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.
Airports
✈ 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.
✈ 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
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
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
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.