When clients want to visit us they often have a lot of questions about India. This may include what the weather is like, how to dress, if there are tropical diseases to watch out for, etc. In this page we have collected information which hopefully answers most of the questions you may have. We are looking forward to your visit!
- How to get to Chennai?
- Visa
- Accommodation
- Currency and Exchange
- Recreation
- Eating out
- How do you get around?
- What can you buy?
- What about the city?
- How to Dress?
- What language do people speak?
- What's the weather like?
- Our office
- Do you need to worry about Tropical diseases and Vaccinations?
- References:
One of the most common questions is whether we are in Chennai or Madras. Most people have heard of Madras, but not of Chennai. Here is the answer: In 1997, to mark the 50th anniversary of India’s independence, the names of several Indian cities were changed to those used in local languages, and the old British names were retired. Bombay became Mumbai, Bangalore became Bengaluru, Calcutta became Kolkata, Trivandrum became Thiruvananthapuram, and Madras became Chennai.
Madras was already called Chennai in Tamil, so using this name in both languages was natural. But people still use both names. The airport is still known as MAA, and the export zone where we are located is MEPZ, e.g. the Madras Export Processing Zone.
How to get to Chennai?
Many airlines have direct flights from Europe to Chennai. Among them are British Airways (via London), Lufthansa (via Frankfurt), Air France (via Paris), and KLM (via Amsterdam). In addition, many airlines offer indirect flights to Chennai, including Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air Lanka, Gulf Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, and Air India.
Other airlines, such as Finnair and Virgin Atlantic, fly to Delhi or Mumbai (formerly Bombay). If you fly to Delhi, you can take a good domestic flight with Air India or Indigo. However, we recommend you fly directly to and from Chennai, especially if it’s your first visit to Asia. Chennai’s airport is not as congested as Delhi’s or Mumbai’s, and switching to a domestic airline may be a hassle.
Visa
Unless you are an Indian citizen, you will most likely need a visa to visit us. Most nationalities require a Visa to enter India. If you do not hold an Indian passport and are not registered with the Indian authorities, you will likely need a visa. Contact the Indian Visa Application Centre in the UK, the Embassy of India in Ireland, or the Indian Embassy in Stockholm.
If you plan to visit India multiple times, you can apply for a multi-entry business visa. It would be helpful if you also received an invitation from us. The Indian government has announced that a tourist visa on arrival will be available for most countries sometime before the end of 2014.
An e-VISA is sufficient for most visitors
For most nationals applying for a short-term business or tourist visa in India, an online e-visa is now available.
Accommodation
We can recommend and assist with booking hotels in Chennai, typically at prices lower than those you would pay through a travel agency or online booking service. An excellent mid-range hotel will cost £50–85 / €55–95 / SEK 500–800 per night. Such hotels usually have a good restaurant, a pub, and sometimes a pool.
Actual luxury hotels can be more expensive than those in Europe. Here’s some more hotel information. We recommend Grand Chola, Hablis, Hilton, Park Hyatt, Radisson Blue (near the airport), Residency Towers, and Trident. Radisson and Trident are closest to our office, followed by Hilton, Hablis, and Park Hyatt.
Currency and Exchange
There is usually no need to change money for rupees overseas. Instead, it is generally better to change money at an Indian airport. Note that you can usually exchange money at the airport while waiting for your luggage, but you may not be able to exchange currency after passing through customs.
Note that you usually don’t need a lot of cash. The exchange company may claim that merchants may charge you extra. That may be true for certain souvenir shops, but not for regular stores, hotels, and most restaurants. Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and showrooms, and most ATMS can be used to withdraw cash. However, you may need rupees for a taxi, mineral water, or souvenirs.
The Indian rupee is nowadays written with the Rupee sign “₹”. The international ISO code is INR; locally, it is sometimes written as Rs. (or Re for one rupee). One hundred thousand rupees equals one lakh, and ten million rupees equals one crore. The exchange rate is approximately 90 rupees to the Euro and 108 rupees to the pound. You get quite a lot for your money in India if you buy food and basic things, but luxury goods may be more expensive.
