Top Tourist Places in Chennai

From breezy beaches to historic architecture, Chennai has it all. You can not miss out on anything, so here we are with a list of attractive places in Chennai.

Marina Beach

The longest beach in the nation and the second-largest urban beach in the world is Marina Beach. The beach stretches 6.0 kilometres, from Fort St. George to Foreshore Estate. The Marina Beach was well known for its unspoiled beauty, festive atmosphere, and diverse ecosystems. This extensive expanse of golden sand looks out onto the Bay of Bengal, which is surrounded by a gorgeous blue-green sea.

Ashtalakshmi Temple

Near the lovely Besant beach at Besant Nagar, on the shore of the Bay of Bengal, is the Ashtalakshmi Temple. The Goddess of Wealth and Knowledge, Ashtalakshmi, resides nearby and bestows her blessing on anybody who enters the temple to pray with a pure soul. The temple complexes continuous echoing of the sound of the ocean waves instantly exudes a serene ambience. The grandiosity of the location can be gauged by the fact that the temple's renovation cost close to 7 million rupees.

Vivekananda House

Chennai's Vivekanandar Illam, formerly called Ice House, is a historic structure. It was built by Frederic Tudor in 1842. When Indian Saint Swami Vivekananda visited Chennai in 1897, he lodged in the structure, which was eventually given his name. It is currently kept up by Ramakrishna Math and has a display about Vivekananda's life.

Guindy National Park

The city's small but well-known Guindy National Park is one of its natural wonders. It is a fantastic home for a variety of fauna and covers an area of 2.70 square kilometres, together with the tropical dry evergreen forests of the Coromandel Coast. The park, which is well protected by the state government, is ranked as India's eighth-smallest national park. The fun National Children's Park, which draws in the younger crowd, is located next to the National Park. Snake Park is another draw of the National Park.

Edward Elliot's Beach

Edward Elliot's Beach, sometimes referred to as Elliot's Beach or the Bessie, is a natural urban beach that is situated in the Besant Nagar neighbourhood. Elliot's Beach was primarily reserved for white people during the colonial era. The beach and its Kaj Schmidt Memorial are now well-known attractions in Chennai, where thousands of people visit each day.

DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum

One of India's living history museums is the Dakshinachitra Museum, which is situated in Chennai. It contains magnificent examples of South Indian architecture, crafts, performing arts, and lifestyles. The museum's vision and mission are to increase public awareness of South Indian cultures by enhancing their appeal to visitors. It is a project of the Madras Craft Foundation, a non-profit organisation that began operations in December 1996. One million photographs and 4,220 artefacts are kept in the heritage museum. You will gain a thorough understanding of South Indian tradition by visiting here.

B.M. Birla Planetarium

Chennai is home to the sizable B. M. Birla Planetarium. It is the fifth B. M. Birla planetarium in the nation and is situated in Kotturpuram on the campus of the Periyar Science and Technology Centre, which has eight galleries with more than 500 exhibits each, including galleries for physical science, energy, life science, innovation, transport, international dolls and children, and materials science. It is regarded as India's most advanced planetarium and offers a virtual tour of the night sky. It was constructed in 1988 in honour of the famous industrialist and visionary of India, B. M. Birla.

Thousand Lights Shia Mosque

The mosque in Anna Salai called Thousand Lights has many domes. A famous place of prayer and Azadari for Shia Muslims in the city, it is one of the biggest mosques in the nation. In 1810, Arcot Nawab Umdat ul-Umara erected the mosque. It was built using mediaeval design principles. The mosque now stands where an assembly hall once stood. It was customary to illuminate the assembly hall with a thousand oil lights. As a result, this custom gives the mosque its name.

VGP Marine Kingdom

The largest walk-through aquarium in India is called VGP Marine Kingdom, and it can be found in Chennai right next to the VGP Universal Kingdom Theme & Water Park. This aquarium, which covers an area of about 7,500 square metres and has more than 200 species from five aquatic zones, showcases a variety of marine life including freshwater ecosystems from rainforests, gorges, mangroves, coastal areas, and deep ocean environments. The first of its kind in India, the 70-meter acrylic tunnel houses freshwater and marine animals, including sharks and rays, from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Indian Ocean. The park is also a conservation area because it is home to some of the rarest and almost extinct aquatic species.

