Chennai (Madras) Sightseeing

The star tourist attraction  of the city is George Town, home to the most interesting landmarks all dating from the days of the British, including Fort St George and St Mary's Church. Popham's Broadway (named after late 18th-century British lawyer Stephen Popham) contains the Weslyan and Armenian churches. The 19th-century Indo-Saracenic High Court still operates today and tours are usually available to see the ornate stained glass windows.

Away from the British relics are things far more Indian: the ancient Shiva temple Kapaleeshvara, in Mylapore, is an excellent example of Dravidian temple architecture, with inscriptions dating back to AD1250. Nearby is Parthasarathy Temple, devoted to Lord Krishna.

For earthy good fun, T Nagar's crowded pavements are chock-full of stalls with cheap clothing, knick-knacks and jewellery, and is a top spot to buy fabrics (this is the original home of Madras cotton), which you can swiftly have made up by a tailor at delightfully cheap prices.

A rejuvenating walk along Marina Beach reveals some of Chennai's finest buildings and the busy sunset promenaders, while Elliot's Beach is a little more peaceful and has a church and temple.

Tamil Nadu Tourism Complex
2 Wallajah Road, Triplicane
Tel: (044) 2536 8358.
Website: www.tamilnadutourism.org  

For general information, maps and leaflets, and tour bookings. The tourism complex also contains branches of all the other state tourist offices, handy for booking ahead for other tours.

India Tourism (Government of India Tourist Office)
154 Anna Salai
Tel: (044) 2846 1459 or 0285.
Website: www.incredibleindia.org  

There are also national and state tourist offices in the arrivals hall at both airport terminals.

www.chennaibest.com and www.chennaihub.com are both decent websites for local information.