Why go
- Capital of Tamil Nadu, India.
- Known for Madras (modern day Chennai) was known as Fort St. George for the British East India Company in the 1700s, its the largest city in Tamil Nadu province.
- Served by Tirupati International Airport (TIR).
History
Chennai, also known as Madras, is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. As per the 2011 Indian census, Chennai is the sixth-most-populous city in India and forms the fourth-most-populous urban agglomeration. The city is coterminous with Chennai district, which together with the adjoining suburbs constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area, one of the largest metropolitan areas of India. It is administered by the Greater Chennai Corporation, which was incorporated in 1688, and is the second oldest municipal corporation in the world after the City of London Corporation. Being the capital of the state, it houses major government institutions including the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and the Madras High Court.
Where to stay
37, Uthamar Gandhi Rd, near Makkal TV Office, Tirumurthy Nagar, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · tajhotels.com
Binny Rd, Anna Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600002, India · tajhotels.com
132, TTK Rd, Austin Nagar, Alwarpet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600018, India · ihg.com
Indoor
170/1,178/1, 170/2, Angappa Naicken St, near CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION, Mannadi, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600001, India · booking.com
38, Model School Rd, Thousand Lights West, Thousand Lights, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006, India · grandsilver.in
12, VV Koil St, Periamet, Park Town, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600003, India · makemytrip.com
3-2, Wallace Gdn 3rd St, Thousand Lights West, Thousand Lights, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006, India · grandonetowerhotels.com
100 Feet Rd, near Indra Gandhi Square, Anna Nagar, Puducherry, 605005, India · hotelkarai.com
1, Chinna St, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600008, India · themadrasgrand.com
Noor Veerasamy Ln, Ponnangipuram, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · uparhotels.com
No.32/85, Stadium, CNK Rd, near Chepauk, Chepauk, Triplicane, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600005, India · smagrandinn.in
Gate No 1, Express Avenue Mall, Pattullos Rd, Express Estate, Royapettah, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600014, India · emallhotel.com
368R+GR7, 144 & 145, Sterling Rd, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · pharoshotels.in
61/1A2A1, Kanniamman koil street, near Kovalam Beach Road, Madras, Kovalam, Tamil Nadu 603112, India · samudrabeachresorts.com
31/13, Thiruvengadam St, Periamet, Park Town, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600003, India · skbhotelgrandays-lab.github.io
103, Nungambakkam High Rd, Ponnangipuram, Subba Road Avenue, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · thebelstead.com
315, Valluvar Kottam High Rd, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · harrisonshotels.com
41, Periyar Rd, Porur Sundaram St, T. Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600017, India · jaaghotels.com
Periamet Mosque, 7/4, Vepery High Rd, near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Periamet, Opp:, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600007, India · lizaregency.com
15, Kennet Ln, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600008, India · hotelpandian.com
39, Red Cross Rd, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600008, India · vestinpark.com
No. 67, 84, Nungambakkam High Road, Block Z, Tirumurthy Nagar, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · parkavenuehotel.in
20, Model School Rd, Thousand Lights West, Thousand Lights, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006, India · rayyanhotel.com
51/22, Model School Rd, OPP. U.S CONSULATE, Thousand Lights West, Thousand Lights, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006, India · hotelcrystalpark.in
38/16, Cathedral Garden Rd, Gangai Karai Puram, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · season4.in
216, E V R Periyar Salai, Poonamalle High Road, near Sangam Cinema, Kilpauk, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600010, India · pridehotel.com
Old No 4, New No 11, Kodambakkam High Rd, Tirumurthy Nagar, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034, India · thekingsparkgrand.com
New No. 41/1, 41/2, Old No.51-A, 51-B Mount Road, Near Devi Theatre Complex, Anna Salai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600002, India · themountcity.com
