Things to do in Chennai
Discover Chennai: from temples to tides
It’s not instant—it’s an experience.
Stories Behind the City
St.Mary's Church
St.Mary’s church, located at Fort St. George is the oldest Anglican Church in India and the oldest British building constructed in 1678.
Higginbothams
Higginbothams, started in 1844 is the first and oldest existing book shop in India.
Marina beach
The Marina beach in Chennai is the second longest urban beach, sprawling at a length of 13kms.
Kasimedu Fishing Harbour
Kasimedu Fishing Harbour has been a fishing community since its migration in 1799 during the East India Company rule.
Spencer Plaza
Spencer Plaza in Anna Salai is the oldest shopping mall in India, built during the British Raj period in 1863.
Phoenix Market City
Phoenix Market City is the third largest shopping mall in India.
Detroit of India
Popularly known as the ‘Detroit of India’, Chennai is the base for automobile giants like BMW, Hyundai, Renault Nissan, Ford, Catepillar, Komatsu, Michelin, Saint-Gobain and Daimler
Chennai corporation
Chennai corporation was established in 1688 and is the second oldest civic body in the world after London.
Chennai port
Chennai has the second largest port in the country and the biggest in Bay of Bengal.
Must Do things in Chennai
Spend an afternoon at the Theosophical Society Gardens.
A fairytale garden with a 450-year-old banyan tree, right in the heart of Chennai’s urban sprawl.
Take part in the Olive Ridley conservation walk.
Between December and April, Olive Ridley turtles nest on Chennai’s shores. The SSTCN Walk protects their eggs and releases the hatchlings safely into the sea.
Go surfing in Kovalam.
The Kovalam beach (also known as Covelong) is about an hour’s drive from Chennai and has an active surfing scene. The beach even has an accredited surfing school, Bay of Life, that offers lessons for beginners and rents boards for experienced surfers.
Spend some quiet time at the Anna Centenary Library.
The Anna Centenary Library is one of Asia’s largest libraries with 9 floors and more than 1.2 million books.
Soak in some history on the Madras High Court Heritage Walk.
The building housing the Madras High Court was built in 1862, and continues to function to date. With its iconic red walls, a light house with its own pin code, winding staircases, stained glass walls and incredible history at every turn, this is a monument you must visit.
Chill a while with some crocodiles.
A Chennai favourite, the Madras Crocodile Bank is one of the world’s largest reptile zoos. Visit for Sunday feeding sessions or weekend night safaris — and don’t miss Jaws III, one of the biggest saltwater crocodiles on Earth.
Marvel at the ancient bronzes in The Government Museum.
The Government Museum, a stunning heritage landmark, houses well-preserved ancient artefacts. Even if history isn’t your thing, visit the Children’s Museum — its life-size T-Rex sculpture makes a perfect selfie spot.
Go on a catamaran ride.
Take on the Bay of Bengal in an open boat ride that even allows you to have a quick dip or two in the ocean – this is one experience you won’t be forgetting soon. Follow it up with a piña colada on the beach for literally the perfect, most relaxing weekend of your life.
Watch the sunrise at Thiruvanmiyur beach.
While Marina and Elliot’s have their own charm, Thiruvanmiyur is the quietest beach that is within the city, and watching the sun rise among those restless waves is definitely the best way to start your morning.
Experience folk art at DakshinaChitra.
DakshinaChitra is a living museum of South Indian heritage. Spread over 10 acres, with 18 carefully preserved heritage houses, typical village artisans and regular folk performances, this place is the closest you’ll ever get to time travel.
Places to visit around Chennai
At a distance of 57 km from Chennai, Mahabalipuram (also called Mamallapuram) is situated in Kanchipuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is famous for its shore temples built in 7th century. Mahabalipuram is one of the must visit weekend getaways from Chennai for one day trip. This also a major historical / heritage site in Tamil Nadu and one of the best places to experience Tamilnadu Tourism.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site was the second capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. It is an ancient historic town and was a bustling seaport during Pallava kings in 7th Century AD. According to the legend, it has been named after the demon king Mahabali who was renowned for his generosity.
The town has a collection of 7th and 8th century religious monuments that has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The site has 40 ancient monuments and Hindu temples, including Descent of the Ganges or Arjuna’s Penance – one of the largest open-air rock relief in the world.The real awe inspiring monuments are the stone cut temples particularly those dedicated to Shiva that also reverentially display Vishnu and others, built between 695 and 722 CE
Other structures include, Thirukadalmallai, the temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu which was built by Pallava King in order to safeguard the sculptures from the ocean. The Pancha Rathas (Five Chariots) – five monolithic pyramidal structures named after the Pandavas (Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishtra, Nakula and Sahadeva) and Draupadi. An interesting aspect of the rathas is that, despite their sizes they are not assembled – each of these is carved from one single large piece of stone.
