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Exploring a new city is almost incomplete if you miss out on the shopping parade with your friends or family. This particular statement is inexplicably true for the south India based metropolitan city known as Chennai. The capital of Tamil Nadu, a visit to this city is a heart-warming experience with amazing opportunities to offer anyone and everyone visiting the city. This sentence especially holds true for the shopaholics who are in lookout for markets in Chennai. Being a pretty big city with much to offer the vast expanse of Chennai surely has ample collection of beautifully attractive markets that are affordable as well as piled up with large collection of items to be brought by the locals as well as the tourists. You can find many popular supermarkets in Chennai that sell products of need at budget prices.
However, before we jump into the list of markets in Chennai, let’s take a look at some of the tips that you need to remember when shopping at Chennai.
- You might find people that are selling cheap T-shirts even at INR100 for one, but remember the quality might be very poor. So refrain from buying such items in the flea markets in Chennai.
- Try and use the public transport options that will allow you to enjoy the city’s colors in a better way.
- Make sure you develop some good bargaining skills when treading across the streets of Chennai. This will surely get you some amazing deals.
Here you go with a well-sorted list of shopping markets in Chennai that must be among the top numbers in the list of places to visit when out in Chennai on a shopping spree.
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1. T. Nagar Market
T.Nagar, also known as Thyagaraya Nagar is among the popular local markets in Chennai. It is famous for gold jewelries and sarees. Affordability is the second name for this local market with ample options for entertainment of the visitors. The beauty of this market during the festivals such as Pongal, Diwali, New Year, and similar festivals is mesmerizing when people visit this market for purchasing things that add to the festivity of the city.
The local shop owners tend to add discounts to the already cheap prices in the market while flaunting an exotic variety of items on the sale list. Make sure you reach the market towards the early half of the morning in order to avoid unnecessary crowd especially if you tend to suffer from enochlophobia. The market can be reached easily by the use of Chennai metro or local bus.
2. Pondy Bazaar
If you want options, Pondy Bazaar is an apt definition of variety that comes from the best compilation of products such as clothes, mobile phones, footwear, and best of all food that is perfect to the core. It is among the renowned mobile markets in Chennai. The vividness reflected by this market can be defined like something from the surreal world where the vendors place before you beautiful pieces of art that are available at some of the bets prices that are actually unbelievable. The entire market is spread over a radius of 2 to 3kms with multi-brand retailers available in the area as well. Apart from the clothes and similar items, you can also find things such as bags, bangles, hair bands, books, ropes, buckets, etc.
The shops located at the side of the road can be your monthly budget shopping spree. You can locate this market with a statue located at its entrance dedicated to the memory of famous politician W.P.A. Soundarapandian Nadar. The shops do not have any fixed prices for the products they sell which means you can easily bargain your way to get some of the best bets over items of requirement as well as fashion accessories. You can spot two major hotels towards the eastern periphery of the market named Residency Towers and GRT Grand Days. Popular restaurants in this area that can get you some of the popular lip smacking local cuisines include Balaajee Bhavan, Saravana Bhavan, Hot Chips, Geetha’s Café, Hotel Woodlands, Adyar Anandha Bhavan, etc.
3. Sowcarpet
If you are in search of beautifully crafted lehengas and suits, make sure you plan a visit to the Sowcarpet Market which is well-known for its distinct flavor of clothes that come from the North of India being sold at amazingly low price tags. Ranked among the best markets to visit in Chennai, Sowcarpet has many stories to tell. As stated by theory, Sowcarpet can loosely be translated into the Hindi word which “Sahukar” is meaning money lender.
This space is among the cloth markets in Chennai that brings the beauty and creativity of north to the southern part of the country. You might find that Sowcarpet is narrow and congested but this inconvenience doesn’t deter the shopper from looking for the best and colorful dupattas or lehengas from up north. When in need to buy from the best supermarkets in Chennai, make sure you take a peek at the Sowcarpet Market. It is also known among the popular traditional markets in Chennai where you can shop for perfectly crafted traditional clothes.
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4. Ritchie Street
When searching for wholesale markets in Chennai for gadget shopping, make sure you visit the Ritchie Street which is among the 2nd largest when it comes to shopping for electronics in India. This market started in the year 1970 and has continued to boom till today. This is all for the variety of the electronics that can be found at this top ranker among the old markets in Chennai.
You can find everything at this market starting from electronics for personal use such as cellphones, music boxes, to CCTV cameras or phone batteries. This market is popular among gadget lovers, given the fact that one can find amazing gadgets at throwaway prices. When out for gadget shopping at the main markets in Chennai, make sure you do not miss this heaven for electronics lovers.
