Tours & Travels

Marina Beach

Marina beach in Chennai along the Bay of Bengal is India’s longest and world’s second longest beach. This predominantly sandy of nearly 12 kilometers extends from Beasant Nagar in the south to Fort St. George in the north. Chennai Marina beach was renovated by Governor Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff in 1880s. All tourists traveling to Chennai never miss visiting this grand Chennai beach.Marina beach is easily accessible by buses, taxis, two and three wheelers.

Marina Beach Activities

Marina beach is full of activity in the early morning hours and in the evenings. Walking along the beaches during sunrise and sunset is a pleasant experience for all. In the evening this beach becomes a fair ground with numerous stalls selling artifacts, handcrafted showpieces, ethnic jewelry, and food items. Children play games and frolic around. Going into the sea should be done under expert guidance as the undercurrent is strong. Flying kites and pony riding are popular activities on this beach.

Marina Beach Attractions

The aquarium and the Ice House are the main attractions on the Marina beach. The Chepauk Palace, Senate House, PWD office, Presidency College, and the Chennai University are historical buildings located on the beach drive.
The Victory of Labor and Mahatma Gandhi are two prominent statues on the Marina beach. The other statues lined along this Chennai beach include those of Swami Sivananda, Avaaiyar, Thanthai Periyar, Tiruvalluvar, Dr. Annie Beasant, G.U. Pope, Sir Thomas Munro, Subramaniya Bharathiyar, Kamarajar, Robert Caldwell, Kannagi, Kamarajar, M.G. Ramachandran, and Shivaji Ganesan..

Government Museum

Established in 1851, Government Museum of Chennai is popular as the Madras Museum. Factually being the second oldest museum of India (after Kolkata’s Indian Museum), this museum is a treasure in itself! As a rich repository of finest masterpieces of art, archaeology, anthropology, numismatics and much more, the Madras Museum assures to lure one and all.
Spread across an area of 16.25 acres of land, the Government Museum is also counted among the largest museums of South Asia. Its campus has six independent buildings with 46 galleries. These are:

  • Main building, where you will find artifacts and sculptures from the past, animal galleries, botany galleries and philately gallery.
  • Front building has a very interesting puppet gallery and galleries preserving the folk art and music.
  • Bronze gallery – Besides the bronze artifacts, there are also numismatics and chemical conservation galleries.
  • Children’s Museum is one section that fascinates all kids with is doll section, technology and science galleries.
  • National Art Gallery has some excellent paintings and pieces of artistic marvels.
  • Contemporary Art Gallery – From rock and cave art to British portrait to modern art, one can see how the art of ‘art’ has evolved over ages.

Government Museum Houses An Art Gallery, A Museum Theatre, Connemara Public Library And Department Of Natural History. Government Museum Is An Amalgam Of Various Sections Like The Ones Devoted To Geology, Anthropology, Numismatics, Botany, Zoology, Archeology And Sculpture. Watch Out Exquisite Carvings, A Good Collection Of Arms, Armour, A Collection Of South Indian Musical Instruments, Jewelry And Exhibits From The Stone And Iron Ages.
The Bronze Of Ardhanariswara, An Incarnation Of Lord Shiva, The Relics From The 2nd Century Ad Amravati Buddhist Site And The Prehistoric South India Are Some Of The Most Priced Collections Of Government Museum In Chennai.
Location: Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Government Museum Is Open For Public On All The Days From 9:30am To 5pm.