Top things to see and do in Chennai
Marina Beach. The city's great open space and its emotional centre, a broad ribbon of sand running along the eastern seafront for roughly 13 kilometres — among the longest urban beaches in the world. Come at dusk, when the whole city seems to arrive: families strolling, children on the merry-go-rounds, cricket and kite games, palm-reading parrots, and long rows of stalls selling sundal (spiced chickpeas), bajji and raw mango. A lighthouse at the southern end and a run of statues and memorials line the promenade. One firm rule: the sea has a strong undercurrent and swimming is prohibited — this is a beach for walking, watching and eating, not bathing. Entry is free.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore. The most important temple in the city and the beating heart of old Mylapore, dedicated to Shiva as Kapaleeshwarar with his consort Parvati worshipped here as Karpagambal. Its towering, riotously colourful gopuram (gateway tower), encrusted with painted deities, is a textbook of Dravidian temple architecture and the visual signature of Chennai. Tradition traces the site to the Pallava era; the present structure was rebuilt by Vijayanagara-era patrons around the sixteenth century after the earlier temple was lost. Timings are typically early morning to around midday and again from late afternoon into the evening (roughly 5:30 am–12 pm and 4–9 pm), and the temple is at its most spectacular during the Arupathimoovar festival in the Tamil month of Panguni (March–April). Entry is free; dress modestly, remove footwear, and note that non-Hindus may be restricted from inner sanctums.
Fort St George. The birthplace of modern Chennai and, for history-minded visitors, the essential colonial site. Founded by the East India Company in 1639 and completed around 1644 — on St George's Day, hence the name — this was the first English fortress in India and the nucleus from which the city grew. Remarkably, it is still a working seat of power, housing the Tamil Nadu Secretariat and Legislative Assembly, so parts are restricted. Within the walls sit two draws: St Mary's Church, built 1678–1680 and reckoned the oldest Anglican church in India, with the oldest British tombstones in the country in its graveyard; and the Fort Museum, whose galleries of colonial-era portraits, weapons, coins, uniforms and letters (maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India) tell the story of early Madras. The museum charges a modest entry fee, higher for foreign visitors; verify before visiting.
San Thome Basilica. A soaring white Neo-Gothic church on the southern shore, and one of the most significant Christian sites in India. It is built over what tradition holds to be the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle, making it — alongside St Peter's in Rome and Santiago de Compostela in Spain — one of only three churches in the world raised over an apostle's grave. A church has stood here since Portuguese times (the structure dating to 1523), rebuilt in its present Gothic form in the 1890s, with pointed spires, rib-vaulted teak ceilings and stained glass. There is a small tomb chapel and museum below. Entry is free; dress respectfully and be mindful of Mass times.
Government Museum, Egmore. Started in 1851, this is the second-oldest museum in India after Kolkata's, set in the handsome red Pantheon Complex in Egmore. Its glory is the bronze gallery, home to one of the world's finest collections of South Indian bronzes — the graceful Chola-era images of Nataraja and other deities that are among the summits of Indian art. Wider galleries cover archaeology, numismatics, natural history and an amphitheatre. It is generally open around 9:30 am to 5 pm and closed on Fridays and public holidays; entry fees are modest, with extra charges for cameras — verify before visiting.
Parthasarathy Temple, Triplicane. One of the oldest temples in the city, an eighth-century Pallava foundation (later expanded by the Vijayanagara kings) dedicated to Vishnu as Parthasarathy — literally "the charioteer of Arjuna," the form Krishna took in the Mahabharata's great battle. It is counted among the 108 Divya Desams, the holiest Vishnu shrines of the Tamil devotional tradition, and the presiding image is unusually depicted with a moustache and battle scars. The tank and the surrounding Triplicane lanes are atmospheric. Entry is free; the usual temple etiquette applies.
Valluvar Kottam. A striking modern monument in Nungambakkam honouring Thiruvalluvar, the revered Tamil poet-philosopher whose Thirukkural — 1,330 couplets on ethics and right living — is a cornerstone of Tamil culture. Built in the 1970s and designed by the master temple architect V. Ganapati Sthapati, it takes the form of a 39-metre stone temple-chariot, said to stand without a supporting pillar, with all 1,330 couplets inscribed on the granite corridors around a vast auditorium. It is a fine introduction to the depth of Tamil literary heritage. A nominal entry fee usually applies; verify before visiting.
Elliot's Beach (Besant Nagar). The city's other, calmer beach, at the southern end of the seafront in the leafy Besant Nagar neighbourhood — locals call it "Bessie." Quieter and more relaxed than Marina, it is ringed by cafés and framed by the old Karl Schmidt memorial, with the Velankanni church and the Ashtalakshmi temple nearby. A good spot for an unhurried evening walk. Free.
San Thome and Mylapore old quarter. Beyond the headline sights, the tangle of lanes around Kapaleeshwarar and San Thome rewards slow wandering — flower and produce markets, brass and silk shops, filter-coffee stalls, music and dance schools, and the everyday rhythm of one of the oldest continuously inhabited parts of the city. This is the best neighbourhood in Chennai to simply walk.
DakshinaChitra (Muttukadu, on the ECR). About 25 kilometres south of the centre on the East Coast Road, this open-air living-history museum of South Indian heritage gathers relocated and reconstructed traditional houses from across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, alongside craft demonstrations — weaving, pottery, puppetry — folk performances and workshops. It is an excellent, unhurried half-day for understanding the region's building traditions and crafts, and pairs naturally with a Mahabalipuram trip. Entry fees apply and are higher for foreign visitors; verify before visiting.