3 Days in Chennai — 3-Day Guide

Chennai in 3 days: sunrise at Marina Beach (13km — the second-longest urban beach in the world, the "kattumaram" fishermen at dawn), the Kapaleeshwarar Temple of Mylapore (the most spectacular 37m Dravidian gopuram in Chennai), Fort St George (1644 — the oldest British fort in India, the birthplace of the British Empire in South Asia), South Indian filter coffee and Udupi thali lunch, a full day at Mahabalipuram (UNESCO 1984: the Shore Temple on the Bay of Bengal, the Pancha Rathas monolithic chariot temples, Arjuna's Penance bas-relief), Dakshinachitra living heritage museum, Chettinad dinner (the most complex spice cuisine in India), a day in Kanchipuram (the "City of 1,000 Temples", the 728 CE Kailasanathar Temple, Kanjivaram silk sarees) and the Margazhi season Carnatic classical music concert.

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📋 General guide ⭐ Highlights

Marina Beach sunrise (the second-longest urban beach in the world), Kapaleeshwarar Temple (37m gopuram) in Mylapore, Fort St George (the oldest British fort in India, 1644) & filter coffee in T Nagar

Mahabalipuram UNESCO day trip (Shore Temple 700 CE, Pancha Rathas, Arjuna's Penance bas-relief), Crocodile Bank Trust & Dakshinachitra living heritage museum

Kanchipuram (the City of 1,000 Temples: Kailasanathar Temple 725 CE, Kamakshi Amman Temple), Kanjivaram silk shopping, Carnatic music concert & banana leaf thali farewell dinner

📋 General 3-day guide ⭐ Highlights

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📍 Guindy, the most important business and government district in Chennai — 5km from the airport and 10 minutes from the most important IT corridors

ITC Grand Chola, Chennai (the most important luxury hotel in Chennai and one of the most magnificent hotels in South Asia): the 522-room hotel designed in the most elaborate neo-Chola architectural style (the architecture inspired by the Chola dynasty temples — the most important medieval temple-building dynasty in South India: the 11th–13th century Chola temples of Thanjavur, Gangaikondacholapuram and Darasuram are the most important UNESCO World Heritage temples in Tamil Nadu). The most important restaurants in any Chennai hotel (the Peshwa Pavilion for North Indian cuisine, the Ottimo for Italian, the Pan Asian for South and Southeast Asian cuisine and the Madras Pavilion for the most important South Indian buffet in Chennai). The most lavish spa in Chennai.

From €220/night

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Language	Tamil (the official language of Tamil Nadu — the most ancient surviving classical language in the world: Tamil has been continuously written and spoken for over 2,000 years (the most continuous literary tradition of any South Indian language) and has the most extensive classical literary corpus in South Asia after Sanskrit (the "Sangam" literature (the classical Tamil poetry of the Sangam period (c. 300 BCE to 300 CE) is the most ancient secular poetry in South Asia)). English (the most important second language in Chennai: English is widely spoken in all professional and business contexts in Chennai (the most English-proficient South Indian city after Bengaluru)). Hindi (the most important third language: Chennai has the most linguistically complex multilingual situation of any South Indian city: the Tamil nationalist movement (the Dravidian political parties (the DMK and the AIADMK — the most important political parties in Tamil Nadu) have the most consistent record of opposition to Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu (the "anti-Hindi agitation" (the most important language protest in Indian history: the Tamil agitation against Hindi imposition in 1965 (the most violent language riots in independent India)))).
Currency	Indian Rupee (₹/INR). ATMs at all banks and hotels throughout Chennai. Cards widely accepted at all hotels, malls and most restaurants. Cash essential for the local temples (the "prasadam" donation), the auto-rickshaws (the most important local transport in Chennai) and the filter coffee udupi restaurants. The most important price contexts: a filter coffee at an Udupi restaurant: ₹20–30. A banana leaf thali at a mid-range restaurant: ₹150–250. An auto-rickshaw within the city: ₹30–100 (always use the meter or Ola/Uber app). The Mahabalipuram UNESCO entry (foreigners): ₹600.
Transport	Auto-rickshaw (the most important local transport in Chennai: the yellow-and-black three-wheeled auto-rickshaw (the "auto" in Chennai usage) — the most ubiquitous vehicle in South Indian cities: always insist on the meter ("meter haaku" in Tamil (the most important passenger rights phrase in Tamil Nadu auto-rickshaw culture)) or use Ola/Uber for the most transparent pricing). Chennai Metro (the most important rapid transit in Chennai: the two metro lines cover the most important corridors of the city: the most useful for tourists is the Blue Line from the airport to Egmore and the MG Road). Suburban Railway (the most extensive rail network in Chennai: the "MRTS" (Mass Rapid Transit System) and the Chennai Suburban Railway cover the most important north-south and east-west corridors). Taxi (Ola and Uber are the most convenient for tourists: both apps work throughout Chennai with the most competitive pricing).
Best time	November–February: the most pleasant weather in Chennai (25–30°C, the most comfortable humidity levels for the most comfortable outdoor temple exploration). The "Margazhi" music season (December 15 – January 15 — the most important reason to visit Chennai in winter: over 2,000 Carnatic music concerts in 6 weeks — the most extraordinary concentration of classical music in the world). October–November: the northeast monsoon (the most important rainfall period in Chennai — the most rain falls in Chennai in the October–November period (the "northeast monsoon" (the "retreating monsoon") that brings the most rainfall to the Coromandel Coast while the rest of India is in the dry post-monsoon period)).
Getting in	Chennai International Airport (MAA) — one of the most important airports in South India (the fifth-busiest airport in India by passenger traffic): 14km from the city center (Ola/Uber: ₹300–500 to the city center, 30–50 minutes). The Chennai Metro connects the airport to Egmore in 40 minutes (₹60 — the most affordable airport transfer in South India). Direct international flights: Singapore (3.5 hours — the most frequent international connection), Kuala Lumpur (4 hours, AirAsia), Dubai (4 hours), Abu Dhabi (4.5 hours), Bangkok (3.5 hours), London (10 hours, British Airways), Frankfurt (10 hours, Lufthansa). Domestic flights from: Mumbai (2 hours — the most frequent domestic connection: multiple daily flights), Delhi (2.5 hours), Bengaluru (1 hour — the most convenient South Indian city pair).
Tipping	Tipping in Chennai follows South Indian convention: at restaurants, the service charge (10%) is increasingly included in mid-range and upscale restaurant bills. At the Udupi filter coffee restaurants and the banana leaf meals restaurants: no tip expected (the most important cultural norm: tipping is not traditional in South Indian "meals" restaurants). For auto-rickshaw drivers: rounding up is appreciated but not obligatory. For temple priests (the "pujari" — the most important religious service provider at Hindu temples): a "dakshina" (the ritual donation to the priest: ₹20–50 for a simple puja (worship ritual)) is the most appropriate offering. For guides at Mahabalipuram: ₹100–200 per person.
Budget tips	Chennai is one of the most affordable major cities in Asia. The free experiences: the Marina Beach (the most important free attraction in Chennai), the Kapaleeshwarar Temple exterior (the most important free architectural experience in Chennai), the Fort St George (free), the Kanchipuram temples (free, with a small donation at some temples) and the Kailasanathar Temple. The most affordable meal: the Udupi restaurant banana leaf thali (the most affordable nutritionally complete meal in India: ₹80–150 for a full South Indian thali with unlimited rice and all the accompaniments). The most important budget tip: always use the auto-rickshaw meter or the Ola/Uber app (the most common tourist overcharge in Chennai is the "fixed price" auto-rickshaw trip at 3–5x the metered rate).