Chennai Travel Guide
Chennai Travel Guide
A take on Namma Chennai
Formerly Madras, Chennai is one of the larger cities in India and is known for its diverse cultural standards and art scenes. Holding onto its conservative values, Chennai moves forward daily.
Understanding Chennai
The culture in Chennai is different from any other city in India as the native Hindu and Tamil traditions and culture is portrayed in every way possible, through the clothes, dance, cultural heritage sites and music. Chennai is made up of a diverse population and its culture does reflect it too. The food in Chennai is basically everything from idlis to fast foods and their own filter coffees. Tamil is the official language of Chennai and almost everyone there speaks it, unlike the other parts of India, Hindi is not a widely understood language in this city. On the other hand, English is a well-spoken language and most signboards can be found in both the native language and English.
Getting There
The Chennai International Airport in Meenambakkam is well connected to most major cities in the world and you can get on the Metro rail right from the airport, that’ll take you into the city while avoiding rush hour traffic. The suburban trains also run from the airport to the city and this is literally the cheapest mode of transport as it costs about INR 5.
You can enter Chennai by train too, and get off at one of the two main stations, Chennai Central or Chennai Egmore.
Housing one of Asia’s largest bus stations, Chennai’s Mofussil Bus terminal is where you can get off when you travel to Chennai from almost all parts of Tamil Nadu and other the states.
Getting Around
Travelling within the city is no easy feat as there is traffic all times of the day and the Chennai Metro construction also adds to the congestion. Most areas of Chennai are covered by one or more modes by public transports and if you’re staying at one of the serviced apartments in Chennai, you will have no trouble travelling, for example, at the Citadines OMR Gateway Chennai.
Trains, buses, taxis, trishaws and the Metro are some of the usual ways in which you can get around Chennai. Hiring a car is a good idea, unless you are from abroad, as the rules on Chennai roads are hard to decipher, even to the people who have been there for ages, and it’s best to hire a driver with the car if you do rent.
Things to See
Temples, churches, heritage sites, restaurants, shopping centres, movie complexes and night clubs are opening up in and around the city rapidly and the city has things to offer for both the older generations and the young ones.
- The Marina Beach, Elliot’s beach or Bessy beach and the beaches along ECR are the most popular hangouts in Chennai.
- The most loved temples in this cultural city are the Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore, the Karaneeswarar Temple in Saidapet and the Vadapalani Murugan Temple in, well, Vadapalani.
- The St. Thomas Church in Santhome is one of the most photographed places in Chennai and lies on the Marina beach stretch.
- If you love shopping, don’t miss out on checking out the Express Avenue Mall, streets on T Nagar and Pondy Bazaar and also Sowcarpet.
- Valluvar Kottam, Fort St. George and the Vivekananda House are some of the most iconic sites in Chennai.
Things to Do
- The Arinjar Anna Zoological Park, the Guindy National Park, Guindy Snake Park and the Semmozhi Poonga provide some quality time with wildlife and nature.
- Food is ample in Chennai, be it shopping centres, streets, fast food shops or sophisticated restaurants. The people of Chennai are mostly foodies and love their food with a cup of their famous filter coffee.
Other Activities
- Food tours, photography walks, nature walks, Frisbee games at the beach in the wee mornings, music festivals, book fairs, plays, writers’ clubs and dance shows are common and happen almost daily in Chennai. Do check out the events pages of the city before you plan your trip so you might not end up missing the performance of your favourite play by just a day or two.
