Treasures of Chennai
Itinerary at a glance
Day 1
Arrive in Chennai. In the arrival hall, will be met by our colleague who will escort you to your hotel and help you to check-in.
Tonight, you will dine at China XO, the award-winning Chinese fine dining restaurant or
Jamavar, the Indian specialty restaurant at your hotel.
Meals: D
Day 2
After breakfast, your guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and together, you will explore the highlights of Chennai.
After breakfast, you will head to Fort St. George (closed on Fridays), Britain’s first bastion in India and the nucleus from which the British Empire grew.
Some of the other prominent monuments and buildings you will see are:
Victory War Memorial - earlier known as “Cupid’s bow”, the memorial was originally built to honor the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War I.
The Senate House – a fine example of the remarkable architectural skills of the famous 19th century architect, Robert Fellowes Chisholm.
Also on the tour will be a visit to the Madras Museum (closed on Fridays) which comprises of several galleries under various sections like archaeology, anthropology, geology, botany, numismatics, contemporary art, zoology and children.
Afterwards, you will take a tuk-tuk ride to Mylapore, which is one of the most ancient parts of the city. Here, you will visit the Santhome Church, built during the 16th century by Portuguese explorers.
You will also take a heritage walk through the area, including the four narrow Mada streets that circle the 16th-century Kapaleeswarar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Note: Non- Hindus and foreigners are prohibited from entering the main sanctum of the temple.
Time permitting, you will visit Kalakshetra, a cultural academy that was established in 1936 for the preservation of traditional Indian arts particularly, music and dance.
You will then return to your hotel.
Meals: B, L
Day 3
On the way, you will stop at Dakshina Chitra, which showcases the culture of the four southern India states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
You will then continue to Radisson Blu Resort, Temple Bay in Mamallapuram for lunch at The Wharf 2.0, the resort’s seafood specialty restaurant.
After lunch, you will visit a group of sanctuaries carved out of living rock at Mamallapuram (long known as Mahabalipuram). This open-air museum of Tamil art (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is the work of students who were under the patronage of the Pallava rulers.
The highlight of this marvellous collection is the Shore temple, the only surviving one from a complex. The other notable structures you will visit is Pancha Rathas, the five monolithic chariot-like granite shrines and Arjuna’s Penance, an open-air rock bas-relief.
You will then return to your hotel in Chennai.
Meals: B, L
Day 4
Meals: B
Snapshots from the itinerary