At a distance of 75 km from Chennai, Kanchipuram or Kanchi is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town with a rich history and it’s one of the oldest cities in India.
Kanchipuram is also known as city of thousand temple. Kanchipuram was the historical capital of the pallavas. It was under pallavas from 6th to 7th century AD and later became the citadel of Cholas, Vijayanagar Kings, the Muslim and the British. During the 6th and 7th centuries, some of the best temples in the city were built by the Pallavas.
Kanchipuram is hailed as textile city the place is both handloom as well as machine woven silks sarees. The sarees manufactured here are famous across the globe. Kanchipuram town is also known as Silk City since the main profession of the people living in and around is weaving silk sarees, more than 5,000 families are engaged in this industry. The silk weavers of Kanchipuram settled more than 400 years ago and have given it an enviable reputation as the producer of the best silk sarees in India. Woven from pure mulberry silk and have an enviable reputation for texture, durability and finish. The sarees in dazzling colors are available in every imaginable design and variety.
Kanchipuram has magnificent temples of unique architectural beauty bearing eloquent testimony to its glorious Dravidian heritage. Adi Sankara established his episcopal seat (Kamakotipeetam). Kanchipuram is the birth place of C.N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu affectionately called as “Anna” by the people of Tamil Nadu.
At a distance of 170 km from Chennai, Puducherry, a previously french colonial town, is the capital of the Union Territory of Pondicherry and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South India. It is among top weekend getaways from Chennai & Bangalore for a two day visit. Pondicherry is located along the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. It is also known as ‘India’s Little France’
Amongst the various beaches and restaurants to try authentic french cuisine, a must see place is The Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It is a well known spiritual ashram with devotees and seekers from India and all over the world flocking to it for spiritual salvation. Its spiritual tenets represent a synthesis of yoga and modern science.
Another unique place in Pondicherry is the City of Auroville (City of Dawn) which is an experimental township which is situated 8 km north-west of Pondicherry in East Coast Road.
It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (also known as The Mother), to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.
At a distance of 134 km from Chennai, Tirupati is a pilgrimage city in the southeast of Andhra Pradesh. It is often referred as a synonym to Tirumala (called as Tirumala Tirupati), which is a sacred temple town famous for Sri Venkateswara Temple also known as Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple. It is the home ground of one of the World’s richest temple administrations :TTD (TIRUMALA TIRUPATI DEVASTHANAM).
The major source of its income is Kanuka or Hundi offerings.
Besides this, the sale of prasadam, darshan tickets, sale of seva tickets, sale of human hair, and receipts from choultries (places of accommodation) are the other significant sources of income. The gross income of TTD is estimated to be about $1 mn per day.
Visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily; while on special occasions and festivals like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000 and more, making it the most-visited holy place in the world.
Places to street shop in Chennai
T.Nagar
This is the first place to go to in Chennai if you need to feel like a local. Saravana stores, one of the biggest retail stores, has everything you would need to set up your home. Also, if you want to buy any clothing for your relatives, check out the exclusive saree outlets like Pothy’s or Nallis.
Sowcarpet
If you are looking for street shopping with a North Indian essence, then head straight to Sowcarpet. You can buy some awesome lehenga cholis or jazzy salwar suits at wholesale prices. And this is one of the best places in Chennai to enjoy some mouthwatering chaat while shopping.
Ritchie Street
This is like Palika Bazar in Delhi (if one has been there). You can buy all these electronic goods for some really cheap prices, but they come without a warranty. So if you are little sceptical on the experience, we suggest going with a local so that you are not taken for a ride.
Parry's Corner
Known to be the wholesale central in Chennai, Parry’s corner is the one stop shop for all those who want reasonably priced yet ethnic goods to decorate their homes. Also, if you are tired of shopping at Saravana stores, we suggest you go here to buy all those steel utensils or lamps.
Nungambakkam
Now for those of you, who love to have that stylish edge to everything in your house, Nungambakkam and its neighbourhood are the places to shop at. From luxurious branded clothing to well-crafted handicrafts, you get everything here with the price tag “expensive” on it.
Pondy Bazaar
Very close to the T. Nagar shopping area is Pondy Bazaar. This is also the rightful place to go to for some street shopping. Especially if you are looking to not to travel to the other end of the city for some cheap yet everyday clothing and footwear, try this area.
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