Around 90 km from the city centre, Karaikudi draws visitors with its gorgeous temples and lip smacking Chettinad delicacies. Some of the must visit temples include the Ariyakudi Thiruvengamudayan Temple, Thirumayam Perumal and Kundrakudi Shanmuganthan Temple. The beautiful town also serves as an important shooting location for South Indian cinema and tourists often get a chance to witness a film shooting in Karaikudi. The Chettinad cuisine got its name from the Chettiar kings and some of the must try local Chettinad dishes include cheeyam, velliam paniayaram, masala paniyaram, Ilandhosai and thaalicha idiyappam.

Karaikudi is the largest town of the Sivaganga district and is famous for its limestone houses called Karai Veedu in local parlance. It is believed that the town got its name from the karai plant, which is found in abundance here. The credit for the establishment and development of Karaikudi goes to the family of Chettiars, who still make the majority of the town's population.