Chennai Tour & Travel Guide

A Harmonious Mélange of Traditions, Staunch Believes & Modern City Life

Known as Madras earlier, Chennai is a 369 years old city and the capital of Indian state Tamil Nadu. The city ranks 13th in terms of cleanliness and being on the Coromandel coast of the Bay of Bengal, it has the 2nd longest beachfront that any municipality has, in the world. It is a gateway to South India and its thriving local culture and deep rooted heritage makes the place a tourist attraction. Chennai is also a popular medical tourism destination in India. The Tamil tradition and culture are native to the zone and different from the culture of any other Indian city. This distinct culture celebrates beauty in all forms that is exemplified through sculptures, dance forms, classical music, traditional clothes and more. Chennai is an amalgamation of orthodox culture and modern city lifestyle.

Chennai is a land of temples & priests with people clinched to astounding believe & faith on religious rites, rituals and ceremonies. The traditional arts forms such as paintings, classical music, folk & classical dance, craftsmanship, weaving and all other art-forms are nurtured to grow & flourish here in Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, owing to the amalgamation of old & new here, the architectural scope here, ranges from ancient stone carved temples to modern high-rises, music covers classical to western, while there are Bharatnatyam schools one can also find Salsa & Tango classes and the growing nightlife in the city does not hamper the religious or moral values of people here.

Chennai as a tourist destination offers galore to all types of travelers. Some of the prime sightseeing options here includes beaches, temples, churches, mosques, museums, national parks and more. The Marina Beach, Edward Elliot's Beach and the Breezy Beach are worth visiting. Although beaches here are beautiful and inviting but they are not swimming beaches and have strong under currents, even on the shoreline. So it is ideal to spend a good time on the beach shore. Historical places & temples like Kapaleeswarar Temple, Karaneeswarer Temple, Parthasarathy Temple, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Kundrathur Sivan Temple and Kumaran Kindram exemplify beautiful temple architecture and carvings. Some of the churches have the Brit architecture aura like the very old St. Matthias Church which was built by British. Other beautiful churches here are Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas, St. Mary's Church, St. Thomas Mount, The Tamil Baptist Church, and the Lutheran Adaikalnathar Church. The Wallajah Mosque, also known as the Big Mosque is a popular sightseeing point. This brilliant shrine has some wonderful workmanship. Some other places to visit in Chennai are Valluvar Kottam Memorial, Fort St. George monument, The Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, Birla Planetarium, the Government Museum & National Art Gallery. Wildlife enthusiasts can find their choice here at the Zoological gardens and eco parks such as the Arinjar Anna Zoological Park (The Vandalur Zoo), Guindy National Park, Guindy Snake Park and the Tholkappiar Poonga, a fragile eco-system. The Nanmangalam Reserve Forest is known for bird watching.