Read my blog on all the highlights Chennai. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen or found all of them during my visit to Chennai. In this blog, I want to show them to you in your preparation for your city trip to the South Indian city of Chennai. I have been to Chennai (Madras) three times now and each time there were special occasions. The second and third time I was there for the start & finish of the Rickshaw Challenge.

Chennai is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is located on the Coromandel coast on the Bay of Bengal. Chennai also has a long coastline, beach and promenade where you can get a breath of fresh air.

Highlights Chennai

Chennai Capital of Tamil Nadu – India

Did you know that Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu state and has over 12 million inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in India. Chennai is a coastal city on the Coromandel coast and lies on the Bay of Bengal. In 2005, Chennai was hit hard by the tsunami.

Chennai or Madras?

In 1996, the name of the city of Chennai changed. Chennai used to be called Madras, the name from British colonialism. Madras is still seen a lot, like the airport which still carries the code MAA.

I must also honestly confess that Chennai is not my most favourite Indian city. I need to visit the city more often if I want to know my way around and appreciate it to the fullest. After all, it does have a lot of interesting places and I have by no means visited them all.

How many days for your Chennai visit?

You can easily spend several days in Chennai. To visit many of the sights Chennai mentioned in this blog, I recommend staying in Chennai for 2-3 days anyway.

Is Chennai a Safe City?

Chennai is considered one of the safest cities in India. It is ranked highly in the Global City Index as 1 of the best cities to live in in India. Check out the Chennai / Singapore comparison.

At night, it is always better not to be outside and on the streets of Chennai. Keep this in mind when you book the ticket for your onward or return journey.

Is Chennai Safe for Women?

Since crime in general is very low for an Indian city, you can say that Chennai is a safe city to travel to as a woman alone. Of course, you should always remain careful with your belongings and watch your immediate surroundings.

Do also read my tips for Women Safe Travel India

Looking for the highlights Chennai was very difficult for me the first time…

Because on my first visit, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa died. This was in 2016 just before I went to do my first 10 days of Vipassana just outside this city. Still, that first and second day in Chennai I saw some nice places, like this street!

That first day I visited some nice places with an auto-rickshaw driver / guide.

When I got there a few years later, I drove that auto-rickshaw myself! I never wrote about it before but what a cool adventure it was! I went on an adventure with two fellow bloggers to do the Rickshaw Challenge. We drove about 1000 km in 6 days around Chennai. And so in those days we also had time to visit some of the highlights of Chennai.

Exploring Local Chennai

Local Chennai

Dive into the real local life of Chennai, go to the streets and feel the vibe of local life. It is of course like you are used to in India, crowded and with a lot of honking 🙂 Every now and then a nice Indian music from a shop or the road. I love that vibe!

Be amazed..

Wonder…

And look around you!

Tips for Chennai Citytrip

Colourful Shoppingstreets

Marvel at the busy streets where you can buy anything you can think of. Where the do-it-yourself store is just as small as the greengrocer’s, but where you can buy everything you can think of, it seems.

Anything is possible in India and so houses are built on top of each other and you are standing in front of a building where you can look at it for at least 5 minutes before you realize how it is done!

Foreshore Estate Promenade

The beach and Fismarket Foreshore Estate Promenade

The beach of Chennai is also the place where the tsunami struck so many years ago. When I drove by the first time with the tuktuk the driver told me that for that reason many places are still empty. Houses were destroyed and have never been rebuilt.

When I was in Sri Lanka I spoke to a woman who told her story to me first hand. Sri Lanka is on the other side of the sea and got the same wave in this disaster.

The fish market along the Foreshore Estate Promenade is a truly local market. Women sit along the road selling the fresh catch of the day. In the many cool boxes (not connected to the electricity grid) the fish is waiting for the buyers. When I was there it turned out to be very hot… and no buyers to be seen.

Kamarajar Promenade 

This part of the promenade is a little better dressed. There are parks with memorials and buildings. It’s a kilometers long promenade I walked along twice and once I drove the rickshaw 🙂

Along the Kamarajar Promenade you will find all kinds of statues such as a statue of Mahatma Ghandi and a modern stone memorial and a tomb for the former Tamil Nadu chief minister M. G. Ramachandran.

Enough to see during a nice walk along this promenade
with a view of the sea!

Highlights Chennai, TN – India

Chennai Religious Highlights

Vivekananda House

Swami Vivekananda arrived in Chennai in January 1893 after years of wandering around India. He and his disciples settled there. Swami Vivekananda went to Chicago to participate in the parliament of religions to return after 4 years (1897).

Ramakrishna Universele temple

Sri Ramakrishna was a disciple of Vivekananda who, at the request of the followers of Vivekananda, commissioned him to build a centre of worship and study. At this temple was also a library and other buildings. Every day there are puja’s ( rituals) that are performed and food is shared.

Chennai Religious Highlights – Tamil Nadu, India

Santhome Cathedral Basilica

If you drive all the way down the promenade and then go a little past the fish market downtown you’ll pass this tall striking white basilica. It’s lovely to sit in here for a while. It’s cool inside and during the service there are large fans that give you an extra fresh breeze every time.

Look at the great paintings of the apostles on the wall. I never knew these apostles looked so great 🙂 I’m a fan!

Temples & Churches

St. Andrew’s Church

I came across this church on my search for Chennai on the internet. At my next visit to Chennai I will certainly look for this church. It is a neoclassical church from 1821 and one of India’s most beautiful churches, so of course I have to see it!