Recreation
Mammalapuram, or Mahabalipuram, as the town was formerly known – and the old name is still often used – was the port for the Pallava region. It is a small fishing village located approximately 60 km south of Chennai. There are several luxury hotels, and many fascinating archaeological remains have recently been discovered. Several square kilometres of the seabed are covered with remains from the 600 to 700 centuries AD. Mass tourism has yet to reach the village.
Aside from a relaxed atmosphere, great surf, and lovely little restaurants, the area has surprisingly exciting archaeology. The most famous is a stone temple located on the beach, which dates back to the 7th century AD. We recommend Ideal Beach Resort, Radisson Temple Bay, and Taj Fisherman’s Cove. Radisson Temple Bay is within walking distance of the archaeological sites.
If you book in advance, you can also visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands—a group of islands between India and Singapore that must be some of the most unspoiled paradise islands left. There are plenty of good reefs for scuba diving and pristine beaches. For more information, we have added a webpage about what is worth seeing in Chennai and South India.
Eating out
Restaurants are significantly cheaper compared to those in the UK and Scandinavia. You can get a good meal for less than 10 euros. Even at luxury restaurants, prices are generally affordable (except perhaps for wine and spirits, which are subject to high luxury taxes). At the better restaurants in the town, a meal may cost £8 – 20/ €9 – 22/ SEK 80 – 200.
Indian food is renowned for its deliciousness, so why not take the opportunity to try something you can’t get at home? However, remember that South Indian food differs significantly from the cuisine typically found in Indian restaurants in Europe. While the nightlife may be somewhat calm compared to European cities, some pubs are well worth visiting. Among them, we can mention an Irish pub named “The Moon and the Sixpence” and “10 Downing Street”.
How do you get around?
Nowadays, Uber or the local Indian Ola is easy to use if you download the app and book your trips. You can pay with cash, and prices are very moderate. For short distances, you can use three-wheeled taxis, known as auto-rickshaws.
They can also be booked via Ola. The advantage of using the app is that you can specify your pickup location and destination via the app. Since it can be challenging to communicate with drivers, you don’t have to explain where you are going or negotiate the price. If you prefer to rent an air-conditioned car with a chauffeur, the cost is £6-£25 / €7-27 / 60-250 Swedish Krona per day, depending on the number of miles and hours you wish to travel.
What can you buy?
The prices of clothing and fabric are very competitive. If you plan to stay more than a week, consider having clothes tailored by a skilled tailor. Branded apparel is available and generally costs much less than in the UK or Sweden. Among the brands sold here are Benetton, Lacoste, Levi’s, Lee, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Arrow, Nike and Reebok.
Aside from the original outlets, there are also factory outlets where you can buy things for even less. However, in some places, you should be cautious because there are fakes. There are also many traditional handicraft products, including those made from wood, marble, stone, and basketry. You can haggle in some small craft shops, which you would never do in regular shops.
What about the city?
Chennai is much more traditional than Delhi, Bangalore or Mumbai. Most women dress in traditional Indian clothing, the Sari or the Shalwar Kameez (tunic). Many men on the streets wear a dhoti or a lungi, although at least the men and some women from the IT generation usually wear Western clothes. It is not always easy to get around in Chennai, apart from the main streets (Mount Road, Nungambakkam High Road, Poonamallee High Road, etc.), as there is virtually no pavement, making walking difficult. However, navigating the city with an auto-rickshaw is easy, so we recommend using these three-wheel taxis in the local area.
Chennai is a vibrant city with many beautiful and happy faces. You will find Hindu temples on most street corners, but there are also significant religious minorities of Christians, Muslims, Jains and Sikhs. People from different religions live peacefully, side by side. Religion is essential in India, and everyone respects one another. Chennai appears to have less poverty than some cities in North India. Chennai has a population of more than 6 million, but its suburbs probably have a similar number of people to Sweden’s entire country.
But apart from its rather frustrating traffic, Chennai doesn’t feel like the vast city it is. Most people live in village-like areas, and you see a lot of palm trees. Public transport, although initially appearing chaotic, is surprisingly well-organised for commuters, with frequent buses, albeit often on the fuller side during rush hours. The world-class Metro has made commuting much easier, and although there are only two lines, four more are under construction.
