Madras Lighthouse

Chennai (Madras)


At the southern end of Marina Beach, the fourth-incarnation Madras Lighthouse is India's only one with a lift; it's ridiculously popular, but the wraparound city and beach views are wonderful.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chennai (Madras) attractions

2. San Thome Cathedral

0.42 MILES

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…

3. Vivekananda House

0.7 MILES

The marshmallow-pink Vivekananda House is interesting not only for its displays on the famous ‘wandering monk’, Swami Vivekananda, but also for its…

4. Kapaleeshwarar Temple

0.76 MILES

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

5. Marina Beach

0.88 MILES

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…

6. Parthasarathy Temple

1 MILES

Built under the 8th-century Pallavas and unusually dedicated to Krishna (a form of Vishnu) as the charioteer Parthasarathy, this is one of Chennai's…

7. Sri Ramakrishna Math

1.02 MILES

The tranquil, flowery grounds of the Ramakrishna Math are a world away from Mylapore's chaos. Orange-robed monks glide around and there’s a reverential…

8. Luz Church

1.12 MILES

Styled with blue-and-white baroque elegance, pretty little palm-fringed Luz Church is Chennai's oldest European building, dating to 1516 – which also…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "india/tamil-nadu/chennai-madras/attractions/madras-lighthouse/a/poi-sig/1504826/356488",
      "destination": "Chennai-(Madras)",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "India",
      "city": "Chennai-(Madras)",
      "position": "superzone"
    }