The main reason many travellers stop in Salem is as a base for Yercaud. The hill station sits 30 km northeast in the Shevaroy Hills at 1,600 metres — a one-hour drive up a winding ghat road. It is cooler, quieter, and less developed than Ooty or Kodaikanal, which works in its favour.
Attur, 35 km east of Salem, is a pleasant town on the Mettur reservoir road with a few old temples. The Mettur Dam itself — built in 1934 across the Kaveri, it was the largest dam in Asia at the time — is 45 km west and worth the detour for anyone interested in engineering history or who simply wants to see a large body of water in an otherwise dry landscape.
Namakkal, 50 km south, has the striking Namakkal Fort and the Narasimhaswamy Temple built against a giant boulder. It is reachable by bus and makes a half-day trip.