Valluvar Kottam

A memorial to the traditional Tamil poet and philosopher Valluvar is called Valluvar Kottam. Largest Tamil cultural hub in the city. At the junction of the Village Road and the High Road Kodambakkam in the Nungambakkam is Valluvar Kottam. During the 1970s, the then-chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, dreamed of and carried out the building of the Valluvar Kottam. The Kural Manimandapam, where all 1,330 couplets from all 133 chapters of the Kural literature are inscribed on the bas-relief, is part of the monument, along with a decorative arch, an auditorium with a capacity of about 3,500 people, and an auditorium.

Madras War Cemetery

About 5 kilometres from the airport and 1 km from St. Thomas Mount, the Madras War Cemetery is situated on Mount-Poonamallee Road at Nandambakkam. Public access to the cemetery is available. The graves of 856 Commonwealth service members who lost their lives in World War II are located in the 2.75-acre cemetery. It was started in 1952 by the Imperial War Graves Commission, now known as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), to honour the citizens of the Commonwealth nations who lost their lives while serving in the military.

Government Museum

The Government Museum, often known as the Madras Museum, is a human history and culture museum situated in the Egmore neighbourhood's Government Museum Complex. It was founded in 1851, making it India's second-oldest museum after the one in Kolkata. It has extensive collections of numismatic and archaeological artefacts. Its collection of Roman artefacts is the largest outside of Europe. One of the most striking of these is the enormous Museum Theatre. On the grounds of the museum is housed the National Art Gallery. It was constructed in Indo-Saracenic architecture and contains priceless European and Asian artworks by well-known artists, including Raja Ravi Varma. It boasts one of Asia's largest collections of bronze idols, 500 of which date back to 1000 BCE.

Muttukadu Boat House

Rowing, windsurfing, water skiing, and speedboat riding are all available at Muttukadu Boat House, a water sports facility located on the East Coast Road in Muttukadu. 36 km away from the city centre, it is a backwater region of the Bay of Bengal. Rowboats, speedboats, pedal boats, and fast aqua scooters are all available at the boat house, which opened in 1984. The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) owns and runs it.

Nettukuppam Beach

The northernmost point of Chennai is Nettukuppam (Broken Bridge) which features a beach that has not yet been spoiled by invasive tourists. Here, the salty creek of Ennore forms an estuary with the ocean. Given that it is still off the beaten tourist track, the setting is ideal for a relaxed vacation. There are no shouting street vendors or tourists crowding the beach here. Although there are typically only a few groups of people there, it draws a larger population during the holidays or during festivals. There is a vantage point from where you may see Chennai's skyline and consider the vast historical and geographical diversity of the city.

MGR Film City

The MGR Film City, the centre of Chennai's thriving Tamil film industry, is a singular thrill. MGR Film City is a well-known tourist destination that was founded in 1994. It is located in Taramani, Adyar, and is named after the late M. G. Ramachandran, a well-known actor and longtime chief minister of Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, there is a complex of movie studios called MGR Film City, which draws both tourists and filmmakers. Many sets of manufactured scenery, including forests, waterfalls, markets, etc., are constructed here to be used as backdrops for filming.

Sri Parthasarathy Temple

The Parthasarathy Temple, a Krishna-centered Hindu Vaishnavite temple from the eighth century, is situated in Triplicane. The temple is listed as one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu and is extolled in the Divya Prabandha, the early mediaeval Tamil literature canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th to the 9th centuries CE. In reference to Krishna's position as Arjuna's charioteer in the epic Mahabharata, the name "Parthasarathy '' means "the charioteer of Arjuna" in Sanskrit.

MGM

One of India's biggest and oldest amusement parks is MGM Dizzee World. East Coast Road is where it is situated. The park has roughly 47 dry rides, a water world with 2 water parks for kids and adults, and it also presents unique seasonal entertainment to beat the heat. The delight of the tourists is taken into consideration during the design and engineering of every ride at MGM Dizzee World. Extreme adrenaline rides are available, but there are also delightful rides. The park offers activities for people of all ages. The park is filled with a tonne of family-friendly activities and kiddie rides that are dispersed over the entire area.

COVELONG BEACH

Located on the coast of Coromandel near the village Covelong, Covelong Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches around Chennai. Set amidst palm trees and sparkling silver sand, Covelong Beach has a captivating environment making it ideal for excursion and picnic spots. An important tourist spot in Chennai, the beach offers a plethora of water activities to its visitors swimming and windsurfing being the most popular ones. Walk through the sands, rest under the palm trees or enjoy the calmness during the sunset, the experiences that this beach offers are unmatched. Offering various water activities like surfing, jet skiing, boating, the beach is packed with thousands of visitors every day.

