Chennai Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Chennai

Chennai's sights run along and behind its long seafront, from the fort in the north to Adyar in the south.

Walk the Marina early or late

About 13 km of sand runs from Fort St George towards Besant Nagar, and the city comes out to it at either end of the day: kite flyers, corn roasters, walkers and games of beach cricket. A lift climbs the lighthouse beside it for the view along the shore. Both of our tours from Chennai bring you here on day 1.

Explore the temples of Mylapore and Triplicane

Mylapore's Kapaleeshwarar Temple, also on our tours' first day, has bronzes of the 63 Nayanar saints and a large tank beside it; close by are the Sri Ramakrishna Math's Universal Temple, open to people of every faith, and San Thome Basilica, built over the tomb of St Thomas. In Triplicane, the Parthasarathy Temple is one of Vishnu's 108 Divya Desams. Kapaleeshwarar's festival takes the deities through the streets in March or April.

Step inside Fort St George

Finished in 1644 for the East India Company, the fort still holds the state government's offices. Its museum fills ten galleries with portraits, uniforms, medals and coins, and St Mary's Church, consecrated in 1680, is believed to be the oldest British building in India.

See the bronzes at the Government Museum

Founded in 1851, second in age in India only to Kolkata's Indian Museum, the museum holds what Tamil Nadu Tourism calls the country's best collection of South Indian bronzes, Natarajas among them. The campus also has the National Art Gallery, a children's museum and the Connemara Public Library.

Catch the December season

In Margazhi, the Tamil month from mid-December to mid-January, sabhas, temples and old bungalows across the city fill with Carnatic concerts and classical dance. Eat at the sabha canteens, which serve South Indian meals through the day, and look for kolam patterns at doorways in the early morning.

Shop for silk in T. Nagar

The streets of T. Nagar, with Pondy Bazaar at their heart, sell saris, bangles and jewellery, and the shops around Panagal Park are famous for silk. Chennai is best known for Kanchipuram silk, which Co-optex showrooms also stock alongside cottons.

Slow down in Besant Nagar and Adyar

Where the shore ends in Besant Nagar, Elliot's Beach is calmer than the Marina on most days, with horse rides and snacks to try. Inland in Adyar, the Theosophical Society's shaded grounds hold a church, a mosque, a Hindu temple, a Buddhist shrine and the Adyar Library.

Drive the East Coast Road

The coast road south makes its own day out: DakshinaChitra at Muttukadu, where houses from across South India have been rebuilt and craftspeople demonstrate their work; the Crocodile Bank, founded in 1976; and the surf at Covelong. Both of our tours follow this coast on day 2, to the monuments of Mahabalipuram.

Choosing between our tours from Chennai

Both begin with a night here and share their first days, the Marina and Kapaleeshwarar on arrival, then Mahabalipuram, Thanjavur's Big Temple and Madurai, each with its own car and driver, a local guide at the big temples and breakfast every day. If temples are the point of your trip, choose the South India Temple Trail — 10 days: it adds Trichy's Rock Fort and Srirangam, Rameswaram and two nights at Kanyakumari. For temples and Kerala together, the 10 Days South India Tour Package climbs from Madurai to Munnar's tea estates and spends a night on an Alleppey houseboat. For more of the city, ask for an extra night when you enquire; Chennai tour packages compares the two.

When to go for these

Tamil Nadu Tourism suggests November to February, but the India Meteorological Department's normals make November the city's wettest month, about 374 mm over 11 rainy days, in the middle of the October-to-December northeast monsoon. For dry days on the beach, come from January to March, when each month brings under 20 mm and highs of about 30–33°C. May and June average around 37°C: keep walks to early morning and evening then.

Tips for Chennai

Fort St George and its museum close on Fridays, so plan the fort for another day. At temples, cover shoulders and knees and leave your shoes at the entrance. For the city's history and sights, see our Chennai travel guide, and for the rest of the state, things to do in Tamil Nadu.