What you need to know before you book your airfare and tickets
Soak up the sights and sounds of India with a cheap flight to Chennai! The city formerly known as Madras is the fourth largest city in India these days. As a coastal city, Chennai boasts an enviable set of beaches. Marina Beach stretches for 13 kilometres, and is one of the most popular beaches here. It gets tremendously crowded on Sundays, with many locals and tourists coming here to enjoy the cool sea breezes. Elliots Beach and Breezy Beach, while popular, are not as crowded as Marina Beach, and make great picnic spots. The architecture in Chennai is an eyecatching mix of colonial style buildings, and heavily decorated, intensely colourful temples. The gopuram, or entrance towers, of Hindu temples are especially striking. The gopuram of Kapaleeswarar Temple is a wonderful example. It soars over 30 metres into the air, and is decorated with tiers of finely carved details. A multicultural city, Chennai is also full of notable churches and mosques. Some noteworthy examples include Marys Church, the oldest church in Chennai, and the stirring Thousand Lights Mosque, a popular pilgrimage site for many Muslims. There are a range of shopping options here, from run of the mill international chains in airconditioned malls, to haggling for bargains in crowded bazaars. For the latter option, head to Pondy Bazaar to elbow your way through among locals. It stocks almost everything, from garlands of fresh flowers and stacks of glitzy tin bangles, to high end gold and diamond encrusted jewellery.
