Chennai is the proverbial cultural jewel in the crown of south-eastern India, ripe with native Indian and European colonial history. With a discount holiday package from Australia to Chennai, you can combine cheap flights, hotel and car hire options with destination activities and see everything you want at a great price.

Chennai, India (Madras)

Chennai, India (Madras)

Located on the fabled Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, not far from the tropical southern tip of the Indian sub-continent, Chennai is a fascinating coastal metropolis and the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. If the name Chennai doesn't sound familiar to you, it's probably because the city was known as Madras until it was renamed in 1996, about the same time that many Indian cities were undergoing name changes designed to remove colonial influences.

Chennai is the proverbial cultural jewel in the crown of south-eastern India, ripe with native Indian and European colonial history. A cultural melting pot, before the colonial period Chennai was ruled by various south Indian dynasties and was an important administrative, military, and economic centre for those princely states. During the colonial period it was briefly under French and Portuguese rule and was influenced by the Dutch. Under British dominion it became a major urban centre, naval base and the seat of the influential Madras Presidency of the British Raj. And now, after India's independence, Chennai is a vibrant urban centre that boasts a scintillating combination of old and new.

You can experience Chennai and its exotic mixture of sights by booking a discount flight from Australia to Chennai with Direct Flights International. With Direct Flights, finding cheap flights to Chennai, discount hotels in Chennai and cheap car hire options in Chennai is a snap. Just check out www.directflights.com.au and book your discount travel options to Chennai, or combine them and save with a cheap holiday package to Chennai, India.

Popular for good reason with travellers around the world, Chennai is ranked as the third most visited city in India after Delhi and Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. If you crave culture, Chennai is known for its classical dance shows and the intriguing architecture of its Hindu temples. Tamil and Indian culture and tradition are on display in several art galleries and cultural centres found throughout the city. An arts festival called the Chennai Sangamam, which showcases various arts of the Tamil Nadu region, is held in January every year. Pongal, a well-known harvest festival held in January, provides an opportunity to absorb local colour. And the annual 5-week long Madras Music Season features performances by hundreds of artists. The city has a lively theatre scene and is an important centre for the Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form. The Tamil film industry, dubbed Kollywood, is based in Chennai, and the glitz and glamour of Kollywood films pervade the city. Even the music you'll hear in Chennai is dominated by Kollywood soundtracks. Plan and book your holidays to Chennai with these festivals in mind, and experience a mystifying Indian holiday. With a discount holiday package from Australia to Chennai, you can combine cheap flights, hotel and car hire options with destination activities and see everything you want, at a great price.

Unique shopping opportunities abound throughout Chennai, where contemporary and traditional arts and crafts, antiques, traditional jewellery, and silks and other luscious fabrics are all available. Discount travel to Chennai allows travellers to shop at modern shopping centres as well as one-off boutiques and street markets that feature native wares.

Chennai has a long-standing heritage of friendly hospitality to visitors. Dining in Chennai restaurants provides a glimpse of the unique lifestyle of the city, serving up vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Many of the city's restaurants offer light meals known as tiffin, which usually include rice-based dishes and are served with steaming hot coffee. Accommodation in Chennai is easy to find, especially when you book one of the Chennai travel packages that Discount Flights International offers.

If you prefer nature and the outdoors over exotic cultural and urban delights, Chennai is one of the few cities in the world that has a national park - the Guindy National Park - entirely within its urban boundaries. While you visit Guindy, you'll see a variety of endangered deer, foxes, monkeys and snakes. Or you can take in the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, which houses fresh-water and salt-water crocodiles, alligators, gharials, turtles and snakes. And the Botanical Garden has a wide variety of plants and even a fascinating fossilised tree trunk that is 20 million years old.

Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai, but football and other athletic competitions, as well as motorsports, are also available to travellers on cheap holidays to Chennai. And there are three large amusement parks and a water sports centre located in the outskirts of the city. Marina Beach features the Light House, various memorials and statues, scenic walkways and gardens.

The climate is mainly hot and humid, making discount travel to Chennai the perfect candidate for a cold winter getaway. With its historic landmarks, temples and other buildings, long sandy beaches, parks, and cultural and art centres, Chennai offers a broad spectrum of attractions. Chennai is also a transportation hub that is very well-connected to the rest of India, as well as international locations, by air, sea, rail and road. You can easily get cheap flights to Chennai from Sydney, Melbourne, London, Beijing, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Auckland, Bangkok and more!

Based in Australia, Direct Flights International provides easy, safe and secure online travel bookings to hundreds of different destinations around the world. Whether you decide to travel on cheap holidays to Chennai, catch a cheap flight to Agra, Kolkata (Calcutta) or elsewhere in India, book UK travel packages or book a Chennai travel package and then move on to other cities in Asia, the Direct Flights International web site will arrange for your discount travel needs.

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