The Marina beach located in Chennai is spread across an area of thirteen kms. The great marina beach is known to be the second largest beach in the world. After its naming and reincarnation in 1880; it is surrounded by beautiful gardens and is flocked by number of tourists every year.

It starts from Harbour and ends at Santhome Cathedral. In the beginning of 1880 the beach got a facelift by the governor Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff.

Many great memorials like MG R Samadhi and Anna Samadhi are located on the sea shore. This particular section is popularly called as Anna Square. In short Marina beach is a perfect blend of crystal clear sea, great surf and golden colored sand. The beach is one of the longest beaches in Asia.

The Elliot’s beach is located South of Chennai. The beach comes out alive particularly at night. This beach is located near Besant Nagar. There are a lot of important places of interest in the beach.

The Velankanni Church, The Ashtalakshmi temple located in the area, makes a visit to this place a fascinating one. The place is easily accessible as there are frequent bus services to this place. The services of Auto and taxis can also be availed. There are a lot of eateries located around this place. These eateries specialize in various cuisines and is a delight for the foodie.

In comparison to the Marina beach, The Elliot beach is comparatively less crowded and cleaner. There are a lot of tiny stalls along the sands of the beach that sell stuff like Murukku, chilly pakodas and the likes The beach sands also give you a taste of a lot of mouthwatering south Indian snacks, The beach is particularly preferred by the young crowd as there are a lot stylish eateries and other shopping facilities here.

The Covelong beach has a lot of historical importance attached to it. There has been a port constructed here by the Nawab of Carnatic. The French landed in Chennai through this route led by the French General Laboudonnais. There are beautiful historical monuments like churches, mosques, forts that can be found here.

The beach also provides a lot of sporting activities like windsurfing, swimming and other water sports. The waters are clear and the sands clean. The Covelong beach is a favorite getaway for people along the Coromandel Coast.

The place is blessed with a lot of scenic beauty, There are long and thick stretches of palm trees which provide a lot of shade and beauty to the surroundings. The Covelong village is a quiet village where in you could experience and tranquility of the place. The Covelong beach is especially important as it is the only beach around Chennai that is less crowded.

The memorial to the poet-saint Tiruvalluvar is shaped like a temple chariot and is, in fact, the replica of the temple chariot in Thiruvarur. A life-size statue of the saint has been installed in the chariot which is 33m. tall.

The 133 chapters of his famous work Thirukkural have been depicted in bas-relief in the front hall corridors of the chariot. The auditorium at Valluvar Kottam is said to be the largest in Asia and can accommodate about 4000 people. It stands as a modern memorial to the great poet who represents the glorious culture of the Tamils.

Thirukkural, are inscribed on the granite pillars that surround the auditorium and it has got no pillars for support. There is a 101-feet high temple chariot structure with a life-size image of the poet in it. This chariot is a replica of the temple car of Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu. The base of the chariot shows in bas-relief the 133 chapters of the Thirukkural. Over 3,000 blocks of stone were used to create this memorial to Tamil culture.

Fort St George was established in 1639 along the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Chennai city. It is often said that this marked the birth of the city. This monument is a great reminder of the East India Company. The fort has relics of its founders and leaders. It’s a great military marvel.

Inside the Fort is the Fort museum which is decorated with cannons of Tipu Sultan. There are a lot of interesting artifacts showcased in the museum like coins, artifacts and so on. Today, Fort St George is famous for housing the legislative assembly and is known as the secretariat building. Various Government offices function inside this building, including the structure which used to be the residence of Robert Clive called the Clive House.

The tallest flag pole in the country can be seen here, where the national flag flies proudly at a height of 150 feet. . The Pole is now made of metal was originally made entirely of teak wood. Apart from the museum, the southern division of the Archaeological Survey of India is located here. The place is famous for its exotic collection of books in the library.

Kapaleeswara Temple is situated in Mylapore, a suburb of Chennai. The main deity, Lord Shiva, is worshipped as "Kapaleeswara" and the Goddess as "Karpagambal". The temple is very famous and attracts thousands of devotees especially during festival days. The entrance Gopuram rises magnificently to a height of about 120 feet with a profusion of sculptured images depicting incidents from the various 'puranic' legends.

