak

  Viewpoint · 4.4 rating · about 1 h · entry INR 30

  The highest peak in the Nilgiris at 2,637 m, with a telescope house and sweeping views over the blue mountains, tea estates and surrounding plains.

• Nilgiri Mountain Railway

  Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 4 h · entry INR 160

  The UNESCO World Heritage steam rack-railway from Mettupalayam to Ooty via Coonoor, climbing through tunnels, tea slopes and forests — a spectacular ride.

• Rose Garden

  Nature · 4.2 rating · about 1 h · entry INR 30

  A hillside garden with one of India's largest collections of roses — thousands of varieties in terraced beds, vivid in the April-June bloom.

• Pykara Falls & Lake

  Waterfall · 4.3 rating · about 1.5 h · entry INR 20

  A scenic spot ~20 km from town where the Pykara river forms a series of waterfalls and a reservoir for boating, set amid shola forest and grassland.

• Tea Factory & Museum

  Museum · 4.2 rating · about 0.8 h · entry INR 15

  A working tea factory and museum on the Coonoor road demonstrating Nilgiri tea processing, with tastings and a chocolate-and-tea shop.

• St Stephen's Church

  Church · 4.4 rating · about 0.5 h

  Ooty's oldest church (1829), a fine colonial Gothic building with timber beams brought from Tipu Sultan's palace and a historic cemetery.

• Avalanche Lake

  Nature · 4.4 rating · about 2 h · entry INR 50

  A pristine lake and reserve ~28 km from Ooty amid shola forest and grasslands, rich in rhododendrons and birdlife — a serene off-the-beaten-track escape.

• Wax World Ooty

  Museum · 4.0 rating · about 0.8 h · entry INR 150

  India's first private wax museum, set in a colonial bungalow, with life-size figures of historical and cultural icons of India — a fun family stop.

• Emerald Lake

  Nature · 4.3 rating · about 1 h

  A tranquil, photogenic reservoir amid tea estates in the Silent Valley area south-west of Ooty, a peaceful spot for picnics and birdwatching.

• Tribal Research Centre Museum

  Museum · 4.1 rating · about 0.8 h · entry INR 10

  A museum on the Nilgiri tribes — Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas and Badagas — displaying their dwellings, crafts, ornaments and artefacts.

Things to do

• Nilgiri Mountain Railway Toy Train Activity · 2.5 h · from INR 300 per person
• Government Botanical Garden Walk Nature · 1.5 h · from INR 100 per person
• Ooty Lake Boating Activity · 0.8 h · from INR 200 per person
• Doddabetta Peak & Tea Museum Nature · 2.5 h · from INR 800 per person
• Coonoor & Sim's Park Day Trip Nature · 5 h · from INR 1,500 per person

Day trips and tours

• Ooty Sightseeing & Toy Train 8 h · from INR 1,800
• Coonoor & Tea Country Day Trip 6 h · from INR 1,500
• Pykara Falls & Lake Excursion 5 h · from INR 1,300

Where to stay in Ooty

• Charing Cross about INR 3,500 per night

  Main commercial area with shops and hotels

• Coonoor Road about INR 2,500 per night

  Quiet residential area with homestays

Hotels

• Savoy IHCL SeleQtions 5-star · INR 9,000 to INR 17,000 per night
• Zostel Ooty 2-star · INR 650 to INR 2,200 per night
• Sterling Fern Hill Ooty 4-star · INR 5,000 to INR 9,500 per night
• Gem Park Ooty 4-star · INR 4,000 to INR 7,000 per night
• Hotel Lakeview Ooty 3-star · INR 3,000 to INR 5,500 per night
• Welbeck Residency Ooty 3-star · INR 2,200 to INR 4,000 per night

Where to eat

• Shinkow's Chinese Restaurant Chinese, Asian · about INR 450 per person
• Willy's Coffee Pub Cafe, Continental, Bakery · about INR 400 per person
• Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B) South Indian, North Indian, Vegetarian · about INR 300 per person
• Sidewalk Cafe Continental, Italian, Cafe · about INR 500 per person
• King Star Chocolates & Sweets Desserts, Bakery · about INR 200 per person
• Place to Bee Continental, Cafe, Italian · about INR 500 per person
• Hotel Hyderabad Biryani House Biryani, North Indian, Mughlai · about INR 350 per person
• Earl's Secret Continental, North Indian, Fine Dining · about INR 1,800 per person

Getting around

• Auto Rickshaw main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Taxi main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

More in India

• New Delhi
• Agra
• Jaipur
• Panaji
• Mumbai
• Varanasi