Chennai

Chennai, India

The site of former Indian, Portuguese and Dutch settlements, today’s Chennai was established by the British in the 17th century as a trading port. This colonial town, formerly known as Madras, has since grown into India’s fourth-largest city and the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This bustling and colorful Indian city is bound to have something on offer for everyone.

Population:

4.9 million in Chennai city, urban area 9 million

Currency:

Rupee 1 INR/Rs. = 100 paise

Emergency Numbers:

Police: 100
Traffic Police: 103
Fire Control: 101
Ambulance: 102
Apollo Ambulance: 1066

Opening Hours:

Normally 10.30 am - 8.30 pm

Newspapers:

The Hindu – India’s national newspaper
New Indian Express – a major newspaper
Chennai City Guide - weekly information about culture and tourism

The City

Chennai, or the ’Gateway to South India’ as it is also called, is a city with a rich colonial past famous for its cultural events, music, literature, dance and cuisine as well as for being the home of India’s second-largest film industry, known as Kollywood. While Chennai mainly is a commercial city with automobile, technology and healthcare industries and, therefore, has fewer famous tourist attractions than many other Indian cities, it still has plenty of delightful offers for visitors.

For those with an interest in history, a visit to Fort St. George – built in the 1640s by the British – is a must. Apart from the British heritage, the site also showcases the rich history of southern India throughout the centuries in the museum located on the fort’s grounds. Chennai is also home to some 75 temples, churches and mosques well worth a visit, particularly the beautiful and richly-ornamented Kapaleeswarar Temple. The city’s beach, the Marina, is one of the longest stretches of sandy beaches in the world and something visitors cannot miss. Those reluctant to swim in the sea can instead visit one of the city’s many waterparks, or just indulge in the foods and snacks and souvenirs sold in the stalls on the beach.

The city also hosts both colorful street markets as well as luxurious shopping malls with wood and stone carvings, mats, textiles and silk being some of the most sought-after items on offer. After a hard day of shopping, tourists can relax, or start the evening’s party, at one of Chennai’s many swish restaurants and bars.

Do & See

Chennai is home to a colonial fort and an array of beautiful temples, monuments and churches, water sports and amusement parks, street markets and shopping centers, fine dining and luxury hotels, as well as one of the longest sandy beaches in the world.

Dining

South Indian cuisine, also referred to as Dravidian, usually consists of several (mainly vegetarian) dishes eaten with steamed rice. Tamil cuisine, famous for the use of a variety of spices, recommends that one includes in a main meal all the six tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salt, astringent and pungent. A Thali, here known as "meals", is traditionally served on a banana leaf. Look around and see how the other guests handle their leftovers and banana leaf, for good table manners.

Restaurants are often referred to as a "hotel" on the signs outside, on which it usually also states if the restaurant serves meat or not. Most of the good restaurants in Chennai are located in the city’s up-market hotels, and are known for their lunch buffets. Don´t miss out on all the street stalls that serves wonderful south indian food and note that some foods are only served during breakfast whilst others only are served during night.

Cafes

A number of different coffee chains have established themselves in the centre of Chennai, where one usually finds coffee, tea, sandwiches and a variety of biscuits and desserts on offer. Most of the cafes open at 10 am and close at 10 pm. Each mole, or area of the city, has a number of cafés as well.