Madurai International Airport (IXM) has flights from most major Indian cities — Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad — and direct services from Dubai, Colombo and Singapore. The airport is 12 km south of the city; pre-paid taxis cost around 400 rupees to the temple area.
Madurai Junction railway station is one of the busiest in Tamil Nadu, with overnight Vaigai and Pandian Express trains from Chennai (about 8 hours), and connections to Bangalore, Trivandrum and the rest of the south. The main bus stand (MGR) is the hub for state and private buses; the central long-distance bus stand (Mattuthavani) is further out.