Some buildings you may like to explore include the Madras High Court, Chennai Art Museum, Fort St. George, George Street, St. Mary’s Church, Chennai Central Railway Station, and Parthasarathy Kottam—home to some Hindu temples, such as Kapaleeshwarar and Marundeeswarar—and the old British Colonial buildings. However, the buildings are not the main attractions in Chennai; rather, it is the people, the colours, the dynamism, and the beaches to the South of town.
How to Dress?
The dress code is relatively informal. Hardly anyone wears a jacket. Long-sleeved shirts and long trousers are usually worn in office environments. Women should, however, remember that India is very conservative and dress accordingly. Western women who work here often wear Indian dress or conservative Western female clothing, but Western clothing is becoming increasingly acceptable, even among women.
What language do people speak?
English is spoken everywhere, and most people you meet will have been educated in English-medium schools. Even the poorer groups in the population usually understand sufficient English, so the language is not a big problem for visitors. You could say speaking English here works better than in many European countries. This is true in large cities like Chennai, but in rural areas, most people only speak Tamil. Unlike other parts of India, very few people speak any Hindi.
What’s the weather like?
Indian friends often joke that there are three seasons in India: hot, hotter and hottest. But we don’t think it’s too bad… The proximity to the equator and the coast means that the difference between the hottest and coldest days is less significant than in Europe. The table below displays the approximate temperatures and typical weather conditions for each season. Contrary to what we are accustomed to at home in the West, the weather is relatively predictable for most of the year, and the monsoon in South East India is quite manageable, although there may be some flooding at times. The temperatures below are in Celsius.
| Period | Weather | Day temperature | Night temperature |
| December – March | In December, the weather is usually overcast, but not as rainy as it is during the rest of the Monsoon season (October-November). In January, nights are pleasant and days are sunny, making the weather quite comfortable. The end of December and January are the best months to visit Chennai. But beachfront hotels south of town are usually fully booked if you don’t book early! | 25-32° | 18-25° |
| April – June | Clearer skies, scorching weather, and peak temperatures in late May can reach above 40 degrees, but this typically lasts only for a few days. | 35 – 41° | 25 – 30° |
| July – September | Summer monsoon, or more correctly, the Southwest Monsoon. As the wind from the west drives the clouds over the South Indian mountain range, the rainfalls become fewer, and you get overcast weather with occasional showers. Usually, this means that the temperature remains comfortable and the weather is not too different from summer days in the UK, though perhaps a few degrees warmer and a bit more humid between the showers. | 28 – 35° | 24 – 28° |
| October – November | The main monsoon, which most often starts in mid-October (Known as the Northeast Monsoon), is the primary monsoon for the Chennai area. It can rain a lot during this monsoon, although usually not as much as on the West Coast of India during the Southwest Monsoon. Nevertheless, one can also get an occasional sunny day. The temperature is usually quite pleasant, but occasionally, parts of the town may experience flooding. | 25 – 33° | 22 – 26° |
Our office
Our office is located in the MEPZ (Madras Export Processing Zone), a duty-free export zone approximately 6 km from the airport. It is on the second floor of SDF11, Unit 26-28. If you are visiting, please call us at 00 91 44 2262 7541, and we will be happy to provide you with directions.
Do you need to worry about Tropical diseases and Vaccinations?
While visitors often ask about health risks when travelling to India, there are few dangerous tropical diseases in South India. Since most food is cooked, you should watch out for only water. Aside from the more brilliant hotels, where the authorities require that all water served be treated, we recommend drinking only mineral water.
Malaria exists in India, but it is rare in Chennai (in 2012, less than 0.2% of the population in Chennai had Malaria). In addition, the kind of Malaria most commonly found here (P. Vivax) is not the worst. If you stay in an air-conditioned room, the risk of getting Malaria, even after many years in Chennai, is virtually zero, and the general recommendation is not to take any malaria prophylaxis. Even most visitors staying for years don’t use malaria prophylaxis. Presumably, the risk of side effects is significantly greater than the risk of Malaria. But by all means, get medical advice before you come here.
After many years of vaccination campaigns, India has been declared polio-free. Other tropical diseases, such as Dengue Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Typhoid Fever, and Chikungunya, still occur but are unusual. The best advice is to avoid mosquito bites by sleeping in an air-conditioned room and using mosquito nets and repellents. The only thing more dangerous than traffic at home is probably traffic!