Tirunelveli City is situated on the banks of the river Thamirabarani in Tamil Nadu. There are several attractive visiting places in and around Tirunelveli City, which attract lots of tourists. Some of them are given here:

Krishnapuram temple
The Krishnapuram temple is situated about 13 kms from Tirunelveli city of Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, which is an important tourist destination. This temple is an important part of art and architecture of Tamil Nadu.

The Krishnapuram temple is dedicated to Lord Venkatachalapathi. It is filled with sculptural beauties of excellent workmanship. This beautiful structure was built by Krishnappa Nayak (1563-73), a specialist of art.

The Ranga Mandapam of the Krishnapuram temple is a theatre of arts. There are several mythological scenes beautifully depicted with expressions resembling the moods in which they are captured. The contemporary social life is also portrayed in this temple. Some example of this type include a gypsy woman with a child on her back while a toy is held before it by a man to keep it from crying, a Korava kidnapping a princess, being rescued by the prince wounding the Korava in the encounter and the wound profusely bleeding. The figures of the sculptures here are of life size and are carved with intricate delicacy.

Courtallam Waterfalls
The Courtallam waterfall is situated 59 kms from Tirunelveli. It is called the `spa of the south` and it is located at an elevation of 170 metres, on the Western Ghats. This is also a health resort apart from being a tourist spot of Tamil Nadu.

The waters of the Courtallam waterfall is said to have therapeutic value to cure physical ailments as the water flows through a herbal forest. During the months from June to September, when the weather is pleasant here, thousands of tourists from far and near visit this here.

There are total nine waterfalls here:

Main falls

Chitraruvi

Shenbagadevi falls

Thenaruvi (then-honey, aruvi-waterfalls)

Aindharuvi (five falls)

orchard falls

New falls

Tiger falls and

Old Courtallam falls.

Courtallam itself is a picturesque place with a mountainous backdrop (6000 ft). Here, the main fall is created by Chithra Nadhi dropping 300 ft down a precipice, a channel called Pangimangodal. It then falls out into beautiful pours for the visitors to bathe.

Sankaran koil temple
It is situated 56 kms north of Tirunelveli. This Sankara Narayanan temple is very famous here. This temple is a representation of fusion of two faiths Saivism and Vaishnavism as it contains an image combining both the aspects. All the symbols of Siva, deer, cobra, moon etc can be seen bearing on the right half and the left half has all the symbols of Vishnu like Chakra, conch etc. The `Prakarams` of the temple are adorned with many excellent paintings.

During the June-July month, the Goddess Gomathi`s penance called `Adi Thapasu Vizha` and the car festival is celebrated in this temple. Sankarankoil is well connected by road and rail to many important places in the state.

Tenkasi
Tenkasi means Dakshina Kasi and Varanasi of the south. This temple is dedicated to Viswanatha. The Pandya king Paranthaga Pandiyan after returning from the Benaras constructed this temple. It is situated 53 kms from Tirunelveli and 7 kms from Courtallam. Many beautiful sculptures can be seen in this temple besides a flag staff 400 years old.

Thirumalaiappan Pozhil
This is a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Muruga atop of a hill rock. It is 15 kms from Courtallam.

Kazhugumalai temple
Kazhugumalai temple is situated 76 kms from Tirunelveli and 24 kms from Sankaran Koil in the state of Tamil Nadu. Here, the shrine is created from a huge rock. The unique feature of this temple is that rather than rising from the foundations, it was chiselled from the top.

The local people call this temple by the name `Vettuvar Koil`. The front terrace of the Kazhugumalai temple is lined with two friezes of ganas (demons). The sculptor has carved even the smallest one of them with full attention. There is a representation of a musical rendezvous of these ganas here, which shows one playing musical instrument, another dancing etc.

In the Kazhugumalai temple, Lord Dakshinamurthi is seen in unique pose playing a mirudangam (drum), which cannot be seen anywhere. The `Vishabarana` aspect of Lord Siva holding a Naga is portrayed here. The cobra is shown squirming out of His hold and it looks so lifelike. Jain figures like Tirthankaras, Yakshas and Yakshinis are displayed in a nearby big rock.

