City of Chennai • WANTSEE.WORLD

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• Chennai.

Tips for your trips. Tourist information. Official websites.

wikivoyage.org

+ Government website.

Chennai (formerly Madras, map), is the capital of the southern Indian state of *Tamil Nadu. It is the oldest city corporation of India, established in 1688—the second oldest in the world after London.

Though Chennai traces its history to *Fort St George (map) and adjoining village of Madrasapatnam founded by the British East India Company in 1640, some residential districts of the city are older.

In 1996, the Tamil Nadu government changed the name of the city from Madras – the name adopted during British rule – to Chennai, which it says is the original name of the city.

With the history of many neighbourhoods of the city such as *Mylapore (map), *Triplicane (map), and *Tiruvanmiyur (map) antedating that of the city itself, the architecture of Chennai ranges in a wide chronology. The oldest buildings in the city dates from the 7th and 8th centuries CE, which include the *Kapaleeshwarar Temple (map) and the *Parthasarathy Temple (map), built in the Dravidian architecture.

For centuries, Chennai has been the gateway to Southern India, with a vastly different culture from the other big cities of the country. Tamil culture and tradition at its core celebrates beauty.

Chennai has an extremely hot and humid climate—especially in the month of May, and has heavy rains during monsoons (July to November). The worst of the heat can be avoided by visiting from November to February.

More about popular places

Royapuram Fishing Harbour (map). A fishing harbour might not sound too appealing, but watching the fishermen bring freshly caught fish makes for a sight to behold. Also, remember to click photos of the stunning dock and backwaters while here.

Cholamandalam Artists’ Village (map). Since its inception in 1966, this village has grown to become the largest community for artists in India. Famed for the Madras Movement of Art, this village lets you admire the works of notable artists, and visit the craft shop, sculpture garden and the art book store.

The Chepauk Palace (map) in the city, designed by Paul Benfield, is said to be the first Indo-Saracenic building in India. The best examples of this style include the *Madras High Court (built in 1892, map), *Southern Railway headquarters (map), *Ripon Building / Greater Chennai Corporation Office (map), Government Museum, Senate House of the University of Madras (map), *Amir Mahal (map), *Bharat Insurance Building (map), *Victoria Public Hall (map) and the College of Engineering (map).

⇒ *List of tourist attractions in Chennai

*Fort St. George (map). It was (formerly known as White Town) was established as the East India Company’s fortified foothold in Madras and it was from this small trading post (or ‘factory’ as it was then known) that British influence spread throughout India.

⇒ *Heritage structures in Chennai

Government Museum (map). Established in 1857, the Government Museum of Chennai is one of the popular tourist destinations in the city. Six independent buildings in this Museum campus has 46 galleries. There is an Archaeology Section, Zoology Section, Botany Section, Geology Section, Numismatics Section, Bronze Gallery, Children’s museum, art gallery and various other interesting sections and galleries.

Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas (map). In the whole world, there are only three churches built over the tomb of an Apostle of Jesus Christ- the Basilica of Saint Peter built over the tomb of St.Peter in Rome, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela built over the tomb of St.James in Spain and Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas built over the tomb of St.Thomas. Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas is in Chennai, India. The present National Shrine of St.Thomas is built over the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle, who came to India in the year 52 AD.

More about Beaches

Breezy Beach (map). It is smaller and less popular than the Elliot’s beach. This beach is not as commercialized as the Elliot’s beach, and is hence more quiet and peaceful.

Covelong (40 km south from Chennai, map). It was known earlier is a small fishing village. Now it is a luxury beach resort.

Edward Elliot’s beach (map). This is spread along the coast down south from Marina. It is also the night beach for Chennai youth. At the end of this beach are the Velankanni church (map) and the Ashtalakshmi temple (map). Good roads, pavements, walking track illuminated sands, makes a visit to this beach a real pleasure.

Marina Beach (map). This is 12 km long and offers excellent opportunities for walks and has a very wide sandy foreshore. Its width is up to 300 m (985 ft). The Marina of Madras is the second longest beach in the world. it is an elegant promenade with flower beds along its lanes. Along the shore, there are many buildings built during the British colonial rule. It is the most popular gathering place for locals, especially in the evenings and on weekends.

