Chennai will surprise you. This megacity lacks this history of Delhi, the culture of Kolkata, and the glamour of Mumbai. But it more than makes up for it with charm and opportunities for off-the-beaten-path adventure. You can design the perfect Chennai itinerary for just two days.
This city’s magic is not so much the headline attractions. It’s more the charming neighborhoods, local temples, and friendly vibe that make Chennai one of India’s most unexpectedly alluring destinations for backpackers.In this post, you’ll discover the best things to do in Chennai, from eating the world’s best biryani at a street stall to learning about an important religious icon to watching the sunset on one of the longest urban beaches in the world.
Strap on a good pair of walking shoes — Chennai is spread-out — and let’s dive in!
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Chennai itinerary FAQ’s
When you first get off your train/bus/plane in Chennai, you might feel a little overwhelmed. After all, this city is almost as large as New York. But instead of concentrating all its people into skyscrapers, it sprawls for miles and miles.
What’s more, once you get off the main streets, the neighborhoods turn into confusing mazes of alleyways. It’s definitely worth downloading an offline Google map onto your phone in advance to help you get oriented.
Here are a few other tips to make sure you arrive safely and comfortably.
When is the best time for Chennai tours?
Chennai, like most of southern India, is hot and humid year-round. The heat can feel extra unbearable here due to the crowds.
The coolest and driest time of year in south India is December-March. Highs are in the 80’s, lows are in the high 60’s, and rain is occasional. I visited in January and stayed dry.
It’s worth avoiding June-August if you can. This is monsoon season in India. It only rains for a couple hours each day, but since Chennai is both a coastal and river city, floods are very common.
Where to stay in Chennai
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to Chennai accommodation. Pick from luxury hotels, swanky hostels, or cheapie guesthouses.
The best choice for travelers on a moderate budget is Zostel Chennai. This hostel caters to the flashpacker crowd, with dorm beds starting at $14 a night. But it has great, clean facilities and is very social.
For cheaper digs, wander around the area near Egmore Train Station. As always, solo women should be cautious to make sure your door locks when choosing a train-station-adjacent hotel. I snagged a dorm bed at the YWCA, which ran just $4 a night and was very safe.
How to get around Chennai
Chennai is not the most walkable city. It’s very big and very spread-out, and most of the best things to do in Chennai are far apart from each other. If you have time and don’t mind walking 10+km a day, you could walk to everything in this itinerary. Otherwise you’ll need some kind of local transport.
The easiest way to get around is with the metro system. You can buy a one-day unlimited use card for just 100 rupees. The system is efficient and easy to use as a visitor. All stations have signs in English.
If you’re feeling brave, you could try hopping on a local bus. Fares are ridiculously cheap — like, 5 rupees cheap. But the system is confusing unless you know the city well.
Finally, you’ll find taxi and rickshaw drivers waiting for passengers all over the city. Remember to bargain the fare before hopping in!
What should I wear in Chennai?
People in Chennai dress pretty much however they want. You’ll see folks in tight skirts and t-shirts alongside folks in traditional dress.
Women visiting the city may feel more comfortable if you cover your shoulders and knees. And like everywhere in south India, if you choose to buy local clothes (tunics and pants), it’ll be a great conversation starter with local women.
Is Chennai safe for solo female travelers?
As a 7+-million-person city, Chennai has its share of problems. But they’re not likely to impact you as a tourist.
Solo female travelers may get the occasional cat call or flirty guy sauntering up next to them at a bar. And you should always keep your valuables close in big crowds — pickpocketing or petty theft is the biggest risk.
As long as you don’t wander around late at night, you have very little to worry about in terms of violent crime when visiting Chennai.
The BEST 2 day Chennai tour itinerary
Start your day off with breakfast from a street stall. Idly and vada (rice pancakes and fried lentil dough) with lentil broth (sambar) and coconut chutney is the classic way to start your day. It’ll cost you less than 30 rupees including chai. Just make sure the vada are hot so you don’t get sick! Then get started on the day’s activities.
