Take an early-morning or evening stroll along the 3km-long main stretch of Marina Beach and you’ll pass cricket matches, flying kites, fortune-tellers, fish markets, corn-roasters and families enjoying the sea breeze. Don’t swim: strong rips make it dangerous. At its southern end, the newly reopened, ridiculously popular Madras Lighthouse is India's only lighthouse with a lift; the panoramic city and beach views are fabulous.

Akamai Technologies India Pvt Limited, Chennai • Government Museum, Chennai • Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Chennai • Santhome Cathedral, Chennai • Fort St George, Chennai • Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai • Theosophical Society, Chennai • Vivekananda House, Chennai • Marina Beach, Chennai • Valluvar Kottam, Chennai • Little Mount, Chennai • Parthasarathy Temple, Chennai • St Andrews Church, Chennai • Book Building, Chennai • St Thomas Mount, Chennai • High Court, Chennai • Fort Museum, Chennai • Adyar Library, Chennai • Madras Lighthouse, Chennai • Walaja Big Masjid, Chennai •