Getting to the City Center from Chennai Intl. Airport
The distance between the airport and the crowded Indian city Chennai is approximately 21 kilometers. After landing at the airport, you can find many transportation alternatives for travelling to the city center. You can benefit from many options for travelling to the city center such as taxi, train or bus. You can also rent a car for a more comfortable transportation during your stay in the city. The railway system of the city is one of the most preferred transportation options. Although there is not a station in front of the terminal of Chennai Airport, you can reach the Tirusulam Railway Station, which is located 2 kilometers away, by walking or using a rickshaw. The cost of the auto rickshaws parking outside the domestic terminal of the airport is 30 Indian Rupee for 2 kilometers but this amount increases at night hours. If you don’t have any luggage and think that you can find a place for yourself in the crowd, you can prefer this travel which will last 30 minutes. The wagons are clean and air-conditioned. The trains operate from the early hours of the morning until the midnight and you don’t wait too much at Tirusulam station. The ticket price is around 40 Indian Rupee and you can buy your ticket at the station. When you go out of the Chennai Airport terminal, you will see the air-conditioned buses of the route 1B which will take you to the city center. The cost of travelling to the city center with these buses departing every 5 minutes is 45 Indian Rupee. You can get information about the timetables of the bus route 18A, which goes directly to Chennai city center, by visiting the airport information desk. Travelling to the city center by using these buses which depart every hour takes about 40 minutes and it has the same price with the bus route 1B. Another alternative is getting on one of the buses passing through the highway in front of the airport. You can signal for these buses which do not stop everywhere. You need to get information about the prices from the driver. The most practical and fastest way to get to the city center from Chennai Airport is using a taxi. You can travel to the city center by paying a fare between 200 and 300 Indian Rupee without being subject to a price tariff other than the standard when you get one of the prepaid taxis at the airport. You can make a reservation in advance for using these taxis and pay the fare to the counters found at the arriving passenger gate. You can also get on a taxi outside the terminal and this alternative can cost minimum 350-500 Indian Rupee. The majority of the taxis offering service in Chennai and its surrounding consists of the taxis belonging to the taxi stands like City Taxi (+91 82972 82979), Meru Cabs (+91 44 4422 4422), Aviation Express Taxis (+91 44 2256 2193) and Fast Track (+91 44 2888 9999). The estimated fares of the taxis that you can use for travelling from Chennai Airport to the city center vary from INR 350 to 500. Note that there can be a slight difference between the domestic and international terminals in terms of the fares. The travel lasts about 30-40 minutes. You can see the offices of many international car rental companies like Avis, Europcar and Hertz at the arriving passenger section of Chennai International Airport. In addition to these companies, there are also local car rental companies offering service at the airport such as Mary Matha Cabs (+91 98844 69469) Zoomcars (+91 08 4339 37107 / +91 08 4339 37108), Aviation Express (+91 44 2435 4073). However, if you want to benefit from the discounts and have a more budget-friendly travel, you can make an online reservation before your flight. Since India is a hot country, we advise you to rent an air-conditioned car even if it is a little more expensive. While renting a car, you don’t need to get insurance and pay an additional amount for this. You can find another passenger going to the city center from the airport and use Uber or taxi together in order to pay less for this travel. Ride-sharing is among the best methods for travelling to the city center as well as being an economic and fast way.Train
Bus
Taxi
Car Rental
Ride-Sharing
Getting to Chennai Intl. Airport from the City Center
The distance between the city center of Chennai in India and Chennai International Airport is approximately 21 kilometers. You can cover this distance by taking a train, bus, taxi or by renting a car, in 50 minutes on average.
Train
Train is the most used means of transportation of Chennai, which is a large and crowded city. Trains depart every 5-6 minutes, and their period between the stops is 2 minutes. When you want to go to the airport from the city center, there are no stops right in front of the terminal; however, you can take a short walk when you get off at Tirusulam stop. The duration of your journey depends on the station you take the train at in the city. To get off at this stop, you must come to Park Train Station in the city center and then take one of the local trains going to Tambaram or Chengalpet direction.
Contrary to the general perception in the country, the wagons of the trains in Chennai are quite clean and have air conditioners. One train ticket costs maximum 40 Indian Rupees (1 INR=0.015 USD), and you can buy the tickets at every station. This cost is more reasonable than the airport transfers with a rented car or taxi; it is the most economical transportation alternative.
Bus
In your transfers to the airport from the city center, another economical alternative is to take a bus. This journey, by local buses, takes approximately 40 minutes. You can come close to the airport by the buses that you can take from the bus stops in the city center and goes from the direction of Thindivam (Trichy). The first bus departs from the harbor in the city center at 10:00 every day. Because the drivers are quite used to tourists, you can get their help for the stop you are going to get off at.
Taxi
If your backpack is not the only thing with you and you do not want to wait at bus stops or train stations, the most practical option you can prefer for transfer to the airport from the city center of Chennai is to take a taxi. Taxis, which you can stop within the traffic or reserve on the Internet, are active 24/7, and you can complete your transfer in about 30 minutes by taking them. For your transfer, which will cost 350-500 Indian Rupees on average, you can call a taxi from the well-known companies such as City Taxi (+91 82972 82979) and Fast Track (+91 44288 89999). You can also save money by benefitting from joint taxis, which are among the alternatives that tourists mostly resort to.
Car Rental
If your flight is at an early hour and you want to go to the airport with your own car, you will encounter several companies in the city, offering options in this matter. In order to see compared prices in the type of vehicle you prefer, you can search regional companies on the Internet and get offers from international brands such as Hertz, Avis, Alamo and Europcar.
Airport Information
Chennai International Airport serves Chennai, which is one of the biggest cities of India. With its active traffic, it is the fourth busiest airport of India following Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. The airport, which is visited by approximately 20 million passengers per year and has adjacent international and domestic flights terminals, is located 21 kilometers far from the city center. While the domestic flights terminal is named after K. Kamaraj, one of the former Indian ministers, the international flights terminal is named as CN Annadurai.
While waiting for the departure of your plane in Chennai International Airport, which is the busiest airport of South India, you can visit shops and spend time in restaurants and cafes. Besides, the airport provides services such as free Wi-Fi, car rental offices and ATMs.
