Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal and is known as the “Gateway to South India”. Being the 4thmetropolitan city, it is the largest hub of industries and businesses in South India along with rich cultural and educational lineage. One of the most-visited tourist locations, it is also renowned for its film industry, famously known as ‘Kollywood’. This historical land takes pride in its art, culture, cuisine, monuments, forts, churches, temples, parks and beaches.
Major attractions of Chennai
Marina Beach
Out of the 19 km long coastline of Chennai, Marina Beach covers an area of around 6 km and forms the second longest urban beach in the world. It runs along the coastline of the city between the deltas of Cooum and Adyar and is home to many British colonial buildings with a beautiful spread of flower beds. One can also grab a crispy sundal and murukku while enjoying the resplendent sunrise and sunset.
Kapaleeshwarar Temple
Believed to be dated to the 8th century, it is one of the oldest and well-known temples of Chennai. Having intricate structures dating back to 1600s, the 37 metre ‘Gopuram’ (entrance gate) is notable. This temple is famous for Goddess ‘Karpagambal’ or the ‘Goddess of the Wish-Yielding Tree’, one of Goddess Parvati’s forms.
San Thome Basilica
There are only three churches built over the tomb of an Apostle of Jesus Christ in the whole world. One is in Rome, the second is in Spain and the third is the Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas in Chennai. It is built over the tomb of Saint Thomas who visited India during 52 AD. The Basilica houses several valuable works of art and has the Tomb Chapel below the Basilica and the ‘Museum cum theatre’.
Fort St George
Ideally located on the banks of Bay of Bengal, this fort was built by the British as a trading post in 1644. It is the first British fortress in India. There are several attractions inside the fort.
Snake Park and Children’s Park
Also known as Guindy Snake Park, this park boasts of a variety of Indian snakes and reptiles.
Other Attractions
Talking about other famous locations are St. Mary’s Church, Parthasarathy Temple, Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Marundeeswarar Temple, Guindy National Park, Covelong, St. Thomas Mount, Elliot’s Beach and the VarasiddhiVinayaka Temple amongst others.
How to Reach
Chennai is well connected to other parts of the country by air through the Chennai International Airport and by rail via Chennai Central and Egmore stations.
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The arrangement of our trip was so perfectly done, that i could not find even a single fault or drawback for which i could provide a suggestion. We are so much impressed and touched by the hospitality and services provided. To be frank, we have already started to plan for our next holiday, may be sometime in the end of the year. We will get back to you soon :-) Thanks again Exceptional Escapes.....you guys are truly EXCEPTIONAL!!!! -
The trip in general has been exceptional
The driver was a sweetheart. Always bringing me something to eat or drink and also always carrying a beautiful smile -
Airport Representative was very Good Tour & Guide Services was very Good Ground Services was excellent Hotel Services was excellent -
Generally all are good except that in shimla. Silverine hotel is not a suitable hotel for elderly people as they need to walk up and downhill to the hotel….though the place is ideal for shoppers -
Thank you so very much for going above and beyond to ensure that we had a wonderful trip. I have been telling everyone about your hospitality. I truly had a great time and I especially am thankful for all your organizing and to take time to show us your family and invite us to your home. You have a beautiful family and I think Choti (your little sister) is so adorable -
Hi Gaurav, thanks for following up and for all your efforts in making all the necessary arrangements for my trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. A few suggestions on how you might improve your services for future bookings -
Many thanks for putting together a wonderful and memorable vacation for us. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We did not find anything lacking from your side. It was our first visit to India and it seems like we are already planning to be back. The pace was hectic so we did not find much time to visit the local markets which we will have to make up next time -
We reached home safely on Sunday morning (USA time) and slept most of the day. I cannot thank you enough for all your help and efforts in making our trip such a wonderful success. I will never forget the experiences we had and fun time we enjoyed all throughout the trip. I will send you pictures soon.....'not to worry!!!' -
We waited almost two years to meet again and it was well worth it. Everybody had a fantastic time and loved every moment of it. Your friend speaks very good English now and we all wish her well in the future. It seems that shopping with your friend was the highlight of the trip, the ladies would not stop talking about it -
