Marina Beach

Marina Beach is the long sandy urban beach of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, running for about 6 km along the Bay of Bengal from near Fort St George in the north to Foreshore Estate in the south. Marina Beach is among the longest urban beaches in the world, and with Elliot's Beach and the beaches south of it, the continuous shoreline stretches much further. It is Chennai's great public space rather than a resort.

Marina Beach was shaped in the 1880s, when the governor Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff laid out a promenade along the shore after the building of Chennai's harbour widened the sand. The grand buildings of Kamarajar Salai, including Presidency College, the University of Madras and the Vivekanandar Illam, an old ice house where Swami Vivekananda stayed in 1897, face the sea. The northern end holds memorials to Tamil Nadu chief ministers, including C. N. Annadurai, M. G. Ramachandran, J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi. At dawn the beach belongs to walkers and joggers, and after sunset to families and food sellers.

What to see

• The Triumph of Labour statue and the statues of Tamil leaders along Kamarajar Salai
• The Chennai lighthouse, with an observation deck and a small museum
• The memorials of Anna, MGR, Jayalalithaa and Kalaignar at the northern end
• Vivekanandar Illam, the ice house where Swami Vivekananda stayed
• Fishing boats and the evening crowds along the sand

What to wear

Chennai is hot and humid for most of the year, so wear light cotton clothes, a hat and sunscreen, with sandals for the sand. Swimming is not allowed here, so swimwear is not needed; modest clothing suits the crowds and the memorials. From October to December, the northeast monsoon brings heavy rain. Tamil Nadu's traditional dress is the saree, especially Kanchipuram silk for weddings and festivals, and the white veshti with a shirt for men.

Local food to try

Marina Beach stalls sell sundal (spiced chickpeas), murukku, bajji fritters of chilli and plantain, raw mango with chilli, and fried fish in the evening. For a proper Chennai meal, the nearby neighbourhoods of Mylapore and Triplicane are known for tiffin: idli, dosa, pongal, vada and strong filter coffee. Triplicane is also good for halal biryani. Chennai's vegetarian meals, served on a banana leaf, are easy to find across the city.

Good to know

• Best time: November to February, at sunrise or after sunset
• Beach open at all times; lighthouse Tuesday to Sunday about 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 5pm, closed Mondays
• Free beach; small fee for the lighthouse
• Allow one to two hours
• In central Chennai, about 20 km from Chennai International Airport
• Swimming is prohibited because of strong currents; do not enter the water

Nearby places

Chennai is the gateway for the drive down the East Coast Road to Puducherry, where Auroville, the French Quarter and Promenade Beach are around three and a half hours south. The hill temple of Tirumala Venkateswara in Andhra Pradesh is a similar distance to the north-west.