Tirunelveli has its own railway junction (station code TEN) with direct overnight trains from Chennai (Pearl City Express, Tirunelveli Mail), Bangalore, and Coimbatore. The journey from Chennai is around 12 hours. Local trains and frequent buses connect to Madurai (3 hours north), Kanyakumari (2½ hours south), and Tuticorin (1½ hours east).
The nearest airport is Tuticorin (TCR), about 60 km east, with limited domestic flights to Chennai. Madurai (IXM) is the more useful airport, with direct flights to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and a daily international service to Colombo and Singapore. Trivandrum airport in Kerala (TRV) is also within easy driving distance.
By road, Tirunelveli sits on NH44, the main highway running south to Kanyakumari and north to Madurai. Long-distance buses run by Tamil Nadu State Transport and several private operators cover most major south Indian cities.