Mahabalipuram is a historically important location situated on the Coromandel Coast along the Bay of Bengal.The granite Shore Temple, built in the 7th Century AD is listed amongst the World Heritage sites by the UNESCO.

Dakshinchitra was established as a project by the Madras Craft Foundation in December 1996 with the aim to promote lifestyle, architecture, art and craft of South India. It is one of the living history museums of India, developed in the form of a village.

The Ashtalakshmi Temple is located near the Besant Nagar beach. It is believed that the region of the temple which faces the the Bay of Bengal is the birthplace of Goddess Lakshmi.

Santhome Cathedral Basilica is an ancient historical pilgrim centre, built around the 15th century AD by the then reigning Portuguese. There is a museum nearby the church whose main attraction is the 16th century map of South Asia.

The 8 miles long Marina Beach makes it the longest natural urban beach in the country and the second largest in the world. The 49 meter high Old Light House of the beach, which is the only light house with a lift is the ideal spot to get the panoramic view of the city. The beach road also has famous buildings like the Senate-House, Chepauk Palace and Ice House.

Muttukadu is an ideal picnic spot, which is about 22 miles from Chennai. This backwater location has been developed as a center for water sports which includes windsurfing, boating, kayaking and canoeing.

The Government Museum in Chennai is the second oldest museum in India. The Notable collections here include the South Indian bronzes, Amaravati sculptures, Tanjore (Thanjavur) armoury, inscriptions on stones and copper plates, crystal reliquaries, whale skeleton, palm leaf manuscripts, Raja Ravi Verma paintings and the largest Roman antique outside Europe.

The Connemara Public Library in Egmore, is a part of the Madras Museum. The three storied building of the library includes a textbook section, reference room, periodicals hall, a Braille library, a floor dedicated to books in Indian languages, a video room, a browsing centre, a permanent book fair centre and an IAS study centre.

The Arignar Anna Zoological Park, popularly known as the Vandalur Zoo is the largest zoo of its kind in the South East Asia. It has an extensive collection of endemic and exotic wild animals, a reptile house and a small built-in Jurassic Park.

The Guindy National Park is the only park located inside the city which conserves a wide species of flora and fauna. The Snake Park is a major attraction of this place which houses unique species of the reptiles like viper, python, King Cobra, sea snakes, turtles and crocodiles

The Vivekananda House, popularly known as The Ice House, is a shrine and pilgrimage centre where Swami Vivekananda spent six weeks in 1900. The house is a collection of his reminders.

The 100-hectare grounds of the Theosophical Society, situated in Adayar, is a lush green escape from the city. The 'Huddleston Gardens' of this place is a home for migratory birds, snakes and other wildlife. The 450-plus year-old Banyan Tree is one of the major attractions of this place. The Zoroastrian Temple (Fire Temple) is quite famous here.