Tamil Nadu's capital is the gateway to South India, a warm, traditional city built around Marina Beach, ancient temples and a fierce love of Tamil culture, cinema and classical music. It hosts IIT Madras, among the country's very best, and Anna University, and offers a more authentic, less anglicised experience than Bangalore or Mumbai, plus some of India's finest vegetarian food.

• Home to IIT Madras, consistently ranked India's top engineering institute
• Marina Beach is one of the longest urban beaches in the world
• A deeply cultural city of Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam dance and temple architecture

Chennai's social life is gentler and more traditional than in the northern metros: evenings mean the beach at Besant Nagar (Elliot's Beach), filter-coffee cafes and the December Margazhi music-and-dance season. The student crowd gathers around IIT Madras and the colleges of Nungambakkam and T. Nagar. Alcohol is state-controlled, so the scene is more cafe than club.

• Hang out at Elliot's Beach (Besant Nagar) for cafes, snacks and sea breeze
• Catch the Margazhi festival (December to January) for Carnatic music and dance
• The IIT Madras campus and the Nungambakkam colleges anchor the student scene

Chennai is one of the more affordable Indian metros, so around 380 to 700 euros (roughly 34,000 to 63,000 rupees) a month covers a shared flat or hostel, food and transport. Superb, cheap vegetarian meals served on banana leaves keep food costs tiny, and public transport is inexpensive. Air-conditioning in the humid months is the extra worth budgeting for.

• A full meals thali on a banana leaf costs 80 to 150 rupees (1 to 1.70 euros)
• Shared flats and hostels near colleges run 7,000 to 14,000 rupees a month
• Budget for AC or a good fan, as the summer humidity is intense

Students typically take a PG (paying-guest) room, a college hostel or a shared flat. Areas like Adyar, Velachery, Nungambakkam and Besant Nagar are popular, safe and well connected, and proximity to your college matters given the heat and traffic. NoBroker and local Facebook groups help you avoid broker fees.

• Use NoBroker and NestAway to find PGs and flats commission-free
• Adyar and Besant Nagar are green, fairly central and student-friendly
• Ask the Studcasa Chennai group which areas are near your campus and the metro

Chennai Metro (the Blue and Green lines) is modern and air-conditioned but limited in reach, so you will also use MTC buses, cheap suburban trains and autos or app cabs. Book autos on Ola and Uber or agree a fare first, as meters are often ignored. Share autos are a very cheap local hack.

• Ride the air-conditioned Chennai Metro on the Blue and Green lines where it reaches
• Suburban EMU trains are dirt cheap for north-south journeys
• Fix the auto fare before setting off, or book via Ola or Uber

IIT Madras leads Indian engineering and research and runs international exchange programmes, while Anna University is a huge technical university, and the University of Madras and colleges like Loyola and Madras Christian College cover the arts and sciences. Teaching is in English, and the private SRM and VIT campuses on the outskirts also host exchange students.

• IIT Madras is the flagship for engineering, research and exchange tie-ups
• Loyola College and Madras Christian College are respected picks for arts and sciences

Whatever your nationality, unless you hold an Indian passport or OCI card, you need an Indian Student Visa arranged before you fly. A tourist visa or e-Tourist visa will not cover a semester of enrolment. You apply through an Indian embassy or consulate, or the official Indian Visa Online portal, with your admission letter, proof of funds, accommodation details and passport photos. Exact cost, processing time and whether you can do it fully online all depend on your nationality, so start six to eight weeks out.

The bit students forget: if your visa is valid for more than 180 days, you must register with the local FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) within 14 days of arriving. Your university's international office walks you through it, but do it on time, miss the window and you are looking at fines.

• Get a Student Visa, not a tourist e-Visa, for a full semester
• Documents: admission letter, proof of funds, accommodation, photos
• Register with the FRRO within 14 days if your visa exceeds 180 days
• Start the application 6–8 weeks before you fly

This is filter-coffee and dosa heartland: idli, vada and dosa for breakfast, then a banana-leaf meals for lunch at institutions like Murugan Idli Shop and Saravana Bhavan. Do not miss fiery Chettinad cuisine and the region's celebrated biryanis, in the Ambur and Dindigul styles. Eat with your right hand and finish with a strong degree kaapi.

• Order idli, dosa and filter kaapi at Murugan Idli Shop or Saravana Bhavan
• Try spicy Chettinad dishes and an Ambur or Dindigul biryani
• Have a banana-leaf meals for the full South Indian lunch experience

Mylapore is the traditional soul of the city, built around the Kapaleeshwarar temple, while T. Nagar is the frenetic shopping district and Nungambakkam and Adyar are leafier and more upmarket. Besant Nagar draws students to Elliot's Beach, while Velachery and Anna Nagar are well-connected residential picks near the metro.

• Mylapore: temples, traditional markets and classic Chennai character
• Adyar or Besant Nagar: green, upmarket and near the beach
• Velachery or Anna Nagar: well-connected residential areas on the metro

Chennai is superbly placed for South Indian weekends. Mahabalipuram's UNESCO shore temples are 90 minutes down the coast, the French-flavoured town of Pondicherry about three hours, and the silk-and-temple city of Kanchipuram two. For hills, Yelagiri and Yercaud offer a cooler break, and the pilgrim city of Tirupati is a half-day trip.

• Mahabalipuram's shore temples: about 1.5 hours down the coast road
• Pondicherry's French Quarter and beaches: roughly 3 hours
• Kanchipuram for silk saris and temples: about 2 hours

Dress modestly, especially at temples, and remove your shoes before entering. The climate is hot and humid year-round, so hydrate and plan indoor midday breaks. A little Tamil goes a long way, where nandri means thank you, and alcohol is sold mainly through state TASMAC shops, so do not expect a big bar scene.

• Cover shoulders and knees at temples and remove footwear at the entrance
• Stick to bottled or filtered water and pace yourself in the humidity
• Ask the Studcasa Chennai group for weekend-trip plans and the best local eats