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Distance wise both are comparable though the NH48 route is a tad longer.

Then again distance and travel time depends on  what is your final destination in Coorg as well as from where in Bangalore you are set out for Coorg.

So which is the best route to Coorg? Let's see the considerations between the two routes, that will help you to select one, ideal for your situation.

Bangalore to Coorg via Mysore: Select the Mysore route if your destination is south Coorg, say Kutta, Gonikopal, Virajpet, Nagarhole and so on.

SH17 stretch (distance is about 140 km): Bangalore - Ramanagara - Channapatna - Maddur - Mandya - Srirangapatna - Mysore .
The second lap is (SH88) : Mysore - Yelwal - Hunsur - Piriyapatna - Kushalnagara - Suntikoppa - Madikeri . This stretch’s distance is approximately 115km.

Also how close are you to the Mysore Road (NICE Road ) in Bangalore City, is another factor to be consider, specifically in saving time taken to exit Bangalore and hit Mysore road.

The driving conditions of the Mysore route is pretty decent, expect a few patchy stretches, esp. those diversions you may take to your final destinations to Coorg. Otherwise the road to Madikeri is in good conditions, as of mid 2014 (see tips below).

The only qualm people drive on the Mysore route have is, the relatively high traffic between Bangalore and Mysore, especially around Mandya, Maddur and Ramnagara stretches. If you cover these in the forenoon or still better early in the day, this is not a concern.

The biggest plus for the Mysore route over the NH48 to Coorg is the facilities on the Mysore route. There are a great deal of restaurants, drive-ins and fuel stations all the way till Coorg. The same thing can not be said about NH48, after the diversion you will take on NH48 at Channarayapatna towards Coorg.

That's about the Mysore route. Let's all also see the pros and cons of NH48 route to Coorg

Bangalore to Coorg via Channarayapatna: Select the Channarayapatna route (NH48 Route), if your destination is around Madikeri or Somwarpet area. Here again (at Bangalore) if you are located close to the Tumkur road rather than to Mysore Road, NH48 route could save you some time in exiting Bangalore .

Bangalore to Coorg by NH48 ( distance 275km ) route goes like this: Bangalore City --30km-->Nelamangala--44km-->Kunigal--30km-->Bellur Cross (Nelligere)--45km--> Channarayapatna --22km-->Holenarsipur--22km-->Arkalgud--22km-->Sanivarasante--20km-->Somwarpet--40km-->Madikeri Town

The biggest lure for NH48 over Mysore road, is the relatively fast moving traffic, though you may have a few toll booths on NH48.

The diversion from NH48 to Coorg is at Channarayapatna, till where it is a 4 lane highway. You can zoom! There are fair deal of facilities till here (restaurants, drive-ins etc). After Channarayapatna, the state highway is 2 lane and with relatively less in traffic, till you reach Madikeri.

It's less likely you'll find good restaurants after Channarayapatna before you hit Madikeri town.This is about 120km, the tiered last 3 hours the driving towards Coorg!

Also, unlike the Mysore route, the Channarayapatna to Madikeri route is pretty deserted of traffic during late night hours.

Another factor you may want to throw in is the places to visit on the way to Coorg from Bangalore. Mysore, Srirangapatna, Ranganthittu BS, KRS, Kushalnagar etc are on the Mysore route.

• Checkout with travel forums like Team BHP, Indiamike.com etc to get the latest update on the road conditions, esp. helpful during post monsoon months.
• Swathi Delicacy (www.swathidelicacy.com) great vegetarian drive in restaurant near Yediyur on NH48.
• Check out with the detailed driving direction (Bangalore to Coorg via Mysore) on how to bypass Mysore city, there are two routes.