India Guide
Tamil Nadu
Arrival
Chennai airport in Trisulam, 16km southwest of the city centre on NH-45, is comprehensively served by international and domestic flights. If you plan to leave Chennai by train, head for Southern Railways' computerized ticket reservation counter (Mon– Sat 8am–2pm & 2.15–8pm, Sun 8am–2pm), immediately outside the domestic terminal exit.
There are pre-paid minibus and taxi counters at the exit in the international arrivals hall. Taxis cost around Rs300 for the 35-minute ride to the main hotels or railway stations; rickshaws charge Rs150–200, but you'll have to lug your gear out to the main road as they're not allowed to park inside the airport forecourt. A taxi to Mamallapuram costs around Rs900. The quickest, cheapest and most efficient way to get into town is by suburban train. Services run every ten to fifteen minutes (4.30am–11pm) from Trisulam Station, 500m from the airport on the far side of the road, to Park, Egmore and North Beach stations, taking 30–40 minutes. If you want to leave Chennai straight away by bus, catch local bus #70 or #70a to the Moffussil Bus Stand.
Arriving in Chennai by train, you come in at one of two long-distance railway stations, 1.5km apart on Periyar EVR High Road, towards the north of the city. Egmore Station, in the heart of the busy commercial Egmore district, is the arrival point for most trains from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. On the whole, all the others pull in at Central Station, further east, on the edge of George Town, which has multiple food outlets, a 24-hour left-luggage office and pre-paid taxi and rickshaw booths.
Buses from elsewhere in Tamil Nadu and other states arrive at the huge Moffussil Bus Stand, inconveniently situated in the suburb of Koyambedu, over 10km west of the centre – the chaotic old Express and Broadway bus stands in the centre have been amalgamated and are only used for local services. Moffussil is linked to these and other parts of Chennai by a host of city buses, which depart from the well-organized platforms outside the main terminal: buses #27, #15B, #15F and #17E go to the Egmore/Central area and Parry's Corner; bus #27B also goes on to Triplicane; while bus #70 and #70A link the bus stand to the airport. Note that most buses from Mamallapuram, Puducherry and other towns to the south of Chennai stop at Guindy suburban railway station on their way in and you will save a lot of time by connecting onto the train there.