There is a large tank in front of the temple. The outer courtyard is adorned with the bronze images of the 63 'Nayanmars' (Saivite saints). Some scholars cast doubt as to the age of the present building as the architecture and the images in this temple point to a period of about 300 years ago. They believe that the original temple had been in the Santhome area near the sea as recent archaeological excavations in that area point to the presence of a temple during that period. The original temple was submerged under the sea and the current temple structure was a later construction. There are separate sannadhis for several deities such as Vinayaka, Annamalaiyar, Muruga, and Saneeswara. There are several other deities such as Durga, Dakshinamurti, Chandikeswara located within the main Sannadhis of Kapaleeswara and Karpagambal.

Thousand Lights Mosque is a well-known worship place for the Muslims in the Chennai city of Tamil Nadu. It is situated at the Anna Salai Road in the city. The mosque is popular for a number of reasons, such as its name, its architecture and its historical and religious importance. In early 19th century, the place where the mosque presently stands used to be the assembly place of the Shiite Muslims, during the month of Muharram. Later, the assembly hall was built, following which the mosque was constructed.

The mosque represents one of the popular medieval architectural style building. The structure is multi domed building with two exalting minarets. The minarets reach to height of 64 feet above the ground. The structure is painted with the sayings from the Muslim holy book, the Koran. A main hall is provided in the ground floor for offering prayers. There is a separate room for women. The two rooms on the second floor have been designed to represent the sanctuary. These rooms are called as Bargah. The place does not constitute a burial site. However, the wooden planks on the second floor are held to represent the harems (sanctuary) of Imam Hossein and Abolfazl-al-Abbas. The mosque is a famous pilgrimage place for the Shias of India, especially from South India.

Built in the memory of Shri Kamaraj, the late chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Kamaraj Memorial House is now a permanent gallery that showcases photographs and personal effects of Kamaraj who rose out of poverty to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (elected to the post thrice). Kamaraj Memorial House was inaugurated on 15th July 1978, by the then Chief Minister M.G Ramachandran

On the ground floor is the bedroom of this bachelor, whose austere living comes across so clearly in the plain furniture that occupies the room. Leaning over the railings, one can spot yellowed volumes of 'Lok Sabha Debates', '100 Modern Lives', 'Churchill' and 'Doctor Zhivago' amongst the books lined up in the well-stocked library. Obviously, having to discontinue his schooling did not stop him from becoming a well-read man.

The Madras (Chennai) High Court building, red sandstone Indo-Saracen building is situated near the St George Fort at Parry's Corner. The building was constructed in 1892 and is considered to be the second largest judicial complex in the world. The central tower of the building is 165 ft high. The High Court of Chennai is one of the three courts set up in India during the reign of the Queen Victoria. These important buildings have deliberately been constructed in the Presidency Towns by the Letters Patent of the Queen. The honorable chief justice and the head of the Judiciary were all present at the time of the inauguration.

High Court was established on June 26, 1892 under the guidance of the famed architect Henry Irwin, this red Indo-Saracenic structure at Parry's corner is Chennai's main landmark. It is believed to be one of the second largest judicial buildings in the world. This complex houses the High Court, the small Cause's Court and the City Civil Court. It is considered to be one of the three High Courts of india. It is time-honored at Presidency Towns by Letters Patent granted by Queen Victoria. The authority of Chennai High Court extends to Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Red sand stone construction, Ornamental decorations on the walls, stained glass windows and minarets add beauty to this building. The compound has a pyramid shape tomb, which belongs to the only son of Elihu Yale, who died in infancy. A fine example is Court No 13, which has stained glass, fretted wood work, carved furniture, silvered panels and a painted ceiling. Entry - Monday to Saturday from 10 to 5 with guided tour for Rs.10. It is situated at Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Road, just north of St.George fort.

Guindy National Park encompasses various species and a variety of plant life. There are over 24 varieties of trees in the National park. Some of the prominent trees that you can spot here at the park are Atlanta Monoplylla, Amona Squamosa, Feronia Azadirachta India, Limonia, etc. In addition to this there are more than 14 shrub varieties that are found in the park.

Guindy National Park is home to 400 black bucks, 2000 spotted deer, 24 jackals, a variety of snakes, geckos, a wide variety of snakes tortoises, geckos and over 100 species of birds, over 60 species of butterflies and spiders each, a wealth of different invertebrates-grasshoppers, ants, termites, carbs, snails, slugs, scorpions, mites, spiders, earthworms, millipedes, etc., These are free-ranging fauna and live with the minimal of interference from human beings. The only major management activity is protection as in other in situ conseration area. The park boasts of over 350 species of plants, and form a natural destination for botanists.

