Chennai Madras India Cruise Port Guide

Location:

The ship will be docked at the Madras Pier which is located approximately 5 miles from the center of town. Taxis are generally available at the pier.

Often there is a large bazaar in the port area selling a wide variety of Indian products including leather, wood and brass products.

Chennai Port has built a state of the art Modern Cruise Passenger Terminal measuring approximately 3200sq meters at West Quay-IV in Ambedkar Dock. In the terminal, provision for ticket counters, VIP waiting lounge, food court, duty free shops, money changer, communication center, immigration and customs facilities etc are available.

Printable map to take along.

Cruise Schedule

Watch a destination video.

Live Nautical Chart with Wikipedia Markers

Port Location on Google Maps

Monthly Climate Averages for Madras India

Sightseeing:

Chennai, also known as Madras, is the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India, and is the country's fourth-largest city. It is located on the Coromandel coast of the Bay of Bengal. With an estimated population of 7.45 million (2005), the 367 year old city is the 34th largest metropolitan area in the world.

Located on a 17km stretch of the Coramandel coast, the city is trisected by the waterways of Cooum and Adyar and the Buckingham Canal. With a population of 6 million people, Chennai is a vibrant city ever growing, expanding and changing every year. Popularly regarded as the "Gateway to the South", Chennai presents culture that is distinctly different from that of northern India. Music, dance and all other art forms of the South are cherished and nurtured in this city which, though industrialized, continues to be traditional and conventional in many ways.

Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple : Not far from Triplicane, in Mylapore, there is yet another 8th century Pallava temple. The temple 'Gopuram'(tower) is characteristic of Dravidian style architecture .Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple has some beautiful sculptures, among which the bronze idols of 63 Saivite Saints(Nayanmars) which adorn the outer courtyard are rare specimens.

Guindy National Park : Once this was all part of Governor's Estate. Now it is fragmented and the major part is a thickly forested game sanctuary where the spotted deer and the black buck roam about and a wealth of smaller fauna thrive. This is the country's only Wild Life Sanctuary within a city's limits.

Fort ST. George : Fort St. George occupies a place of pride and prominence in Chennai. It was built in 1640 AD, by the British East India Company under the direct supervision of Francis Day and Andrew Cogon. This bastion achieved name from St. George, the patron saint of England. The fort houses St. Mary's Church and fort museum.

Government Museum Complex : Once British Society in Chennai used to meet in the Pantheon. Its 18th century buildings and grounds have over the years since then been developed into the Connemara Library, one of the country's three National Libraries, the national Art Gallery, a beautiful building of Jaipur- Mughal architecture.

Valluvar Kottam : The memorial to the poet-saint Tiruvalluvar is shaped like a temple chariot and is, in fact, the replica of the temple chariot in Thiruvarur. A life-size statue of the saint has been installed in the chariot which is 33m. tall. The 133 chapters of his famous work Thirukkural have been depicted in bas-relief in the front hall corridors of the chariot.

Birla Planetarium : The Birla Planetarium at Kotturpuram, between Adyar and Guindy, is the most modern planetarium in the country. Adjoining the planetarium is a Periyar Science and Technology Museum which will be of interest to students and other science scholars.

The Marina : Stretching two miles, from the Coovum River's mouth, south of the Fort, till the northern boundaries of the 16th century Portuguese town of San Thome, is this magnificent beach drive and promenade. At the southern end of the Marina is the San Thome basilica, built in 1896.

Tours Excursions Transportation:

Tourist Cabs - Are the best choice in case you want to tour the city all day or visit nearby places like Mahabalipuram etc. Costs about INR 10/-Rs per KM and 50 Rs per hour as hire charges. Also generally there is special price if you need to go Chennai Central or Chennai Airport.

There is a suburban train network, the MRTS, with Chennai Beach station the closest to the port.

Nearby Places:

- V.G.P Golden Beach Resort
This beach resort is popular not just with the people of the city, but also with tourists. There is an entertainment arcade for children and for adults. There are folk dance performances apart from an Art center which sells handicrafts and articles made out of sea shells. The beach is clean and ideal for sun-bathing.

- Vandalur
Spread over an area of 1,265 acres, the Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur is the largest in South Asia and has a rich variety of different species of mammals, reptiles and birds. The animals roam in natural surroundings and there is also a special enclosure for nocturnal creatures.

- Kanchipuram
Ancient Kanchipuram, the city of thousand temples, is one of the seven most sacred pilgrim centers for the Hindus. There now remain about 126 temples in Kanchi and a few more in its outskirts. The city was the capital of the Early Cholas as far back as the 2nd century BC and a Pallava capital between the 6th and 8th centuries.

Shopping and Food

Madras was founded because of the excellence and cheap prices of the local cotton. Some of India's best silk comes from Kanchipuram, approximately 40 miles from Madras and can readily be bought in the city. Also look for Indian handicrafts such wood carvings, inlaid work, ivory and sandalwood. Traditional Indian jewelry in gold or with diamond and stone setting is also a good buy. For any items over 100 years old an export certificate is required.

2 duty free shops are in the terminal.

Currency:

The currency in India is the Indian rupee.

In the big cities, credit cards are accepted at retail chain stores and other westernized restaurants and stores. Small businesses and family-run stores almost never accept credit cards, so it is useful to keep a moderate amount of cash on hand.

Currency Converter

Communication:

Hindi, English and 21 other official languages

Internet kiosks are everywhere nowadays and they charge as low as as Rs. 10 per hour. Beware of using your credit cards online as many cases have come forward regarding credit cards thefts using key loggers.

Opening Hours and Holidays:

List of public holidays.

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