Chennai (Madras)

If you have time to explore Chennai (formerly Madras), this 284-sq-mi (400-sq-km) conglomerate of urban villages and diverse neighborhoods making up Tamil Nadu's capital will pleasantly surprise you. Its role is as keeper of South Indian artistic, religious and culinary traditions.

Day Trips

Free Things to Do

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Government Museum exterior, Chennai. Tamil Nadu, India (2004)

    Government Museum

    Chennai (Madras)

    Housed across from the striking British-built Pantheon Complex, this excellent museum is Chennai’s best. The big highlight is building 3, the Bronze…

  • Kapaleeshwarar Temple

    Kapaleeshwarar Temple

    Chennai (Madras)

    Mylapore is one of Chennai's most characterful and traditional neighbourhoods; it predated colonial Madras by several centuries. Its Kapaleeshwarar Temple…

  • St Andrew's Church

    St Andrew's Church

    Chennai (Madras)

    This 1821 neoclassical Scottish Presbyterian church is one of India's most exquisite churches, rising up in leafy grounds in the middle of frenzied Egmore…

  • Wallajah Big Mosque

    Wallajah Big Mosque

    Chennai (Madras)

    Built entirely of granite in 1795 by the Nawab of the Carnatic, and generally known simply as the Big Mosque.

  • San Thome Cathedral

    San Thome Cathedral

    Chennai (Madras)

    This soaring Roman Catholic cathedral, a stone's throw from the beach, was founded by the Portuguese in 1523, then rebuilt by the British in neo-Gothic…

  • Two people at Marina beach

    Marina Beach

    Chennai (Madras)

    Take an early morning or evening stroll (you don’t want to roast here at any other time) along the 3km-long main stretch of Marina Beach and you’ll pass…

  • Fort St George

    Fort St George

    Chennai (Madras)

    Finished in 1653 by the British East India Company, the fort has undergone many facelifts. Inside the vast perimeter walls (the ramparts are 18th-century…

  • Kalakshetra Foundation

    Kalakshetra Foundation

    Chennai (Madras)

    Founded in 1936, Kalakshetra is a leading serious school of Tamil classical dance and music (sponsoring many students from disadvantaged backgrounds), set…

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Articles

Latest stories from Chennai (Madras)

The eye-catching, colourful gopura at the Hindu Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Chennai. The temple's tower is covered in hundreds of sculptures of Hindu deities, all painted in bright colours.

Architecture

15 free things to do in Chennai, India's southern capital

Jan 26, 2022 • 8 min read

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