There is an interesting story behind the Guindy National Park. The present day Guindy Park was actually a hunting preserve in its early days and belonged to a British citizen named Gilbert Rodericks. After his death the Government of Madras purchased it in the year 1821 and later in 1910, it was declared as a reserved forest.

The snake park in Chennai is an eye opener to many about many facts and misconceptions about reptiles. The Park authorities conduct lecture demonstrations in Tamil, Hindi and English for information and education of the visitors. One can also touch the snakes under expert supervision in these demonstrations. Venom extraction demonstrations are also presented.

Some of the popular species of reptiles found here include King Cobra, Banded Krait, vipers,the reticulated python (Python Reticulatus) and alligators, the Indian rock python (Python Molorus).Apart form snakes, the park is also home to other reptiles like turtles, crocodiles and lizards. A museum with conserved specimens of reptiles and amphibians can be found here.

Kishkinta is a theme water park and is an ideal destination for family and group entertainment. It includes the amusements, attractions, water games and rides. Kishkinta Park is a Theme Park set in 120 acres of specially landscaped hills and lakes. Thirty minutes south of Chennai City, the park is situated five kilometres west of Tambaram Bus stand and Suburban train station. The design philosophy behind this green clad leisure center is simple - new and wholesome family entertainment.

Kishkinta ia a household name and the favorite fun destination for kids from six to sixty. Kishkinta, a theme water park with exciting dry rides is an ideal destination for family and group entertainment. The amusements, attractions, water games and rides, make Kishkinta India's No. 1 Theme Park .

Water Valcano : You cn see 5 lakh litres of water gushing out in 5 seconds with all the sound and visual effects of huge waves, earthquake , mist etc. You will just standby with a gaping mouth.

WavePool : This is a new addition, I suppose . This has got waves but no sand and salt water. Fresh water with waves, enjoy yourselves have a rollicking day.

Slides : This is a water slide about 180 ft long and has 6 tracks, starting at the top of a hill. You can just slide along with the water, young and old seem to like this very much. Many participate as families and slide together to just fall into the Pool in a thump.

Rain Disco : There are 12 raining monkey statues which squirt water at you while you rock and twist( really I mean twist as there is water underneath your feet) with the music played at 10000 watts supplemented by Digital controller dual CD player.

Armenian church is one of the oldest churches existing in India. The church was built in 1771. Armenians are believed to be establishing first trade links with India during the 16th century A.D. The Armenian merchants for the same purpose landed in the city, now famous as Chennai, and got settled there. The Armenian families soon began building houses and it is during the same era that a church was constructed that continues to occupy the ground till date (early years of the 21st century). The church is also famous as the Armenian Church of Virgin Mary.

The Armenian Church complex at Chennai consists of a small chapel and belfry tower. The bells contained in the tower makes up the key attraction of the place. A total of six bells are provided in the tower. The bells at Armenian Church are believed to be the largest and heaviest in the city suburbs, each weighing about 200 kgs. The bells belong to different eras and were casted at different points of time.

Known to the world over for its film industry, MGR Film City is a special delight in Chennai. Set up by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the sprawling Tharamani area, MGR Film city houses various locations and settings for film shootings besides dubbing and re-recording theatres. It is the only one of Chennai's big Tamil film studios that opens its doors to visitors.

Several sets of artificial scenery like forests, waterfalls, market places etc., are built here to serve as background for the shooting of films. It is the only studio with outdoor sets- Mughal gardens, a Greco-Roman amphitheater and a giant concrete shark to pose before.

It has many film studios and a film school. Enthusiasts can get into their act by making a special request to be allowed to take up a side role. It is just 10 km from Meenambakkam Airport and along the route to Mahabalipuram. The film city has a film school, indoor and outdoor shooting locations, replicas of village and urban areas, temple, church, mosque, post office, police station, prison, court room, and landscaped gardens in Italian, Japanese and Mughal styles. Research facilities for information technology and communications are being provided by the Indian Institute of Technology in these premises. The recently opened MGR Knowledge Park adds to the attraction.