On your first day, stay in the city center. Remember — this itinerary is short on must-see attractions because I want to leave you plenty of time to wander around the neighborhoods. Take your time and drink plenty of chai along the way!
1. Visit St. Andrew’s Church
In the middle of one of the busiest parts of the city, St. Andrew’s Church is an oasis. This whitewashed 19th century church features typical South Indian Christian architecture.
The churchyard is amazingly green, considering it’s in the middle of one of the most congested neighborhoods in Chennai. This is a great place to relax for a few minutes when you need a break from the hustle and bustle.
Definitely peak inside if you visit outside of service times. The columned architecture is unique for the region.
Price: Free
Hours: 10 am-5 pm, closed Fridays
Location: Right in the middle of Egmore
2. Check out the mosques in the city center
One of the most fascinating neighborhoods in Chennai is the majority-Muslim area between Lic metro station and the beach. This winding maze of alleys hosts over 10 mosques, dozens of streetside biryani joints, and a generally historical vibe that feels ages away from the mega-malls on the main boulevards.
Most mosques do not allow non-Muslims to visit. But you can still admire them from the outside. Masjid-e-Hujjathul Qayam is a beautiful shade of blue. Walajah Big Mosque has a palm-tree-lined campus.
Don’t miss the opportunity to grab a biryani from one of the vendors here — it may be the best one you try in India. Lamb is the local specialty, but everyone offers veggie options too. This area doesn’t cater to tourists, so expect to eat your meal off a banana leaf with your hands. A biryani runs 50-80 rupees.
Price: Free
Hours: All day — the neighborhood is especially lively after evening prayers
Location: Between Lic metro and the beach
3. Visit the Government Museum
The Chennai Government Museum may not sound that exciting. But it’s the city’s top museum and a great place to learn about Indian folklore and history.
The Bronze Gallery is the museum’s highlight. It contains bronzes from the region dating back to the 7th century. All items are signed in English, and many have longer explanations delving into their deeper meanings. If you aren’t familiar with the Ramayana before visiting, you will be after.
Other galleries include sculpture and art dating back to the beginning of south India’s civilizations up through today. You could spend half a day exploring the archaeological rooms alone.
Go ahead and skip the natural history rooms — it’s mostly taxidermy animals and dated scientific displays. The one thing in this section worth seeing is a small collection of tribal artifacts.
Price: 15 rupees
Hours: 9:30 am-5 pm, closed Fridays
Location: Inconveniently located 25 minutes’ walking from three metro stops: Nehru Park, Egmore, and Lic
4. Eat a thali at Junior Kuppanna
Thalis are the ultimate Indian meal. You get a huge serving of rice, usually some bread, and small servings of a variety of curries, curds and pickles. Sometimes you get dessert too.
Plus, everything comes with free refills! Although chances are you’ll be too full after the first round to take advantage of that.
Eating a thali in Chennai is the best way to sample a variety of local dishes that you might not know how to order otherwise. Usually a couple of the curries contain legumes and the rest are vegetables. You can sometimes order a meat or fish option, but most places in Chennai are veg-only.
A word of warning: Tamil thalis are spicy. And those pickles innocently perching on the corner of your banana leaf are the spiciest parts of all. Order a lassi to wash it all down.
Price: 200 rupees
Hours: 6:30-11 pm
Location: A 5-minute walk from Kodambakkam Train Station
That wraps up your first day of this Chennai trip plan.
On Day 2, head for the beach! The coastal neighborhoods are even more charming. And you’ll find a few important churches, temples, and historical sites woven in.
1. Go for a walk on Marina Beach
Marina Beach is a 12-km-long, gorgeous stretch of coastline. The water isn’t suitable for swimming — it’s too polluted and there are dangerous currents right offshore. But it’s a great place for an early-morning stroll.
You can easily find a place to grab a quick breakfast as you walk along. Street vendors serve idly, vada, omelets with toast, chai, and instant coffee. If you want more of a splurge, there are a couple of Cafe Coffee Day branches within a couple blocks of the beach.
A string of monuments dots the coast along the boardwalk. You’ll see Gandhi, of course, along with famous and important locals.
