Guide details
Best time to visit
November to February, early mornings for temples and beaches
How to get there
Most sites are within the city, linked by metro, auto or cab
Highlights
Marina Beach, Fort St George, San Thome Basilica, Mahabalipuram
Good for
First time visitors, history lovers, families
Price range
Free to Rs 500 entry
If you are short on time, this list of the top 10 tourist places in Chennai covers everything a first visit should include, from ancient temples to one of the longest beaches in the world. Chennai rewards visitors who mix a bit of history with some sea air, so this list moves between both.
1. Marina Beach
Marina Beach stretches for around 13 kilometres along the Bay of Bengal and is one of the longest urban beaches anywhere. It is not really a beach for swimming, the currents are strong, but it is perfect for an evening walk, roasted peanuts from a cart, and watching the whole city come out to enjoy the sea breeze. The lighthouse and the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose are both worth a look along the way.
2. Kapaleeshwarar Temple
This Dravidian style temple in Mylapore, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is one of the oldest and most active temples in the city, with a towering gopuram that you can see from several streets away. Visit in the early morning or evening to see it during a puja, and take a stroll around the tank and the narrow lanes of Mylapore afterwards, which are full of flower sellers and old Chennai character.
3. Fort St George
Built by the British East India Company in 1644, Fort St George is where colonial Chennai, then Madras, really began. It houses the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly today, plus a museum with old weapons, coins and paintings, and St Mary’s Church, the oldest Anglican church in Asia, where you can still see the marriage register of Robert Clive.
4. San Thome Basilica
This striking white basilica near the Mylapore coast is built over the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle, who is believed to have preached in the region. It is one of only three churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle, and the neo Gothic architecture makes it a striking stop even if you are not visiting for religious reasons.
5. Government Museum, Egmore
Housed in a grand red building on Pantheon Road, the Government Museum is one of the oldest in India and has an excellent bronze gallery, archaeological finds and a natural history section that keeps children entertained. Give yourself at least an hour and a half here, it is bigger than it looks from outside.
6. Guindy National Park
Guindy National Park is a genuine surprise, a protected forest right inside the city with spotted deer, blackbuck and a wide range of birds. It sits next to Raj Bhavan and also contains the Children’s Park and the Guindy Snake Park, making it an easy stop if you are travelling with kids.
7. Valluvar Kottam
This monument in Nungambakkam, shaped like a temple chariot, honours the Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, author of the Thirukkural. All 1,330 couplets of the work are inscribed on the surrounding gallery walls, and the huge stone chariot itself is an impressive piece of modern Dravidian architecture.
8. Elliot’s Beach
Also known as Besant Nagar Beach, Elliot’s Beach is calmer and cleaner than Marina, with a promenade good for an evening walk, the Karl Schmidt Memorial, and the small Velankanni Church nearby. It has a younger, more laid back crowd and some good cafes just off the beach road.
9. Semmozhi Poonga
This botanical garden on Cathedral Road, opposite the MA Chidambaram Stadium, is a well kept green space with over 200 species of plants, walking paths and a bamboo house. It is a good quiet break from the traffic and one of the better maintained public gardens in the city.
10. A Day Trip to Mahabalipuram
About 60 kilometres south of Chennai, Mahabalipuram is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Shore Temple, the Five Rathas and Arjuna’s Penance rock carving. It is an easy day trip along the East Coast Road and arguably the single best excursion from the city, combining ancient history with a proper beach town feel.
Together these top 10 tourist places in Chennai give a good mix of beach, temple, colonial history and green space, and most can be covered in three or four full days without rushing.