Chennai

Chennai, formerly Madras, is the largest metro in Southern India and the fourth largest city in India with a population of almost 7 million people.

Chennai is the jewel of South India, the capital of Tamil Nadu, the land of temples and Bharatnatyam... Chennai is famous for Kanchipuram silk sarees, Idli Dosa south indian food, Filter coffee, Temples & Beaches, for its Carnatic Music & dance(kutcheri) season...

Chennai represents a paradox - its the most conservative of the four metros, fiercely protective of its traditional arts and culture- yet its one of the most industrially advanced, hosting some of the oldest engineering colleges in India. It's also popularly known as the Detroit of Asia in recognition of the large number of automobile manufacturers that have their base there. These include Hyundai, BMW ,Ford, Mitsubishi/HM, Leyland and others.

The best time to visit Chennai is around November end -Jan end. The climate is cloudy or mildly sunny and pleasant. That's also when Chennai's famous traditional music concert (kutcheri) season begins. Summers can get extremely hot especially during the period of 'katri' or 'agni nakshatram' (literally fireball) These 'dog days' usually occur around the middle of May - temperatures of above 40-42 degrees centigrade are not uncommon so be prepared.

Tips

In need of travel info? Go check the Chennai Group.

The CouchSurfing community in Chennai is growing day by day.... and couchsurfers would be more than happy to help

A Couchsurfer's View on Chennai

Chennai: A city unlike any other I have visited so far in India... a place without the monumental sites or the extreme temples often equated with this country. Rather the city, in itself, is The Site. Chennai retains the character of traditional India but is obviously polished by the cloth of education, culture, art, humanity. Take a stroll along the beach at sunrise and it seems like the whole city has awoken before you, there exercising, playing cricket, walking, laughing, talking - taking time to enjoy something in life more than just working. Visit the many venues of art and music where you'll find yourself surrounded by locals. Drop into the places of worship for many different religions and see the tolerance and co-existence that is emanated into the rest of the city. Go to the Silk superstores just to watch the ceremony of buying a Sari. Stroll through Old Town to get that same market flavour you'll find throughout India. And all this time, take notice of how clean the city is compared to anywhere else in India - a sign that the people have respect for both themselves and their fellow citizens. Sure the traffic is bad like everywhere else, but this is truly the friendliest city I've been in, where people seem more genuine and interested in showing you their city than trying to sell you something. Chennai is on the move in both physical growth and societal advancement. And if you make it there, try to get in touch with the people, like those in CS, and they will help to be your conduit into the true fabric of this interesting microcosm. - TorontoJim, March 2007.

Local transport

While one of the common modes of transport is by Autorickshaws ('Autos'), unfortunately Chennai's auto drivers have earned a dubious reputation for not sticking to the metered fare and fleecing even the city's residents. This is hopefully set to change with the government now having fixed a minimum fare at Rs.14 for the first 2 kilometres and Rs.6 for every subsequent km. Your auto driver is expected to carry the tariff cards that show the changed rates. This comes into force from 26th January 2007.Auto rickshaws with electronic meters must calibrate to new tariff by March 11; vehicles with mechanical meters must calibrate to new tariff by April 25; and vehicles with mechanical meters must switch to electronic meters by July 25. The prepaid fare has been fixed at Rs.21 for the first two km and Rs.9 thereafter for every km. Update: This is being strictly enforced by policemen and RTOs so dont hesitate to approach them if you have any difficulty.

If you face any difficulties with belligerent auto drivers, you can call the office of Joint Transport Commissioner at 2644 5511 and 2644 4445 or the Chennai City Police Number at 103 and 98418 08123. The complaint cells with the Regional Transport Offices of various regions are as follows: Chennai East - 2667 0993; Chennai West - 2489 8240; Chennai Central - 2644 5959; Chennai North - 2673 2525; Chennai Northwest - 2621 5959; Chennai South - 2445 0404; Chennai South West - 2486 7733; and Meenambakkam - 2232 5555. On the lighter side, there is nothing like an auto ride for the uninitiated - in most cases you tend to cling on for dear life as auto drivers try to mimic Michael Schumacher and Jean Paul Belmondo, the famous stuntman, simultaneously and your bones get rattled/massaged like nothing else can.

For passengers alighting at the train stations (Central & Egmore) and the airport, there are prepaid cabs available.

Buses are very regular. However, they tend to get so crowded that it is not the best option for tourists. The Yellow Line and Blue Line buses are marginally better because they have limited stops.

The local train (MRT) is operational only in a few select sectors. The easiest way to get around is still the autorickshaw.