Hindu Temples in the streets of Chennai

I have seen and visited several temples but I see that there are some that are worth visiting that I have not found. Or at least, where I wasn’t taken by my rickshaw driver 🙂

When I wanted to go there in 2016 it turned out to be closed so you have to ask your guide for that. When I wanted to go there in 2019 it turned out to be closed just before noon puja. I hadn’t learned much from it :p

Temples you can ask your rickshaw driver for during your day tour of Highlights Chennai :

– Arulmigu Sri Parthasarathyswamy Temple

– Kapaleeshwarar Temple

Everywhere in the streets of Chennai you will find temples. All you have to do is ask someone where you can go and you will be referred to a place. A small temple or a large temple where food is distributed to an enormous amount of people, they are all equally impressive to visit!

Shopping? You can do that at Pondy Bazar!

I don’t really like shopping (at home and traveling) but sometimes it’s handy to buy some things. At the beginning of our Rickshaw Challenge we went to buy carpets for the seat in our rickshaw. Those were made of plastic and of course that can get pretty sweaty in the warm Indian weather! I was really happy with those the next 6 days.

Local Food in Chennai – Tamil Nadu

Food in Chennai

Tip: Idli for breakfast at Murugan Idli on 6th Avenue

Idli is a kind of rice cake with little taste in itself. This taste is created by all the above sauces and herbs that are given with it. Some Idli’s are already spiced but others you can dip in one of the many sauces they offer.

Besides the fact that it is delicious, you are among the many local Indian people who also take this as their breakfast. Look and marvel at the quantity and diversity of the Idli and the people!

At Murugan you can also dine or have lunch, check which Murugan is closest to you!

Just make sure you taste and try as much of the delicious Indian cuisine as possible!

For example at Palmshore Multi Cuisine Restaurant I ate a delicious curry with fresh naan in 2016.

Worth seeing just outside Chennai

Fort St. George

Just outside town, you’ll find this fort. I hadn’t been here yet either, but I wanted to mention it. This is the first British Fort (1639), starting position for the trade of the British East India Company in Tamil Nadu. Shortly after that Madras (chennai) was founded in 1640.

Saint Thomas Mount 

This mountain is located on the outskirts of town and close to the Chennai International Airport. For a beautiful view certainly not a wrong place. Visit this place during sunrise or sunset, always beautiful of course! This one is also on my list for a next visit!

At the foot of this mountain you will find the St Thomas Garrison church which has its origins in the Syrian Christian community.

Sadras Dutch Fort – Kalpakkam

A nice trip along the coast with a photo stop here and there is never wrong. Sadras Dutch Fort is about 70 km away from Chennai and gives you the opportunity to see the surroundings!

The VOC (Dutch East India Company) was also active here, of course, so you’ll also find Dutch forts along the coast. In the Sadras Fort I saw many graves with Dutch texts on them.

Tips for your Chennai Citytrip

Where to stay in Chennai?

Of course there are plenty of hotels and hostels to find for your stay while seeing the highlights Chennai! I have used three hotels and will describe them for you … Unfortunately I can’t recommend them all.

IBIS Chennai Sipcot

I stayed here one night in 2016. It was a lovely hotel but the place is not ideal as it was on the outskirts of town. I just came out of the 10 days of Vipassana and would fly on to Sri Lanka the next day so I chose a hotel close to the airport.

Book your night at IBIS Chennai Sipcot

Loved my room with a ditto shower.
In the restaurant I really enjoyed an Indian curry and a fresh naan.

I must honestly say that everything was more intense and felt better because of the 10 days I spent on a hard mattress, cold shower and 10 hours a day sitting on a thin mattress 🙂

In this area I did buy my Indian plates

Hotels in Chennai – TN INDIA

Elements hostel

A cozy hostel where you can book a bunk bed or just rent your own room with bathroom. It is a hub of backpackers and here I met a co-organizer Princely of the Rickshaw Challenge in 2016 which gave me even more the urge to take on this challenge.

On the rooftop terrace where they serve breakfast and possibly lunch and dinner you can sit and if you look around you’ll come across several cultural paintings on the walls.

When I was there in 2016 CM Jayalalithaa died and I wasn’t allowed to leave the hostel for a couple of days. Those days I was served delicious food in my room. At one point it just became difficult for them to go shopping and make food but I didn’t miss out on anything during those strange days.

And, of course, delicious chai! 

Clarion President hotel

This hotel is in a nice spot in relation to the sea and the centre where you want to be. I didn’t find the staff nice with you the first time I was there. Now that I was back there in 2022, I found it very much improved. The first time they were very strict about using the internet. This is free for 2 people, both times we stayed with 3 women in a room. This was nicely resolved this last time with an extra login code.

Eating in Clarion hotel I cannot immediately recommend for dinner. There are better options outside the hotel. Breakfast is very fine and I can recommend it.

I stayed here before and after the Rickshaw Challenge and I’m afraid we ate something here that wasn’t quite right. We were the only ones who weren’t feeling right after these first days here. And we were the only ones who also had our dinner here.

There is a nice swimming pool but the sunbeds next to it have cushions that are in need of renewal. If you are looking for a towel or those cushions you have to pick them yourself from somewhere etc. Still, the hotel rooms are fine and good. There is enough hot water for a nice shower and you can get a mattress for a third person in your room. Then you do have to ask 3x for an extra towel and bottle of water because that’s inconvenient….

A hotel I can reccomend is this one:

Avenue 11 Boutique Residences

A beautiful hotel to enjoy a quiet stay in one of the richer areas of Chennai. The hotel is well-kept and that shows. Book your stay at Avenue 11

Highlights Chennai, TN – India

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Want more inspiration about India?

New Delhi Travelguide

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Travelguide Namchi and surroundig – Sikkim

2 week travel Itinerary Kerala – South India

And if you’re taking a tour of India, don’t miss the sunrise at the Taj Mahal!

Sunrise at the Taj Mahal – Agra, India

I hope you enjoy this beautiful world as much as I do!