34, Wallahjah Rd, Opp. Kalaivanar Arangam, Chepauk, Triplicane, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600005, India · arunaachalaaresiidency.com
16, Kennet Ln, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600008, India
207/A, Jawaharlal nehru rd Opposite CMBT Mofussil Bus Terminus, 207/A, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, Opposite CMBT Mofussil Bus Terminus, Koyambedu, Chennai, Tamil…
140, opposite Greams Road, Thousand Lights West, Sangeetha, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006, India
9, Gandhi Irwin Rd, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600008, India
Indoor
Restaurants & places to go
South Indian, Restaurant · Simple chain destination for Biryanis Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-23:00 Features: takeaway, delivery · AJ-213 4th Avenue,Shanthi… · thalappakatti.com
Coffee Shop, Cafe · Seattle based Coffeehouse chain Opening hours: Mo-Su 09:00-23:00 Features: outdoor seating, takeaway, air conditioning · No: 221 TBR… · starbucks.in
Indian, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 07:00-22:00 Features: vegetarian options · 748 Thiruvottriyur High Road, Chennai, 600021 · aabsweets.com
Chicken, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 12:00-02:30 Features: takeaway, delivery, vegetarian options, air conditioning · Old No 96 & 97, New No 43 & 44,… · restaurants.kfc.co.in
Burger, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 09:00-21:00 Features: takeaway, vegetarian options, air conditioning · New No 43 & 44, Old No 96 & 97, 11th Ave,… · mcdelivery.co.in
Juice, Fast Food · Cake bar Juice Shop
Tea Shop, Cafe · Best tea ever
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-23:00 · 64/202 Ramasamy Salai, 600078 · dominos.co.in
Italian, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:45-22:30 · E-50 Besant Nagar 17th Cross Street, Chennai, 600090 · littleitaly.in
Fast Food · Best Beef Biriyani in the City · Ramapuram 2nd Street, Choolaimedu, Chennai
Arab, Chinese, Indian, Kebab, Shawarma, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 10:00-23:00 · 600010
Ice Cream, Dessert, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-21:00 · 27/1, Welcome Colony, Thirumangalm, Anna Nagar West Extension,, chennai, 600101
Regional, Restaurant · Features: vegetarian options · Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, Chennai, 600001 · aabsweets.in
Mexican, Restaurant · Mexican restaurant · #17/2, Shaffee Mohammed Road, Off Greams & Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Chennai, 600006 · texasfiesta.in
Donut, Fast Food · Features: takeaway
North Indian, Restaurant · Features: takeaway, delivery
Sandwich, Fast Food · Features: takeaway
Momo, Fast Food · Features: takeaway
Barbecue, Restaurant · Barbecue restaurant
Ice Cream, Ice Cream · Ice Cream ice cream · Bazullah Road
Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-23:00 · B 211, 11th Ave, 11th Avenue, Mettuppalayam, Ashok Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600083 · thalappakatti.com
Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Su 08:00-20:00 · 94/189 St Marys Road SBI Colony, RA Puram Chennai, 600028 Tamil Nadu India · beachvillecoffee.com
International, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 08:00-11:55 Features: air conditioning · Inner Ring Road, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai, 600032
Noodle, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 09:00-21:00 Features: vegetarian options, step-free access · Gopathi Narayanaswami Road, Chennai, 600017
Tea, Coffee Shop, Indian, Cafe · Opening hours: 24/7
Sweets, Snacks, Veg Food Dishes, Sandwich, Regional, Indian, Restaurant · Features: vegetarian options · 453 Chennai - Tiruttani - Renigunta Road, Chennai,… · perambursrinivasa.com
Chinese, Indian, Restaurant · Chinese/Indian restaurant · sangeethaveg.com
Hungarian, Restaurant · Hungarian restaurant · T53/B 4th Main Road, Chennai, 600090
Vending Machine, Cafe · Features: step-free access · Thiruvalluvar Street
Snack, Fast Food · Snack fast food
Japanese, Restaurant · Japanese restaurant
Burmese, Fast Food · Burmese fast food
Korean, Restaurant · Korean restaurant
Mediterranean, Restaurant · Mediterranean restaurant
Kebab, Fast Food · Kebab fast food
Lebanese, Restaurant · Lebanese restaurant
Thai, Restaurant · Thai restaurant
Chat, Restaurant · Chat restaurant
Food Court · Opening hours: Mo-Su 08:00-02:00 Features: vegetarian options
South Indian, Restaurant · Features: takeaway, delivery
Coffee Shop, Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Su 08:00-23:00 Features: outdoor seating · 70/44 4th Avenue, 600083 · thirdwavecoffeeroasters.com
Indian, Cafe · Opening hours: 24/7 · 2nd Avenue, Anna Nagar West, 600040 · chaikings.dotpe.in
Chicken, Fast Food · Chicken fast food · 10 Marudupandi Street, Chennai, 600042