Suggested Itinerary in Chennai

Places to visit in Chennai

Temples

      - Kapaleeshwar temple, Mylapore built in the 8th century AD
      - Sri Parthasarathy Temple,Tiruvellikeni (Triplicane)The temple was originally built 
        by the  Pallavas in the 8th centuary AD.

Churches

       - the 320 year old St.Mary's Church situated inside Fort St.George;the oldest Anglican   
         church east of the Suez.
       - Luz Church - another 300 year old church believed to have been built by the Portuguese
       - St. Thomas Church and St. Thomas Cathedral. The Old Church where St. Thomas was          
         martyred is on top of the St. Thomas mount, a small hill near Guindy. Its a 500 year      
         plus old monument. 
         An added attraction is that you have a clear view of the Chennai airport runway from here 
         and its nice to watch planes landing and take off. 
         The St. Thomas Cathedral is in Santhome near Marina Beach where St. Thomas is buried. The 
         altar is on top of the tomb and a  renovated underground chapel near the tomb is a place to  
         visit. Also do not miss the museum behind the main Cathedral.    
       

Mosques

       - Big Mosque, situated in Triplicane built in 1795.

How to party with 50,000 Chennaites

       - Go to the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chepauk if there's an International cricket game on.This is the main religion here!

Beaches

    - Marina Beach - one of the longest beaches in the world,with historic buildings such as  
      Madras University a fine specimen of Indo Saracenic architecture, Fort St.George, 
      where the British began their empire. 
    - Besant Nagar beach - formally known as Elliots beach. Hip and Happening area            
   

Shopping

    - Mount Road aka Anna Salai - commercial centre with Spencers Mall 
    - T Nagar / Pondy bazaar  considered the central shopping district, its peppered with Jewellers
      and traditional Textile/Saree shops along with shopping malls. Many weddings in South India  
      are not considered complete without a visit to T.Nagar

Universities

       - Anna University - The Guindy campus houses the College of Engineering, and home to some
         of the brightest Engineering minds on the southern hemisphere. One of the oldest institutes of
         it's kind (established in 1794), CEG packs some architecturally-unique historical buildings
         within an easily walkable campus. Former rocket-scientist and current President of India, 
         Dr. Abdul Kalam was a professor at Anna University, in the MIT campus.
       - IIT Madras - Across the street from CEG, IIT-M carries considerable hype, but the 
         campus itself has little to distinguish itself apart from lots of wooded space and a few 
         scattered concrete buildings serving as academic departments and dormitories. 
       - University of Madras - Where the rest of the hoi polloi get their degrees.

Nature

     - The Theosophical Society estate on the banks of the Adyar river. Check out the trees  
       which have been planted from nearly all over the world. Visit 'the Garden of Remembrance' for  
       some really tranquil moments. This is also home to a bird sanctuary. Sunsets are spectacular.
     - The Snake Park,Adyar for a live demo of snake venom extraction and snakes from the 
       world over. This is part of the Guindy National Park, just about the only natural forest 
       within a city in India.
     - The Crocodile Bank on ECR for one of the largest collections of crocs, 
       alligators, cayman etc anywhere.
      [Honorable Members of the Madras Crocodile Bank in session]
     - St.Thomas Mount, a small hill nearest the airport where St.Thomas is believed to beeen 
       martyred. The chapel has paintings believed to have been painted by the Apostle in 52 AD.   
       Its also one of the best places to have a (literally) Birds eyeview of Chennai. Binoculars 
       recommended.
     - Muttukadu Lake - on ECR is a popular boating area, there are several places where you 
       can practically walk across since the water is only 4 feet deep! Recommend taking the trip 
       down the little known lock, very few people traverse the 9 km long route.
     - Pulicat Lake - the second largest saltwater lagoon in India, is a bird lovers 
       paradise.About 15000 flamingos visit this place every year among numerous other birds, fish 
       and small mammals. Situated approximately 60km from Chennai.Best time to visit is during   
       October- March.
     - Valmiki Nagar Beach - a small beach beyond Elliot's Beach renowned for its congregation  
       of Oliver Ridley turtles - turtle walks are regularly organized to watch this event. 

