This is about driving to Mysore from Chennai (or even,  Chennai to Bangalore). The route plan is like this. Chennai city --> 36km -->  Sriperumbudur -- 30km --> Kancheepuram -- 42km --> Ranipet -- 24km --> Vellore -- 118km --> Krishnagiri -- 54km --> Hosur --- 24km --> Bangalore ( NICE Expressway entry) -- 25km --> Kengeri ( NICE Expressway exit ) -- 82km ---> Mandya -- 40km --> Mysore city.

Chennai - Bangalore stretch : 

From Chennai you'll be first heading to Bangalore and further to Mysore. There are two major routes between Chennai and Bangalore, one is via Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and the other is via Krishnagiri.

The route described here is the route via Krishnagiri. This is a bit longer than the Chittoor route, but the Krishnagiri route offers better driving conditions and even saves a good deal of time.

From Chennai to Ranipet, you will be traveling on NH4. From Ranipet up to Krishnagiri, you are on NH46, where it joins the NH7. Up to Bangalore from Krishnagiri you are on NH7.

Driving on the Bangalore - Mysore Route : 

At Bangalore You'll leave NH 7 and travel on the state highway (SH17) all the way to Mysore City. Of course you will travel on the 24km Expressway (NICE Road) between NH7 and SH17 to bypass Bangalore City. The highway bypasses most of the towns mentioned in the route plan.

The route is all the way 4 lane, and some stretches even 6 lane. The deviations are well marked, so its not a big problem in navigating, especially at the major intersections where you've to take the deviations to change the highway.

The two places you'll find some problem are at the Chennai end and also when you cross (bypass) Bangalore city. Let's see how to negotiate both of them.

Getting out of Chennai 

Confusion at Chennai end, because there are many roads to get to the highway (NH4) depending on from where in Chennai you are starting. If you are starting from the eastern part of Chennai city (Annanagar, Vadapalani etc), head for that massive Koyambedu circle (Koyambedu Roundtana) or even to the Maduravoyal Junction further west at the intersection of the Chennai bypass on the NH4. The 100 feet road (JN Salai) take you to Koyambedu.

From the southern part of the city, head for the Chennai bypass (take deviation into NH4 near Maduravoyal ). From the Chennai central area take the Poonamallee highroad, which is essentially the NH4 leading out of the city.

Having got into the NH4 you'll not find any confusion on driving direction till you enter the outskirts of Bangalore city.

Negotiating Bangalore City

At Bangalore city you have two options to get to the Mysore Road (SH17). The first is to take the NICE Express way , that is basically a bypass road for skipping the Bangalore city traffic. The second is to drive right through the city and take a deviation to the Mysore Road.

The first is highly recommended as you'll easily save about 2 hours of negotiating the city traffic. As you enter the Bangalore city, near the "Electronics City" you will see a sprawling toll booth across you road.

This about 20km after Hosur town. This toll plaza is the entry for the BETL ( Bangalore Elevated Tollway Ltd) flyover. Do not head straight to this toll plaza, unless you want to head for Bangalore city. Take the service road at the side of toll both that goes beneath (along) the flyover.

A little ahead you'll find the entry to the NICE Expressway on your left. At the NICE toll booth pay toll for Mysore Road. About 22 km later on the expressway  you'll find an exit (left diversion) for Mysore Road. This will join the Mysore Road (SH 17) at a place called Kengeri on the outskirts of Bangalore city.

From Kengeri to Mysore City it is about 120km. You would cover this in about 2½ hours after crossing many small towns. For more on this route see Bangalore to Mysore by Road.

Before we close, let's also look at the facilities available on the route.

This highway between Chennai and Bangalore bypasses almost all the towns mentioned in the route plan in the beginning of this page. This is a good thing from a traffic perspective, but you'll not find many facilities for hours on the highway.

So for the needed break and food, take a short detour to the nearest town on the highway. Typically they are under 5km from the highway. Vellore and Krishnagiri are good break points between Chennai and Bangalore.

However on the Bangalore to Mysore stretch you will find a great number of decent drive-in restaurants.

You'll cross some half a dozen toll booths between Chennai and Bangalore. For car the toll fee ranges from Rs45 to Rs25 depending on the tool booth.

If you are looking for the train option between Chennai and Mysore, please see Kaveri Express. There is even a flight option (see Chennai to Mysore by Flight)