Price: Free
Hours: 24/7. Very crowded in the afternoon and evening.
Location: The closest metro is Tiruvallikeni
2. Check out the University of Madras campus
The University of Madras is one of the oldest universities in India. It was established during British rule. Today it’s a large public university.
The campus’s buildings are reminiscent of churches — red brick with steeple-like structures. It’s a beautiful area to wander around for awhile.
Bonus: Since college kids love cheap food, there are plenty of street snack opportunities around!
Price: Free
Hours: 24/7
Location: The closest metro is Tiruvallikeni
3. Admire the architecture at Vivekananda House
Swami Vivekananda was known as the “wandering monk.” He played a key role in bringing yoga and other Hindu spiritual practices to Western cultures. And he lived in this 19th-century house in Chennai while preaching here for a few years. When you tour the Vivekananda House, you’ll learn about his teachings and his life.
Additionally, the house is built with a unique architectural style — it’s circular. It was originally built this way to store imported ice before refrigeration was common.
The house contains a meditation room, which you are welcome to use as a traveler. Just be respectful (i.e. silent) and don’t take photographs.
Price: 20 rupees
Hours: 10 am-12:30 pm and 3-7 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Location: The closest metro is Tiruvallikeni
4. Explore Mylapore
Mylapore was one of the first places people settled in Chennai — it predates the colonial city. Today, it’s a neighborhood where hawkers compete for your attention on the main streets — but the dusty back rounds are filled with kids playing and monks hustling by.
Mylapore houses a couple of the top attractions in Chennai. The first is Sri Ramakrishna Math. This is a popular place for monks to come to train, and you’ll see plenty of them milling about. They’re often keen to chat with tourists. There’s a temple on-site, as well as space for meditation. All are welcome, but you must be Hindu to visit the temple’s inner sanctum.
The other main attraction in Mylapore is Kapaleeshwarar Temple. This is Chennai’s most impressive temple, and a must-visit when you travel to the city. It was built sometime after the 15th century and truly anchored the neighborhood around it for the next 500 years. It’s dedicated to Shiva and is a fine display of Tamil architecture. As always, only Hindus can visit the inner sanctum.
Price: Free
Hours: Temples are generally open in the early morning, close for lunch, and open again around 2 pm.
Location: 5 minutes’ walk from Thirumayilai metro
5. Eat a dosa at Saravana Bavan
When in Tamil Nadu, eat traditional Tamil food. And that usually means dosas.
Dosas are paper-thin lentil flour pancakes stuffed with veggies and served with sambar and chutney. You tear the pancake apart with your hands, scoop up some of the filling, dip it into the sauces, and stuff it in your mouth.
You’ll encounter many varieties of dosas, but my favorite is the masala dosa. These are filled with spicy potatoes — they have a little bit of a kick, but it’s not overwhelming.
If you’ve been traveling in India for awhile and you’re sick of dosas, consider trying uttapam instead. These pancakes are similar to dosas, but a little thicker, and the fillings are cooked into the batter.
Saravana Bavan is a one-stop shop for all your South Indian foodie needs. It’s a great place to try dosas or uttapam (or thali or veggie curries). Meals run around 100 rupees here.
Price: 100-150 rupees
Hours: Noon-4 pm and 6 pm-11 pm
Location: Locations all over the city
With that, your 2 days in Chennai will come to a close. Hop directly on a night train if your next destination is far away, or call it an early night.
A few random Chennai travel tips to make the most of visit
- The staff at the Foreign Tourist Cell of the train booking office are the most helpful miracle workers in the entire country. They got me tickets on not one, but two fully booked trains. If you need to book tickets on any train for any part of your trip to India, it’s totally worth the 15-minute stop.
- The awful smell you can’t seem to escape when walking around the city? It’s the river. Definitely don’t drink tap water in Chennai.
- Tamil Nadu is the only Indian state where you’ll find coffee vendors as often as chai vendors. They brew it with chicory, milk and sugar and charge about 10 rupees a cup. It’s great!
- Chennai makes a good base for day trips throughout Tamil Nadu. Check out the best day trips from Chennai here!
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