Chennai, popularly known as Madras till 1996, has a rich tradition with a blend of the old, and the new, vibrating ceaselessly to keep pace with the rest of India, as the buoyant metropolis of the third most industrialized State. People in Chennai are deep rooted in their culture and traditions, In spite of modernity having its own impact. Chennai is airy, spacious with good amount of green patches and beaches. With a population of about six million, Chennai is the fourth largest city in India. Chennai has gained its pride of place in the automobile industry as the ‘Detroit of the South’. Maybe that real India, in her pristine cultural warp and beauty as detailed in history, still lives in Chennai.

A visit to Chennai to see the graceful people of glorious land will surely help the visitor to carry home this imprint of Indian heritage. Places that attract the tourist and a must to see are the Marina beach which happens to be the second longest beach in the world along this one can see other places like mahabalipuram which belongs to the pallava kingdom and has sculptures depicting the olden age, the tiger caves, cove long the swaying palm trees and the serene atmosphere makes it one of most popular beach spot. Light house situated on the Marina beach is a massive tall structure. This place attracts tourists and is like a crown in the jewel for the golden sands. One can have a panoramic view of harbor, George Town and the beautiful marina from this light house.

Chennai not only has a long coast line but also has a zoological park too. Located in Vandalur named after Aringnar Anna it is a great recreation for children. Different animals and birds can be seen here. Apart from this there is guindy park and crocodile park which has many varieties of crocodile and alligator. There is a snake park inside this place and one can see snake’s venom too.

Visiting Chennai in summer is a different experience altogether. Though there is scorching heat you can find loads of water melon, lemon juice, sugarcane juice and tender coconut to replenish your body from heat. The area T.nagar is one of the most popular place for shopping one can find a small pair of roadside artificial earrings to the most precious earrings here. Yes there are plenty of pavement shops and jeweler shops in this place. Huge sari houses and garment shops also attracts many women to this shopping area.

This city also has many historic buildings like the Ripon Building, fort st.george, valluvar kottam, Vivekananda house, theosophical society and Connemara library. All these buildings are more than a century old and have its own importance. A visit to these places is definitely worthwhile.

Apart from this Chennai has planetarium and science museum known as Birla planetarium and Periyar science and technology museum. There is a wonderful show which takes you into the cosmic world and on special day’s i.e. during solar eclipse or lunar eclipse one can see it live through telescope from this planetarium. In periyar science museum a thorough knowledge of science and many inventions can be learnt.

Come to Chennai a beautiful city with lovely people who are also very friendly in nature. There are so many things to do and great places to visit. Accommodation is available in plenty ranging from 500 to 50000 where all of them are neat and safe. So make a trip to Chennai a must to see city of India.