Chennai has been named in Lonely Planet’s top ten cities in the world to visit in 2015

Chennai has been announced as one of the top cities to visit in the world by the  Lonely Planet in its latest edition – Best in Travel 2015, along with the likes of Washington DC, Milan and Vienna. Chennai features 9th on the city list, above Toronto, whilst Washington DC takes top spot.

Quite a distinction for Chennai.

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2015 contributor Joe Bindloss said “Chennai has long been seen as a stepping-stone to other parts of India. But with the opening of the Chennai Metro Rail, the capital of India’s south plans to raise its profile. If nothing else, fast and frequent air-conditioned trains will transform the experience of exploring this humid metropolis.”

Travel publishing company Lonely Planet guide goes on to say that “there’s plenty to see: statue-covered Dravidian temples, fascinating museums, British-era fortifications and churches, a 3 km-long beach, and India’s second-largest movie industry, ‘Kollywood’.”

Strolling on Marina Beach is the quintessential Chennai experience. — Yeah, that sounds like Chennai!

The city changed its name from Madras to Chennai in 1996 as part of a national process of de-Anglicisation, but both terms were British abbreviations for the names of local villages.

Chennai is known as the Detroit of India thanks to its prolific automobile industry, producing 40% of India’s cars.

The Lonely Planet guide is hugely influential so hopefully being included in this list will see a major boost to tourism in Chennai over the next 12 months and beyond.

Travel guide Lonely Planet predicts the world’s hottest trends, destinations and experiences for the year ahead. It highlights the top 10 countries, cities and regions to visit in 2015.

If you’re looking for some travel inspiration, Lonely Planet have listed their Top 10 cities for 2015:

1. WASHINGTON, DC, USA

2. EL CHALTÉN, Argentina

3. MILAN, Italy

4. ZERMATT, Switzerland

5. VALLETTA, Malta

6. PLOVDIV, Bulgaria

7. SALISBURY, UK

8. VIENNA, Austria

9. CHENNAI, India

10. TORONTO, Canada