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INTRODUCTION

Tamil Nadu is a kaleidoscopic land characterized by topographical features-long sunny beaches, sylvan surrounding, waterfalls, hill resorts, superb shrine sculptures and varied flora and fauna. The eastern coast of India is occupied by the coastal state of Tamil Nadu, namely Chennai which is also the state capital. The Chennai beaches have its visitors ranging from the local public to the national and international tourists. One of the Four Metros of the country is also the Gateway to the South. Chennai which is famous for its beaches takes the credit of having the long coastal stretch running across the Coromandel Coast for as long as 19 kms in length. The long stretch of the Chennai Beach is named as Kamarajar Salai after the veteran and renowned politician Kamarajar.This beach road is occupied by number of statues and monuments along with morning walk, joggers' track, lovers' spot, aquarium, etc.The beach is the major hangout for both the local people and the tourists coming here. The other attractions here are the shops and food stalls. Marina, Elliot's and Covelong are some of the popular beaches in Chennai.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The ideal time to visit Chennai is between November to February.

PLACES OF INTERESTS

Marina Beach

The Marina beach is one of the finest and the second longest in the world and ranks first in Asia. The Marina beach which adjoins the Bay of Bengal is located on the eastern side of the city and it stretches to about 12-km long. The beach is characterized by golden sand, good surf and a shimmering clean blue sea which becomes a ground for various entertainments especially in the evenings. It is a wonderful feeling one gets when they get to see the sunrise and sunset. In 1880's the then Governor Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff gave a major facelift to this beach and after which it started becoming a major tourist centre. The evenings are also lined up with number of mobile food stalls. There are lot of local vendors here selling kites, fruits and things attracting children. There are also pony rides available for both children and adults on the beach ground. The other attractions of the Marina beach are

Beach Road

The beach road accommodates some of the famous and beautiful British buildings like the University of Madras, Senate-House, Chepauk Palace, Presidency College, P.W.D office and Ice House. In between, sentinels on the promenade, are several statues of Tamil scholars and two splendid bits of sculpture- the Victory of Labour and the Mahatma Gandhi.

Light House

Close to the High Court is the 49mtr.high Old Light House which provides a panoramic view of the city from its top.

Aquarium

The Aquarium in the Marina beach is known for its extraordinary and rare collections of both tropical sea fishes and fresh water fishes.

It is open to the public on all days where you can get to see the underwater life in a closer shot.

Ice House

The Ice House is situated within the Aquarium and is used to store ice brought from Great Lakes in North America.

But now it is renamed as the Vivekananda House which is often used to hosts Art/Painting exhibits about the life and mission of Swami Vivekananda,

the ideologies of the Hindu Religion, etc.

Anna and MGR Samadhis

The Samadhi's on the beach road draws a major crowd everyday for it has the memorials of the most popular,

former Chief Ministers of the state, Annadurai and MGR.

Elliot's Beach

The Elliot's Beach is otherwise popularly known as the Besant Nagar beach and is situated down south from the Marina. It is much closer living towards the south of the city. You can see more of youngster's crowd here and is much calmer and well maintained than the Marina beach. The other interesting sight seeing here is the Velankanni church and the Ashtalakshmi temple where you can always see tourists visiting this place. Visiting this beach gives you immense pleasure amidst the illuminated sands especially in the nights.

Covelong Beach

The Covelong beach on the way to Mahabalipuram has a beautiful resort. It has a fort which was built by the Nawab of Carnatic. The Fisherman's Cove Resort run by the Taj Group of Hotels is located here.

There is a canal stretching between Chennai to Mahabalipuram thus separating the beach from the mainland.

The history behind this beach is that it was here the French General Laboudonnais landed his troops in 1746.

Later it was taken by Robert Clive in 1752 and destroyed.

Golden Beach

The first amusement park in Chennai, just about 11 Kms away from Adyar. Still a landmark of Chennai, this park offers over 40 odd rides for the fun seeker. The only park with an access to the beach

SHOPPING

There are number of shopping centers like jewelry shops, craft shops, retail malls and sari showrooms in and around Chennai beaches. The most famous one is the Spencer Plaza on the Mount Road. There are also shops which sell electronic goods, cloth merchandise, music and sports showrooms. The famous Pondy Bazaar and Ranganathan Street in T Nagar are a must visit one.

EAT OUTS 

ACCOMMODATION 1.Deccan Plaza Hotels  36, Royapettah High Rd, Royapettah Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600014 044 66773333 2.SAVERA HOTEL 146, Dr.Radhakrishnan Road Chennai – 600004 044 - 2811 4700 3.Hotel Vestin Park 39, Montieth Rd, Egmore Chennai 044 28527171 4.Sea Shell Residency  65, Greams Road, Thousand Lights, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006 044 28295866 5.Ambassador Pallava  Monteith Lane, Egmore Chennai, Tamil Nadu 044 28554068 6.Esthell Continental Hotels & Resorts No.1, Royal Enclave Besant Avenue, Adyar Chennai 600 020 Phone: 044-2446 6240 7.Spencer International Hotel‎ Binny Road, Chennai 044 66000000 8.Raj Park 180, T.T.K Road Alwarpet Chennai-600 018 India 044-4225 7777  9.The Raintree Hotel 120, St. Mary's Road Alwarpet Chennai 600 018 India 044 42252525 10.Asiana Hotel  1/238, Semmencherry, Old Mahabalipuram Road Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600119 044 6741 1000

Travel Guide Resources: Embassy of India International Tourist Facilities Foreigners Regional Registration Office Foreigners Exchange Management Act Visas Baggage Rules Immigration Services in India Travel Information Airlines   Buses   Railways   Hotels   Eat Outs   Cabs

HOW TO REACH

By Air

Chennai has an international airport at Meenambakkam with flight connections to the US, UK, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the Middle Eastern states.Domestic airlines connect Chennai with Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Trivandrum, Bangalore and Cochin.

By Trains

Chennai's three stations- Central, Egmore and Tambaram - connect the city to all metros and to leading towns and cities in southern India. There are daily trains to Bangalore, Tirupati, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, and Cochin.

By Road

Getting to Chennai by Road is more fun and convenient primarily due to the five major national highways that branches out to cities like Bangalore, Trichy, Kolkata and Pondicherry. The main hub of road traffic to Chennai operates from the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus. The bus terminus is the hub for inter state buses. Government and private bus operators operate from Chennai to all the major places within and outside the city boundary.