For most visitors, the best place to stay in Munnar is Munnar Town or Old Munnar, 1 to 2 km from the centre: you get the widest choice from about Rs 1,000 a night, walkable restaurants, buses and easy sightseeing taxis. Pick Devikulam, Pallivasal or Chithirapuram, 7 to 13 km out, for tea-estate views without going far, and pick Chinnakanal, 18 to 22 km out, only if a quiet resort stay matters more than daily sightseeing time.
Last updated: October 2026
Munnar is a small town with stays spread along the roads out to Mattupetty, Pallivasal, Devikulam and Chinnakanal. Two hotels both listed as Munnar can be 20 km and 45 minutes apart. That distance decides what you pay for taxis, where you eat, and how much time you lose before sightseeing starts. Pick the area first, then the hotel.
Price ranges below are typical per-night ranges for a double room, checked in October 2026 from area guides and current listings. Homestays sit below the hotel ranges, and late December and January push every area up. Use the ranges to choose an area, then confirm your exact price for your dates.
| Area | Distance from Munnar Town | Typical range per night | Best for | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munnar Town and Old Munnar | 0 to 2 km | Rs 1,000 - 5,000 | First-time visitors, families, travellers without a car, lowest prices | Busy, fewer uninterrupted tea-estate views |
| Pothamedu | 5 to 6 km | Rs 2,500 - 10,000 | Tea plantation views close to town, couples and photographers | A taxi or private vehicle is useful |
| Devikulam | 7 to 10 km | Rs 2,500 - 8,000 | Quiet nature stays, Sita Devi Lake, couples | Fewer restaurants and shops, less convenient without a car |
| Pallivasal and Chithirapuram | 8 to 13 km | Rs 2,500 - 13,000 | Tea-estate resorts, Attukad Waterfalls, honeymoon stays | Limited eating out outside your hotel, steep local roads |
| Chinnakanal | 18 to 22 km, about 45 minutes | Rs 4,000 and up, premium resorts well above that | Panoramic views, quiet luxury resorts, Kolukkumalai side trips | Far from town and from the Mattupetty and Top Station route |
Munnar Town is the most convenient base, and for a short first trip it is usually the right one. You are close to restaurants, shops, the market, the bus stand and sightseeing taxis. If you arrive by KSRTC bus, you can walk or take a short auto ride to your hotel.
The price spread is also widest here. Current listings checked for this guide show budget hotels and homestays in and around town from about Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 a night, 2-star hotels averaging around Rs 3,272 on weekdays, and mid-range hotels mostly in the Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 band, with a few upscale town hotels above that.
Old Munnar, about 1 to 2 km from the centre, is quieter but still close to food and transport. The trade-off for both town areas is scenery: you will not wake up inside a tea estate. If your plan is full sightseeing days, that trade is worth it. See our Munnar 2 day itinerary, which assumes a town base.
Devikulam is about 7 to 10 km from Munnar Town, centred on Sita Devi Lake and the tea and valley views around it. It suits nature lovers and couples who want a peaceful stay without giving up a short drive back to town for dinner or a bus. Stays are mostly resorts and nature stays in the mid-range to luxury bands, rather than the budget hotels and homestays that fill the town.
Choose Devikulam if you have a car for the stay and do not need to walk to restaurants. It is a poor choice if you rely on public transport each day.
Between the town and Chinnakanal sits the belt most couples picture when they book Munnar. Pothamedu, 5 to 6 km out, gives tea, coffee and cardamom plantation views while staying comparatively close. Pallivasal, 8 to 10 km out, and Chithirapuram, 10 to 13 km out, add Attukad Waterfalls, old estate bungalows and quieter resort roads.
Prices here run higher than in town, because you pay for the view. Resort ranges checked for this guide include about Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 in Pothamedu, about Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 in Chithirapuram, and premium Pallivasal properties at about Rs 11,000 to Rs 13,000. Mid-range resorts and homestays fill the Rs 2,500 to Rs 6,000 space below them.
This belt is the best compromise for 2 to 3 nights with a car. The main sights start close to town: Eravikulam National Park about 8 km, Mattupetty Dam about 13 km and Top Station about 32 km, as listed in our Munnar sightseeing entry fees list. Staying here does not add much to those drives, unlike Chinnakanal.
Chinnakanal is a different decision, not just a nicer version of town. At 18 to 22 km from town, about 45 minutes on winding estate roads, it is a base for staying in, not for commuting. It holds many premium resorts, with panoramic views and quiet nights, ideal for a honeymoon, a slow family break, or a Kolukkumalai trip.
It is the wrong base if your days are a checklist of Eravikulam, Mattupetty and Top Station. From Chinnakanal you cross or bypass town for that route, adding roughly an hour and a half of return driving each day. You also eat mostly at your resort, so check meal prices before you book.
If you pick Chinnakanal, book a property you want to spend time in, keep a day for the resort, and hire your sightseeing car in advance through the hotel.
| Traveller | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time visitor, 2 nights, no car | Munnar Town or Old Munnar | Buses, food and sightseeing taxis are on hand, lowest transfer cost |
| Budget traveller or backpacker | Munnar Town | Homestays and budget hotels from about Rs 1,000, walkable food |
| Couple wanting tea-estate views | Pothamedu, Pallivasal or Chithirapuram | Plantation views and quiet resorts, still 5 to 13 km from town |
| Quiet nature stay with a car | Devikulam | Lake and valley setting, 7 to 10 km out, away from town bustle |
| Honeymoon or luxury resort break | Chinnakanal | Premium resorts and panoramic views, if you accept the 45 minute drive to town |
| Family doing full sightseeing days | Town, Old Munnar or the Pallivasal belt | Shorter days, more food choice, less backtracking than Chinnakanal |
Most visitors stay 2 nights and arrive from Kochi, as explained in our how to reach Munnar from Kochi Airport guide and the Munnar destination page. Cost the full trip in the trip budget planner.
Munnar Town or Old Munnar, 1 to 2 km from the centre. It is the most convenient for restaurants, buses and sightseeing taxis, it has the widest price range, and it wastes the least time on a short first trip.
For a resort stay, no. For daily sightseeing, it can be. Chinnakanal is 18 to 22 km from town, about 45 minutes each way on hill roads, so a town-based sightseeing day gains roughly an hour and a half of extra driving.
As a planning range checked in October 2026, expect about Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 in town, Rs 2,500 to Rs 13,000 in the Pallivasal, Chithirapuram and Pothamedu resort belt depending on the property, and Rs 4,000 and up in Chinnakanal, with premium resorts well above that. Rates rise in late December and January.
Yes, for a quiet nature stay with a car. Devikulam is 7 to 10 km from town, near Sita Devi Lake, with mid-range to luxury resorts. It is less good without a car, because restaurants, shops and public transport are much thinner than in town.
Yes, if you stay in town or Old Munnar. You can use buses to reach Munnar, autos and hired taxis for sightseeing circuits, and walk to food at night. Out in Chinnakanal or Devikulam, you will depend on your hotel for almost every ride.
Keralam Travels