5. Koyambedu Vegetable Market
If you plan on preparing something good and fresh for your friends coming over for a party or get together, you need to visit the best vegetable markets in Chennai to get access to fresh produces from the local farms. Koyambedu is where you get to indulge in a small world comprised of everything fresh and aromatic such as fruits, vegetables, as well as flowers.
This market ranks high among the list of weekly markets in Chennai that brings forth the best and affordable veggies from the farmers. This is where you can see the best results of amazing cultivation skills that emerge all the way down from the country’s agricultural history. This market is spread across 295 acres of land and starts as early as 5 am in the morning. In a normal day, at least 100000 people come down to this complex in order to buy fresh vegetables.
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6. George Town
When out searching for the best and big supermarkets in Chennai, you cannot miss the Georgetown Market. It is an amazingly large collection of specialized bazaars that cover a major portion of the street stalls, wholesale markets, as well as retail shops. Previously known as “Black Tow”, this area flourished back in the latter half of 1600s. It was market on the map of Chennai after the Fort St. George was constructed.
After this, the local residents settled in the area to initiate trade with this fort for several items of daily requirements. Blacktown was dubbed as Georgetown and is currently famous amidst the locals when they are on the lookout for retail markets in Chennai or furniture markets in Chennai. Georgetown is best if you are seeking everything under one umbrella from grocery shopping to fresh veggies, you can get everything at a single platform.
7. Burma Bazaar
The Burma Bazaar was established in the year 1969 which is located at the Parry’s Corner in Chennai. It covers a prime location which is just outside of the Chennai Beach Railway Station. If you are looking for something to shop after visiting all the local sites of tourist attraction, make sure Burma Bazaar is your first choice from the list of supermarkets in Chennai. This bazaar is comprised of shop that are at least few hundred in numbers with a stretch covering both halves of the streets running through this area. The shops here are actually being run by the people from Myanmar who fled from their country way back in the early half of 1960s and settled in our country as immigrants.
However, the market also has an occasional domination of the local sellers with collection of some of the best and imported goods that range all the way from readymade gadgets to pleasant smelling perfumes. The sellers here trade almost everything like plastic goods, stationery, ready-made garments, and household items. The major advantage of purchasing anything from this corner is the fact that each item found here is priced reasonably with bargaining as the major criteria for salvaging a good deal out of the sellers. You can easy reach this market with local transport as it is connected properly with other parts of the city.
8. Cotton Alley
While Cotton Alley might not be as big as other markets in Chennai but you can surely find some of the best crafts made of cotton. The material being soft and easy to wear especially during summers adds to its existing love among the locals and anyone visiting the country. Cotton is a breathable material that allows one to resist the hot and humid temperature of India which is especially high down south. At the Cotton Alley, you can easily find the very renowned Gaza Cotton as well as the Madras checks. It is highly recommended for the folks who have been planning to change the entire décor of the house with material used for bed, sofa, curtains, or any other part of the house.
It is one of the markets in Chennai frequented by anyone who is in need of the top quality cotton material or clothes crafted from soft cotton threads. You can easily use the high quality cotton that is found here to add to the beauty of your wardrobe as well as house. However, you might need to up your bargaining skills to get an amazing deal out of the sellers. The price for cotton per meter starts here at INR 80 going all the way up to INR 300 but you can get amazing discounts if you use your bargaining skills at the shop especially if you are aware of the local language.
9. Kapaleeswarar Temple Eat Street
Well, if Chennai has a market for clothes, footwear, gadgets, and even fish, then why not some amazing food? Kapaleeswarar Temple Eat Street is one such food markets in Chennai that provides you with some of the most tantalizing taste you would have ever had. No, it’s not any fancy restaurant that serves costly food at the table but you can definitely enjoy the taste of South with the local eateries that can be found in this area.
This place is among the best street markets in Chennai when it comes to tasty food items from the local menu of this southern state. You are at the right place when looking for a great collection of vegetarian food items. From the tasty prasadam served at the temple during evening to the stalls lined up outside the temple with delicacies such as Puliyodharai, Curd rice, Idli, Dosa, Rose Milk, etc.
10. Kasimedu Fish Market
If you are looking for fish markets in Chennai that can provide freshly caught live fishes, you are at the right place with the Kasimedu Fish Market. Among the wholesale fish markets in Chennai, Kasimedu is the oldest while aging all the way back to 300 years before today. The amazing fact about this famous market is that it starts way early in the morning at 4 AM.
You can the boats and trawlers that come with the fresh catch so early in the morning. From shrimps to big finned fishes, you can easily find everything of your need right in this market when it comes to wanting the best piece of fish for cooking a really tasty meal. One cannot really avoid this market when looking for the famous fish markets in Chennai.
So get ready to bring back a load full of affordable items during your visit to the shopping haven down south. Make sure you do not get ripped off from the local sellers who might sell you overpriced items just because you are new to the city. Try and seek help from the locals and get hang of the perfect ways to bargain.
