Introduction

The longest city beach in India and second only to the Oceanside Beach in San Francisco, California, Marina Beach is the favorite haunt of families, couples, children and seniors in Chennai. Swing yourself onto a horse and trot it along the shore or simply stroll on the beach and enjoy the refreshing sea breeze. This 12-kilometer stretch (7.5 miles) of soft sand also has several gaming stalls, souvenir shops and food stalls.

If you are visiting towards evening, you can watch a beautiful sunset over the sea. Kids can ride the Ferris wheel, or enjoy a pony ride on the beach. Enjoy an ice-cream as you lounge on the sand and soak up the lively beach atmosphere. The food stalls lining the area do a smattering of delicious local snacks, mostly hot-and-spicy.

Saunter down the seaside promenade lined with statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Thomas Munro – a former governor, and renowned Tamil poets such as Tiruvalluvar, Avvaiyar and Bharathidasan. You will also come across statues of local legends such as Swami Sivananda, Thanthai Periyar and Kamaraj, a former chief minister who revolutionized the education system in the state by providing free education to all poor students up to the secondary level. A notable sculpture here is the Statue of Labor.

Standing sentinel over the rough sea, and providing a guiding light to the vessels is Chennai’s new lighthouse. The lighthouse is open to visitors from 1400 to 1600 hours. Across the beach is a row of buildings dating back to the British era which is now has the Senate House of the University of Madras, government offices and the office of Director General of Police.

Many other attractions including an aquarium, the Anna Memorial, MGR Memorial, Anna Swimming Pool, Marina Swimming Pool and Dr. Annie Besant Park are located in the vicinity of Marina Beach.

Special Attributes

Second longest city beach in the world

Nuisance

Touts, Hawkers

Dressing restrictions

Dress in whatever you find comfortable.

Connectivity

Cars, Buses, Auto-rickshaws, Metro trains

Enjoyed by

Cars, Buses, Auto-rickshaws, Metro trains

Exposure

Exposure to sunshine only in late morning and afternoon.

Avoidable Season

Open through the year

Facilities

Pony rides, food stalls, game stalls, souvenir shops.

Things Not Allowed

No such restriction

Tip

If you are planning a day visit, carry your sunshades, sunscreen lotion and bottle of drinking water.

Type of site

Beach