Burger, Fast Food · Features: takeaway
Juice, Ice Cream, Cutlet, Regional, Falooda, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 10:00-22:00 · 12 Murugan koil street, chennai, 600099
351 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
Chennai International Airport (MAA) 13 km to the centre
Chennai, TN, IN — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 32 airlines (Spicejet, Air India Limited, IndiGo Airlines, Jet Airways…) · direct flights to 40 destinations incl. Mumbai, Singapore, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 32 airlines, 40 direct destinations
- Spicejet SG (737, DH8) · 17 routes: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Coimbatore, Colombo, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Madurai, Mumbai, Port Blair, Pune, TCR, Trivandrum, Vishakhapatnam
- Air India Limited AI (A319, A320, A321, A330-200, A340-300) · 16 routes: Bangalore, Colombo, Delhi, Frankfurt*, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Madurai, Mumbai, Muscat, Plaisance*, Port Blair, Sharjah, Singapore, Trivandrum
- IndiGo Airlines 6E (A320) · 13 routes: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Delhi, Dubai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Singapore, Trivandrum, Vishakhapatnam
- Jet Airways 9W (737-800, 737-800, ATR 72, 737-900) · 13 routes: Abu Dhabi, Bangalore*, Coimbatore*, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad*, Kochi*, Kuala Lumpur*, Madurai*, Mumbai, Port Blair, Singapore, Tiruchirappalli*
- Air Sahara S2 (737-800, ATR 72, 737-800, 737-900) · 10 routes: Bangalore*, Coimbatore*, Delhi*, Goa*, Hyderabad*, Kochi*, Madurai*, Mumbai*, Port Blair*, Tiruchirappalli*
- Air India Express IX (737-800) · 4 routes: Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum
- Go Air G8 (A320) · 3 routes: Mumbai, Port Blair, Pune
- Saudi Arabian Airlines SV (A330-300) · 3 routes: Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh
- Air Austral UU (737-800) · 2 routes: Bangkok, St.-denis
- L MJ (A320, A330-200, A340-300) · 2 routes: Colombo*, Mattala*
- Maldivian Q2 (A320) · 2 routes: Dhaka, Male
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A320, A340-300, A330-200) · 2 routes: Colombo, Mattala
- Air Arabia G9 (A320) · 1 route: Sharjah
- Air Mauritius MK (A330-200) · 1 route: Plaisance
- AirAsia AK (A320) · 1 route: Kuala Lumpur
- American Airlines AA (777) · 1 route: London*
- British Airways BA (777) · 1 route: London
- Cathay Pacific CX (A330-300) · 1 route: Hong Kong
- Emirates EK (A330-200, 777-200, 777-300, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai
- Etihad Airways EY (A320, A321) · 1 route: Abu Dhabi
- Garuda Indonesia GA (737-800) · 1 route: Singapore
- Gulf Air Bahrain GF (A321) · 1 route: Bahrain
- Kuwait Airways KU (310) · 1 route: Kuwait
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A340-300) · 1 route: Frankfurt
- Malaysia Airlines MH (737-800) · 1 route: Kuala Lumpur
- Oman Air WY (737-800) · 1 route: Muscat
- Qatar Airways QR (A330-300) · 1 route: Doha
- SilkAir MI (A319, A320) · 1 route: Singapore
- Singapore Airlines Cargo SQ (A330-300) · 1 route: Singapore
- Thai AirAsia FD (A320) · 1 route: Bangkok
- Thai Airways International TG (A330-300) · 1 route: Bangkok
- Tiger Airways TR (A320) · 1 route: Singapore
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Tirupati International Airport (TIR) 99 km to the centre
Tirupati, AP, IN — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 2 airlines (Air India Limited, Spicejet) · direct flights to 1 destination incl. Hyderabad (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 2 airlines, 1 direct destination
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Chokani Jetty
Ferry terminal · 6.3 km from the centre
Port Blair to Chennai
Ferry route
Port Blair - Chennai Ferry
Ferry route
Where things are
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping
base map © OSM
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
Tourist season
May – September
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Shoulder season
April, October
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Worth avoiding
Deep winter
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Tirupati International Airport (TIR); 3 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: MAA has direct flights to 40 destinations on 32 airlines (incl. Mumbai, Singapore, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad…). By water: 1 ferry terminal within 20 km (nearest: Chokani Jetty, 6.3 km); routes include Port Blair to Chennai, Port Blair - Chennai Ferry.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Chennai (Madras), India. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
National rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.