By Air- The nearest airport is at Coimbatore, which is about 90 kms from Ooty. Direct flights connect Coimbatore to Chennai, Kozhikode, Bangalore and Mumbai. There is also a flight connecting Delhi to Kochi, which goes via Mumbai and Coimbatore. From the airport, there are buses, private taxis that take tourists to Ooty.
By Train - A narrow gauge connects Ooty to Mettupalayam, 46 kms away. The 4.5-hour journey on the Nilgiri Toy Train is an experience in itself. It is deemed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cream and blue coloured wooden coaches of the toy train is hauled uphill by steam engines as it crosses rice fields between Mettupalayam and Kallar and then some rugged rocky terrains passing through some blinding twists and turns and 13 tunnels. A steep climb through the mountains takes the train to the beautiful tea plantations at Coonoor. The train line then takes a little dip before chugging into Ooty.
The nearest broad gauge rail line is at Mettupalayam and the main railway junction is at Coimbatore. Nilgiri Express connects Mettupalayam to Chennai. After reaching Mettupalayam, passengers change over to the Nilgiri Mountain train to reach Ooty. Coimbatore is also well connected to many big cities in the south. Trains ply into Coimbatore from the north as well.
By Road - There are five main Nilgiri Ghat roads which all lead into Ooty. Ooty is well connected with cities and towns in Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Luxury, Deluxe buses and cabs ply between Coimbatore (90 kms), Mysore (155 kms) and Bangalore (290 kms) to Ooty. Bus connects Chennai to Ooty, a distance of 535 kms. Buses also connect Ooty to many small towns like Tanjavur, Erode, Salem, Calicut, Cochin, Tirupati etc.
Distance to Ooty from the four metros
Delhi- 1907 kms
Mumbai -1321 kms
Chennai - 535 kms
Kolkata - 1725 kms