The East Coast Road, also known as the New Mahabalipuram Road, leads south from Chennai to Pondicherry (map) and beyond. One of India’s most famous temple towns is 60 km (about 40 miles) along it and definitely worth a visit.

*Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram has many temples, mostly built during the Pallava Dynasty (275-897CE), including several on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The town is also famous for stone carving, and has schools that train most of India’s carvers. Carvings and other handicrafts are sold all over town.

#1 Visit Varanasi

The most sacred city in Hinduism, Jainism, and important in the history of Buddhism, Varanasi is India’s most important pilgrimage destination.

#2 Holi Festival

Holi is a popular ancient Indian festival, also known as the “Festival of Love”, the “Festival of Colours” and the “Festival of Spring”.

#3 Khajuraho temples

The erotic sculptures of Khajuraho in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, depicting Kama Sutra are unique in the world.

• Public transport.

Information about all types of public transport.

YATRA.COM – Book Flights, Hotels, Trains, Buses, Cruise and Holiday Packages.

Chennai Metro Rail app. The app provides details about train timings, exit gates and platform, fare between two stations, the nearest metro station.

Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses ply throughout the city.

The suburban trains are generally reliable and fast. The frequency of suburban trains is generally good and it is advisable to take a first class ticket during peak hours. Trains offer a reliable alternative to quickly reach your destination when compared to buses which might get trapped in traffic jams.

BUS: Redbus • Travelyaari • Buskiraya • myticketbuddy. Reliable carriers: Raj National Express • KPN Travels. While you can’t take a cross-country bus ride across India, buses are the second most-popular way of travelling across states and the only cheap way of reaching many places not on the rail network (e.g. Dharamsala)

TRAIN: irctc.co.in ⇒ Railways were introduced in India in 1853, more than one and half a century ago by the British, and today India boasts of the biggest network of railway lines in the world, and the rail system is very efficient, if rarely on schedule. It is one of the safest ways of travel in India.

AIRPORT: Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport • Indira Gandhi Airport • Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport • Dabolim Airport.

Domestic flights, the main operators are: Air India (Discover India) • Air India Express • Air Asia India • IndiGo • Go First • SpiceJet • Vistara.

More about transport

BEST Places to visit in Chennai | TOP Ten Tourist Destinations in Chennai.

Chennai is an old city with numerous places to explore for a traveller. Without a good plan, you can easily miss out on some really interesting places. I was recently in the city and explored it with my friend and here are my recommendations for the best places to visit in Chennai.

These tips will take you across Chennai, to some hidden off-the-beaten-track places which will let you experience the city in a very non-touristy way.

⇒ video source: Siddhartha Joshi / youtube.com /

• Useful websites.

Links to additional resources with useful information for planning your trip.

VISAS & IMMIGRATION.

Apply for a visitor visa. Find out what document you need to travel, visit family and friends, do business, or transit through India.

india.gov.in

YATRA.COM.

We are a leading online travel company in India providing a ‘best in class’ customer experience with the goal to be ‘India’s Travel Planner’.

yatra.com

Indian Food.

If you”re planning to visit India and want some more information about Indian food, then this Indian food guide can help.

asiahighlights.com

More Helpful Resources

YATRA.COM: We are a leading online travel company in India providing a ‘best in class’ customer experience with the goal to be ‘India’s Travel Planner’.

INDIAN CULTURE: Recognizing the ongoing need to position itself for the digital future, Indian Culture is an initiative by the Ministry of Culture. A platform that hosts data of cultural relevance from various repositories and institutions all over India.

Art & Culture: This section offers comprehensive information related to cultural heritage, ancient monuments, literary arts, visual arts, schemes, programmes, performing arts, fairs and festivals and handicraft of India. Detailed information on various organizations involved in promotion and propagation of Indian art and culture is also available in this section.

Museums of India: National Portal and Digital Repository for Museums of India.

National Digital Library of India – One Library All of India.

The One-Stop Guide to Indian Food: Indian food is very different from western food and can seem a little intimidating from an outside perspective. If you”re planning to visit India or just want some more information about Indian food before visiting your local restaurant, then this Indian food guide can help.

Restricted / Protected Area: Travel in much of the North-East (with the notable exception of Assam) and parts of Andaman and Nicobar, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will require obtaining a *Protected Area Permit (PAP). The easiest way to get one is to request it along with your visa application, in which case it will be added to your visa.