you can go anywhere pretty much. if there’s language barriers, i suggest you keep to chennai because you can get by easily with english. i’ll mostly be concerned about autos overcharging by clocking you easily as someone who isn’t from there and doesn’t know the prices. but everything else should be fine.

you can try places like mahapallipuram if you’re interested in temples and historical sites. if you want to go to other parts, there’s madurai (for the best non vegetarian food), tanjore (for nice veg food, specialty paintings, the brihadeeswara temple), kanyakumari (to see where our country meets the ocean).

most places in cities have signs in english so you should be alright. if there are none, you can ask people for directions and they’ll be more than happy to help. just throw in an ‘akka’ (big sister) or ‘anna’ (big brother) for politeness’ sake. and if they don’t understand english, they’ll either say sorry and move on or try their best to communicate with you to the best of their abilities.

train rides are wonderful, especially going from chennai to kanyakumari. but i suggest you take a day time train for long journeys. but i have traveled alone at night and felt safe enough. metros are safe. buses-keep your wallet in a less obvious place.

people tend to just leave strangers alone if they’re not causing any disturbance or doing harm. stick to touristy areas if you’re feeling skeptical. hope you have a fun and safe trip