Chennai is India’s fourth largest metropolitan area, with a population of around 8 million, and lies in the country’s southeast Tamil Nadu province. It is a comparatively new city, founded in the 1600s by the East India Trading Company, but has grown rapidly since independence, becoming the centre of the Tamil movie industry and a major economic centre.

Chennai is now home to around 30% of India’s automobile industry and around 35% of the country’s auto components industry. A large number of automotive companies have manufacturing plants in the city and a number of IT companies also have their offices there.

Chennai is a bustling city that may be overwhelming for first-time visitors. However, it is also a major cultural centre with plenty of dance and music events to keep visitors entertained. The city is dotted with Raj architecture, while Marina beach is a picturesque place to go for a stroll.

The city is a major transport hub and visitors will find it easy to travel from the city across southern India or even to cities in the north. Its suburban rail network contains six lines while the Chennai Central station offers trains to major cities and towns across India and the Chennai Egmore station offers trains to other cities and towns in Tamil Nadu. The majority of the serviced apartments Chennai has to offer are near transport links of some kind.

Because Chennai lies on the equator and is on the coast, there is little variation between seasons and the city is usually hot and humid.