FORT ST. GEORGE

One of the live examples of British history in India, Fort St. George, is one of the official buildings of the British Empire in Chennai, and the first English fortress in India. Founded in 1644 at the coastal city of Madras, the place serves as a museum today. The gigantic monument and the architecture are sure to make you appreciate the British artistry. The place is open for tourists. You can visit to witness artifacts, paintings, coins, silverware, arms, documents, and much more.

ARIGNAR ZOOLOGICAL PARK

For animal lovers, this place is beyond missing. It is home to more than 500 rare species, which are mostly endangered. Pay a visit to the zoo and be a part of the various safaris offered, such as Lion Safari and the Elephant Safari. Not just home to the endangered species, it also boasts of a rich variety of flora and fauna of the region. Situated at a distance of 32 kms from Chennai city, the zoological park is a great weekend spot to visit with your little ones. Also, witness the aquarium, crocodile house, butterfly house, and amphibian house, which the place has to offer.

MYLAPORE

From religious places to outlets that are known for serving delectable food, Mylapore is a neighborhood that is perfect for all kinds of travelers. Located in the Chennai district, Mylapore is home to a plethora of places that you can explore. Kapaleeswarar temple and Ramakrishnan Math is situated in Mylapore and which is one of the reasons for this neighborhood is one of the best places to visit in Chennai. Mylapore is the oldest residential area and all those who are interested in getting acquainted with the history of Chennai must visit this neighborhood.

ROYAPURAM FISHING HARBOR

One of the best tourist attractions in Chennai for all the travelers who are crazy about clicking amazing pictures to the place they travel to is the Royapuram fishing harbor. Known as the Kasimedu fishing harbor or the Chennai fishing harbor, this spot attracts a lot of tourists as it is major fishing grounds in Chennai. If you want to capture an eminent part of the lives of locals in Chennai then you ought to visit this harbor. You can spot a lot of fishermen catching fishes and a lot of boats. You will also find locals roaming around the market and purchasing fishes. As soon as the sun sets, the Chennai fishing harbor looks mesmerizingly beautiful and you should be present there to experience bliss.

BREEZY BEACH

Hidden away in Valmiki Nagar area of Chennai, this aptly named beach is the perfect getaway from the bustling city life of the metropolis. Located around 9 kilometers from the city center, the place offers a peaceful ambiance. The beach is famous for the most stunning sunrises and delicious breakfast served at the nearby restaurants and cafes. Being among the popular tourist places in Chennai, people often end up here to take a break from the daily routine. On your trip down to the breezy beach, you can try street snacks including sundals and idlis, and enjoy shopping at the nearby Thiruvanmiyur market.

CONNEMARA LIBRARY

One of the most premier landmarks in the city, the Connemara Library inaugurated in the year 1896, is a treasure trove of literature. It is one of the four National Depository Libraries in India receiving a copy of every book, newspaper, and periodical published in the country.A haven for book lovers, the hundred-year-old library contains a rich collection of books, braille manuscripts, journals, and magazines. Highly sought after by researchers, the building is located in the Egmore area of Chennai. The library is well-kept and you can spend a day amid the fountain of knowledge here as it is among the famous tourist places in Chennai.

MADRAS CROCODILE BANK TRUST

A rich crocodile breeding center, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust is more than just another zoo. You can witness this ferocious yet calm and beautiful reptile here in a healthy habitat. A great place for kids to learn more about nature and wildlife, the place is home to more than 17 species of crocs, some of which have been listed critically endangered by the IUCN.The initiative is the brainchild of the famous wildlife activist and herpetologist, Romulus ‘Rom’ Whitaker to conserve the fading species of crocodiles in the subcontinent. The Crocodile Bank in Chennai remains open for 6 days in a week for visitors and is definitely worth a visit.

SAN THOME CHURCH

The sparkling white structure of San Thome Church that stands on the tomb of Saint Thomas is one of its kind. The place is quite popular among locals and lures travelers wandering in the city with its exclusive infrastructure and serene ambiance. This beautiful masterpiece reminds of the colonial past and is one of the most interesting places to visit in Chennai.

KAPALEESHWAR TEMPLE

Another popular temple in Chennai with unique architecture, Kapaaleshwar Temple exhibits the Dravidian style of construction. The height of the temple is nearly 37 meters. The temple remains lively in the months of March and April. There is a huge tank filled with water at the place which is believed to have religious importance.