Tamil Nadu’s state capital is awash with accolades: it’s a Lonely Planet top-ten cosmopolitan city; a NatGeo top-ten foodie city; a UNESCO creative city. It’s noticeably youthful, attracting kids from across India with jobs and universities. It’s the heart of Kollywood (the Tamil answer to Bollywood). Every year, it holds a weeks-long cultural festival celebrating highfalutin classical Bharantanatyam dance alongside modern Indian hip-hop. It’s cool, but with a definite edge.

Guidebooks will tell you that history and architecture are Chennai’s biggest draws, but if that’s what you’re after you’ll get more bang for your buck elsewhere. The city’s eclectic jumble of Dravidian temples, Anglican churches and Indo-Saracenic white-domed courthouses are certainly worth a look, but what’s special about Chennai is its dynamism. The sheer, staggering amount of money pouring into development here (notably, a new metro system currently being built) is something to see in itself.

By all means, pop in to see the Chola bronzes, but then let go of your checklist and get swept up in the crosscurrents. Go for a walk along the seafront from George Town harbour to San Thome Cathedral. Watch people paddling in the sea and haggling at the afternoon beach market. Get a chicory-scented Tamil coffee at a rooftop café while the traffic swirls below you. Definitely make the most of the world-class food scene. There’s no long list of tourist sites here: a day or two is all you want to soak up the atmosphere. You’ll be glad you did.