Location: Chennai lies on the Coromandal Coast of the Bay of Bengal, on the southeast coast of India and in the northeast corner of Tamil Nadu.
Climate: The weather is hot and humid for most of the year. During May and June temperatures touch 38 - 42 degrees Celsius while in January the minimum temperature is between 19 - 20 degrees Celsius. Mid September to mid December is the monsoon season.
Altitude: 6 metres (19' 75")
Local languages: Tamil, English
Phone Code: 044
Best time to visit: Between November and March.
Local Transport
Chennai offers a plethora of transport options including buses, taxis, auto rickshaws and even local train. Buses are inexpensive and quite comfortable outside the rush hours.
Chennai is also well connected with city trains that run every 15 minutes between 4:30 AM and 11 PM. The stops are Beach (opposite the GPO), Fort, Park (for Central), Egmore, Nungambakkam, Kodambakkam, Mambalam (for T Nagar and silk shops), Saidapet (for Little Mount Church), Guindy, St Thomas Mount and Trisulam (for the airport). Hail an ubiquitous cycle rickshaw for traveling small distances.
Travelling by taxi and auto rickshaw involves a lot of haggling over the prices, and the drivers are usually not very keen to use the meter. Be prepared.
Tourist Office
India Tourism Office
154 Anna Salai
Chennai
Tel: 044 - 2846 0285
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation
Wallajah Road
Tamil Nadu Tourism Complex
Triplicane, Chennai
Tel: 044 - 2538 3333