Thirumalaipuram
This place is situated 16 kms from Tenkasi. A rock-cut temple here with Ganesa, Vishnu and dancing Shiva can be seen here. Here, Shiva is seen in a different dance pose i, e, in chatura pose with his right hand thrown in a `Mirgasirsha` attitude. A dwarf near his feet plays the `Chandala Vallaki` instrument. The murals in the ceiling of the temple are badly damaged.

Kalakadu Wildlife Sanctuary
It is situated 47 kms from Tirunelveli. The flora and fauna of this sanctuary are very famous. Tiger, panther, jackal, wild dogs, cobra, python and several snakes and other reptiles, the lion-tailed monkey etc can be seen in the thick rest. The best season to visit here is between March and September.

Shengaltheri
It is situated in the Kalakadu mountain area. It is 68 kms from Tirunelveli. It is in the area of Kalakadu wildlife sanctuary. It is renowned for its natural scenery and healthy climate, which makes it a perfect picnic spot. A perennial waterfall also can be seen here. There is a rest house and a watch-tower. Valliyur is the nearest railway station from here. The visitors need to take prior permission of the Deputy Director of Wildlife, Ambasamudram, Mundanthurai and Kalakadu Wildlife Sanctuary to go there.

Pathamadai
This hamlet is 13 kms from Tirunelveli and is renowned for weaving mats of korai grass. There is a beautiful korai mat manufacturing unit here. Some of the mats can be folded like cloth. Swami Sivanandha was born here.

Thirukkurungudi
It is located in the Western Ghats about 52 kms south of Tirunelveli. It is one of the 108 divine Vishnu shrines. It is also known as Vamana Kshetram. The temple covers an area of over 18 acres. It is dedicated to Azhagiya Nambi and several sculptures can be seen here. The best of them are those of the images of Varuna, Dakshinamurthi, Vamana, and Gajendra Moksha.

Kunthakulam Bird Sanctuary
This sanctuary is situated 33 kms south of Tirunelveli in Nanguneri taluk. It is a small and beautiful village full of natural scenery. During the season from January to April, more than 10,000 birds from various countries migrate to this place.

Shenbagarama Nallur
It is situated near Nanguneri. The temple here has a stone pillar with a conical bore in the centre about a foot long. This Vishnu temple contains marvellous sculptures and each image produces a musical note when struck.

Cheranmadevi
It is situated 18 kms from Tirunelveli on the Tiruchendur M.G railway line. Eight beautiful shrines can be seen here. The Milagupillayar shrine is the most famous and unique among them. There is a peculiar phenomenon here. When the water level in the village channel drops, pepper paste is plastered over the idol and the water overflows strangely.

Papanasam
It is situated 60 kms from Tirunelveli. This is a famous Siva temple, located at the bottom of the Western Ghats and also very near to the origin of river Thamirabarani. The Chitthirai Vishu festival is celebrated every year here in the month of April. Another festival Adi Amavasai is celebrated in July. It is also a good picnic spot.

Pana Theertham
The river Thamirabarani originates and starts its course from here. It is situated just opposite to the upper dam. This place can be reached by crossing the dam by boat.

Upper Kodaiyar and Manjolai
It is a calm hill station in the Western Ghats about 6000 ft. above the sea level. Manjolai is an adjacent town and a perfect summer resort. It is 35 kms from Tirunelveli. Oothu and Kuthiraivetti are excellent viewpoints of this hill station. Regular bus services are available from Manimutharu and Ambasamudram.

Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary
It is situated 42 kms from Tirunelveli. It is mainly a tiger reserve forest. However, other animals like leopard, sambar, sloth bear, cheetah and a wide variety of Indian primates including bonnet macaque, common langur, Nilgiri langur and lion-tailed macaque can also be seen. Between October and January is the best time to visit here. The visitors can reserve the forest rest house for accommodation.

Uvari
It is a village on the shores of the Bay of Bengal on the way to Tiruchendur. It is 72 kms from Tirunelveli. This place is famous for Swayambulingaswamy Siva temple. Every year, three important festivals are held here. Bharatha Uvari is a Roman Catholic Centre where one can see an ancient church as well as a modern church.