In which quarter house in Chennai?

Is your trip to South India imminent? This is our guide to the neighborhoods where to stay in Chennai!

Tamil Nadu State Capital located southeast of India , Chennai – formerly Madras – is a major commercial, cultural and economic centre in South India. With more than 8 million inhabitants, Chennai is the 6th largest city in the country by its size. Built on both sides of the Cooum and Adyar rivers, Chennai stretched on the coast of the Indian Ocean, on the coast of Coromandel, along the Gulf of Bengale. By combining traditions and modernity, the city is considered one of the most eclectic in the country: at the same time a pioneer in the new technologies industry, it has been able to develop its tourism while maintaining an important cultural and artistic tradition. Marina Beach – to the city centre – is the second largest beach in the world by its length.

In Chennai, the majority of the premises have Tamil for mother tongue, and English for second language. Chennai is known to be the cradle of traditional South Indian cuisine, and is also an important cultural centre. Renting a room or apartment to sleep in Chennai will be cheaper for a French tourist.

To help you in your search for accommodation in Chennai, we searched for areas where to sleep in the old Madras. We privileged the following three.

George Town

George Town – also known as "Old Madras" – represents the historic quarter: between the port and Fort Saint George, not far from the Park Town area and the mouth of the Cooum River. The streets of the city centre have remained old and many colonial buildings scatter the ground. It must be said that it was the district where the British settled, who built it. Fort Saint George . Countless Hindu temples, mosques and churches are to be visited, along with shops of all kinds and Indian cuisine restaurants. It’s a lively neighborhood – like all downtown India – where to stay in Chennai, not far from the beach.

Park Town

Why not find out where to stay in Chennai on an island in the city? The Park Town area stretches on an island in the city centre, between Chintadripet and Fort Saint-George. By the way of your visits, find the Victory War Memorial – initially erected to commemorate the Allied victory in 1918, then used for the victory of the Second World War in 1945 – and the statue of Sir Thomas Munro , surrounded by wide green spaces. Staying in Park Town also offers the advantage of being close to the central station and a gigantic shopping center where to shop: the Chennai Moore Market Complex .

Mylapore

If you expect to stay in Chennai in quiet, clean and sluggish areas of beauty, get out of the way: India, even by killing France’s GDP in 2017, remains very contrasted and sometimes polluted, noisy, disorderly and dirty. It will also be alas to meet many detritus in the streets of Chennai. Mylapore district, located south of the city centre, close to Marina Beach and is a family-run neighbourhood. Don't miss seeing her Saint-Thomas basilica (1893) – by the sea, where is the tomb of the Apostle Saint-Thomas – and the tomb Kapalishvarar temple dedicated to God Shiva.