Chennai itinerary: 1 to 3 days
Plans for one to three days in Chennai, day by day: Fort St. George, the Government Museum, Marina Beach and Kapaleeshwarar Temple first, then the Valluvar Kottam, the memorials and the San Thome Basilica, and St. Thomas Mount, Guindy National Park and the Birla Planetarium as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Chennai in 1 day
Day 1
Madras High Court
Indo-Saracenic court building of the 1890s in George Town, with red domes and minarets, best seen from outside.
Fort St. George, India
The first English fort in India, built in 1644, now with a museum and the state secretariat inside.
Government Museum, Chennai
One of India's oldest museums, with archaeology, bronzes, natural history and art in several buildings at Egmore.
Parthasarathy Temple
Old Vishnu temple in Triplicane dedicated to Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer, with a Dravidian gateway tower and a quiet courtyard.
Marina Beach
Long urban beach on the Bay of Bengal, among the longest in the world, popular for evening walks and food stalls.
San Thome Basilica
Neo-Gothic Catholic basilica in Mylapore, built over the tomb said to be that of St Thomas the Apostle.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple
Dravidian-style Shiva temple in Mylapore, with a tall gopuram, a large tank and many festivals.
Nageshwara Rao Park
Small public park in Mylapore, near the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, with lawns and walking paths.
Chennai in 2 days
Day 1
Valluvar Kottam
Monument to the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, built in 1976 as a stone chariot, with an auditorium and gardens.
Semmozhi Poonga
Botanical park in the city centre opened in 2010, with themed gardens, ponds and shaded paths.
Connemara Public Library
One of India's oldest public libraries, in a Indo-Saracenic building at Egmore beside the Government Museum.
Madras High Court
Indo-Saracenic court building of the 1890s in George Town, with red domes and minarets, best seen from outside.
Fort St. George, India
The first English fort in India, built in 1644, now with a museum and the state secretariat inside.
Anna Memorial
Memorial to C. N. Annadurai, the first Dravidian chief minister of Tamil Nadu, on the Marina seafront next to the MGR Memorial.
MGR Memorial
Memorial to the film star and chief minister M. G. Ramachandran on Marina Beach, with a landscaped garden.
Day 2
Government Museum, Chennai
One of India's oldest museums, with archaeology, bronzes, natural history and art in several buildings at Egmore.
Marina Beach
Long urban beach on the Bay of Bengal, among the longest in the world, popular for evening walks and food stalls.
Parthasarathy Temple
Old Vishnu temple in Triplicane dedicated to Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer, with a Dravidian gateway tower and a quiet courtyard.
San Thome Basilica
Neo-Gothic Catholic basilica in Mylapore, built over the tomb said to be that of St Thomas the Apostle.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple
Dravidian-style Shiva temple in Mylapore, with a tall gopuram, a large tank and many festivals.
Theosophical Society Adyar
Headquarters of the Theosophical Society on the Adyar river, with a large banyan tree, gardens and library.
Chennai in 3 days
Day 1
St. Thomas Mount
Small hill in the south-west of Chennai with a 16th-century church and views over the city, reached by steps.
Guindy National Park
Small national park inside the city with deer, blackbuck and birds, next to the Children's Park and snake park.
Birla Planetarium, Chennai
Large planetarium in Kotturpuram with a dome theatre and science displays, near the Adyar river.
San Thome Basilica
Neo-Gothic Catholic basilica in Mylapore, built over the tomb said to be that of St Thomas the Apostle.
Marina Beach
Long urban beach on the Bay of Bengal, among the longest in the world, popular for evening walks and food stalls.
Dr. Annie Besant Park, Chennai
Small urban park in Mylapore named after the Theosophist Annie Besant, with lawns and walking paths.
Parthasarathy Temple
Old Vishnu temple in Triplicane dedicated to Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer, with a Dravidian gateway tower and a quiet courtyard.
Day 2
MGR Memorial
Memorial to the film star and chief minister M. G. Ramachandran on Marina Beach, with a landscaped garden.
Anna Memorial
Memorial to C. N. Annadurai, the first Dravidian chief minister of Tamil Nadu, on the Marina seafront next to the MGR Memorial.
Fort St. George, India
The first English fort in India, built in 1644, now with a museum and the state secretariat inside.
Madras High Court
Indo-Saracenic court building of the 1890s in George Town, with red domes and minarets, best seen from outside.
Government Museum, Chennai
One of India's oldest museums, with archaeology, bronzes, natural history and art in several buildings at Egmore.
Connemara Public Library
One of India's oldest public libraries, in a Indo-Saracenic building at Egmore beside the Government Museum.
Valluvar Kottam
Monument to the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, built in 1976 as a stone chariot, with an auditorium and gardens.
Day 3
Semmozhi Poonga
Botanical park in the city centre opened in 2010, with themed gardens, ponds and shaded paths.
Nageshwara Rao Park
Small public park in Mylapore, near the Kapaleeshwarar Temple, with lawns and walking paths.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple
Dravidian-style Shiva temple in Mylapore, with a tall gopuram, a large tank and many festivals.
Watch: Chennai
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Chennai
November to February is the best time, with warm days and lower humidity. Chennai is hot and humid from April to June, and heavy rain from the north-east monsoon in October to December can flood streets. The Pongal harvest festival in mid-January and the Chennai Music Season in December and January fill hotels, and Marina Beach is crowded on festival evenings.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Chennai on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Chennai on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Chennai on GetYourGuide
- From the airport: a private transfer in Chennai with Kiwitaxi
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for India from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in Chennai with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Chennai
- Dress modestly and remove shoes at temples such as Kapaleeshwarar; some inner shrines may not allow phones or cameras.
- Many museums and parks have a weekly closing day, and the Government Museum is closed on Fridays; check before you go.
- Chennai is spread out and traffic is heavy, so group stops by area and use ride-hailing apps or the metro where it helps.
- Marina Beach is for walking and sunsets rather than swimming, as the surf and currents are strong.
- Carry water, sun protection and light cotton clothing, and avoid midday sightseeing in the hotter months.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Anna Memorial: Ssanthosh555, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Birla Planetarium, Chennai: Sivahari, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Connemara Public Library: SriniG, Public domain
- Dr. Annie Besant Park, Chennai: Rasnaboy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fort St. George, India: L.vivian.richard at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Government Museum, Chennai: L.vivian.richard at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Guindy National Park: abhidg, CC BY 2.0
- Kapaleeshwarar Temple: Mohan Krishnan ( en:User talk:Nsmohan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- MGR Memorial: Balasubramanian G Velu, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Madras High Court: Yoga Balaji, CC BY 3.0
- Marina Beach: SlowPhoton, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nageshwara Rao Park: Jatin071178, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Parthasarathy Temple: Mohan Krishnan ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- San Thome Basilica: w:user:PlaneMad, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Semmozhi Poonga: Balajijagadesh, CC0
- St. Thomas Mount: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves . Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author. I would much appreciate if you send me an email, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Theosophical Society Adyar: unklar, Public domain
- Valluvar Kottam: Valluvar_Kottam.JPG : Joe Ravi derivative work: Kingpin13 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
