Chennai Madras

Ships berth at Madras Pier, approximately 5 miles from the centre of town. Taxis are usually available at the pier, and the port area often hosts a large bazaar selling a broad range of Indian goods, including leather, wood and brass products.

Chennai Port has created a state of the art Modern Cruise Passenger Terminal of approximately 3200sq meters at West Quay-IV in Ambedkar Dock. Inside are ticket counters, a VIP waiting lounge, food court, duty free shops, money changer, communication center, and immigration and customs facilities, among other provisions.

Take a printable map with you.

Chennai, also called Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu, India’s southern state, and the country’s fourth-largest city. It lies on the Coromandel coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated 7.45 million people in 2005, this 367 year old city is the world’s 34th largest metropolitan area.

Spread along 17km of the Coramandel coast, Chennai is divided into three by the Cooum and Adyar waterways and the Buckingham Canal. Its 6 million residents live in a vibrant city that grows, expands and changes every year. Often called the “Gateway to the South”, Chennai has a culture distinctly different from northern India: music, dance and the South’s other art forms are treasured and supported here. Although industrialized, the city remains traditional and conventional in many respects.

Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple lies in Mylapore, not far from Triplicane, and is another 8th century Pallava temple. Its Gopuram (tower) displays characteristic Dravidian style architecture. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it contains beautiful sculptures, including rare bronze idols of 63 Saivite Saints (Nayanmars) around the outer courtyard. Guindy National Park was once part of Governor’s Estate. It is now fragmented, with its main portion a densely forested game sanctuary where spotted deer, black buck and a rich variety of smaller fauna live. This is the country’s only Wild Life…

Tourist Cabs are the best option for an all-day city tour or nearby trips such as Mahabalipuram. They cost about INR 10/-Rs per KM, plus 50 Rs per hour in hire charges. A special price is also generally available for travel to Chennai Central or Chennai Airport.

The MRTS suburban train network serves the city, with Chennai Beach station nearest to the port.

V.G.P Golden Beach Resort attracts city residents and tourists alike. It has an entertainment arcade for children and adults, folk dance performances, and an Art center selling handicrafts and items made from sea shells. The beach is clean and suitable for sun-bathing. At Vandalur, the Anna Zoological Park extends across 1,265 acres, making it the largest in South Asia. It has a wide variety of mammals, reptiles and birds roaming in natural surroundings, plus a special enclosure for nocturnal creatures. …

Madras was founded because local cotton was both excellent and inexpensive. Some of India’s finest silk comes from Kanchipuram, approximately 40 miles from Madras, and is readily available in the city. Look too for Indian handicrafts such as wood carvings, inlaid work, ivory and sandalwood. Traditional Indian jewellery in gold, or set with diamond and stone, is also a good purchase. Anything over 100 years old requires an export certificate.

There are 2 duty free shops in the terminal.

India uses the Indian rupee as its currency.

In big cities, retail chain stores and other westernized restaurants and shops accept credit cards. Small businesses and family-run stores almost never do, so carrying a moderate amount of cash is useful.

Hindi, English, and 21 other languages are official.

Internet kiosks are now ubiquitous and may charge as little as Rs. 10 per hour. Take care using credit cards online, as many cases of credit-card theft using key loggers have been reported.

A list follows.