Day trips from Chennai

     - East Coast Road aka ECR/Scenic Highway is a long nearly straight road running parallel to the 
       Bay of Bengal and connecting Chennai with Puducherry. Beach resorts,restaurants & water 
       bodies abound.
     - Cholamandal Artists Village -just about the only self-supporting artists’ colony in the 
       world.
     - Dakshinachitra- a unique project for buffs eager to learn the history and culture of the 4 
       southern states, artisans live and work here in their traditional dwellings.  
     - Mahabalipuram - Famous for its shore temples and carvings and beautiful beaches.     
     - Sadras, a town near Kalpakkam was a former Dutch town with a magnificent fort.
     - Puducherry, formerly Pondicherry or simply Pondy - a former French colony of the South 
      (you may decide to stay longer than a day)- is approximately 160 Km from Chennai. When there 
       you may also want to visit Auroville http://auroville.org as  well.
     - Alambarai Fort - ruins of a Mughal fort built in 1776, not very well maintained 
       unfortunately. Great Lagoon though.
     - Chunnambar, Ariyankuppam 7 km from Pondy the closest thing to Allepey's lagoons this side of  
       Tamil Nadu. Spend time in a hut on Paradise beach, chilling out and drinking beer. The beach is still
       unspoilt and clean. Interesting marine life as well. Ferry boats are available almost every 20 minutes
       from 9.30 AM -5PM. Speed boats are also available for joyrides.  
       Sunset at Chunnambar

Places to Eat in Chennai

Chennai is still famous or its traditional cuisine aka Madrasi cuisine or the Iddly, Dosai & filter coffee.

Chennai often conjures up images of 'Idli/Dosai/Filter coffee' however it offers a huge panoply and wide variety of cuisines to tickle everyone's palates.

Typical south Indian /Tamilian food - Saravana Bhavan or Sangeetas are recommended- They are chain restaurants found all over the city. Dasaprakash on Poonamallee High Road has some of the best dosas in the city, and excellent South Indian Filter coffee.

Chettinad Food - Karaikudi in Besant nagar or RK salai.

Keralite - Tharavad in Besant Nagar, Kumarakom ( Adyar, K H Road & near Porur) Kalpaka (Royapettah High Road)

Punjabi - The Dhabba, Dhabba Express (Besant Nagar)

Italian -Bella Ciao in N.H Road and near Valmiki Nagar, Salvatores on Tirumalai Pillai Road, Eden (Besant Nagar - pure veg only restaurant) Little Italy (Nungambakkam High Road - another pure veg only!)

Japanese - Akasaka on L.B Road, Dahlia near Ganpat Hotel.

Thai - Benjarong on T.T.K Road, Cascade in Besant Nagar

American/Italian - read Burgers - Gallopin Gooseberries on Greams Road & ECR, rustle up some of the juiciest burgers found anywhere. Check out their special 'Billy Bunter' burger!

Korean - Kyongbokgong on Chamiers Road

Level 4 - City Centre Mall rooftop, good view of the beach, good food. Mainly Indian and 'Chinese'

World Cuisine - Giorgio Besant Nagar

Basera - on ECR serves excellent North Indian, limited South Indian and Chinese fare. Recommended for those who want to try out dining in a 'machan' (tree house). Lovely natural ambiance

Blue Diamond on Poonamallee High Road has good Ceylon egg paratha's, although it's become a bit greasy recently.

The Great Kabob Factory within the Radisson Hotel in St. Thomas Mount (near the airport) serves juicy kabobs of various kinds that should keep most carnivores sated.

Kim Lingchinese restaurant near ayyapan temple at Anna Nagar

Watering Holes in Chennai

Officially there are no pubs in Chennai, unlike in some other cities in India. However there are enough bars in hotels where one can quaff draught beer or have a quick one with something stronger. There are also umpteen 'wine' shops (which actually dont sell any any wine!) where liquor can be purchased. The beer in Chennai is highly carbonated and strong so many prefer to hop over to neighbouring Pondy for a drink.

There are at least 45 well known bars, usually attached to hotels - a partial list is given below:

Zara's Tapas Pub- Spanish style bar, Near Music Academy flyover

Bike & Barrel - Residency Towers hotel, T.Nagar. The room with the pool table is recommended!

Geoffrey's - Hotel Radha Park Inn, Arumbakkam

The Leather Bar at the Park Hotel Near Gemini Flyover

High Time - GRT Grand, T.Nagar

Distil - Taj Connemara, Binny Road

Fort St.George - Taj Coromandel M G Road

Bamboo Bar -Savera Hotel

Maritime Tales - seafront bar at GRT Temple bay

Westminster - Hotel Park Sheraton

The Dome - Le Royal Meridian, St.Thomas Mount (close to the airport)

Arcot Bar - The Trident hotel, GST Road (nearest the airport)

Hotel Ashoka - near egmore ( only vegetarian Bar )