St. George's Cathedral

A roughly 20-acre botanical garden opened in 2010 by the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department in the heart of the city. It features themed sections, a glasshouse, and a wide variety of ornamental, medicinal, and exotic plants.

Built in 1810 by the Arcot Nawab Umdat ul-Umara, this multi-domed Shia mosque takes its name from an old tradition of lighting a thousand oil lamps to illuminate the assembly hall that once stood here. It is regarded as one of the largest mosques in the country and a major centre of azadari for Chennai's Shia community.

A monument built in the mid-1970s (inaugurated 1976) honouring the ancient Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar and his classic work, the Thirukkural. Shaped like a temple chariot with a tall tower, it houses a large statue of Thiruvalluvar and has all 1330 Kural couplets inscribed on its granite corridors.

The site of Spencer & Co., established in the 1860s, whose grand department store was among the earliest and largest shopping arcades in India before a 1983 fire destroyed the original Indo-Saracenic building. The present mall retains the historic Spencer's name and remains a Mount Road landmark. It is often cited as the first shopping mall in the country.

A famous shopping street in T. Nagar named after S. Muthiah Mudaliar ('Soundarapandian Bazaar'), lined with clothing, footwear and street-food stalls. A recently built pedestrian plaza with fountains and seating has made it a popular evening promenade. It is one of the busiest retail streets in the city.

A large triangular park at the heart of T. Nagar's shopping district, named after the Raja of Panagal, Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency in the 1920s. It provides a rare green breathing space amid the crowded silk-and-jewellery shopping streets. It is a well-known local landmark and meeting point.

A narrow, intensely crowded shopping street in T. Nagar often described as one of the busiest retail streets in India, especially during Deepavali and wedding season. It is packed with silk-sari showrooms, jewellery stores and bargain vendors. The crush of shoppers is itself a Chennai spectacle.

Amir Mahal in Royapettah is the official residence of the Prince of Arcot, titular descendant of the Nawabs of the Carnatic. This Indo-Saracenic palace, adapted into a royal residence by Robert Chisholm in 1876, remains a working home with only limited public access.

One of the oldest and most revered village goddess (Amman) temples in Mylapore, believed to predate much of the surrounding settlement. The deity is said to have appeared self-manifested amid mundaka (lily) plants in a pond, giving the temple its name. It remains a busy neighbourhood shrine especially during Aadi and Navratri.

Formally the Church of Our Lady of Light, it was built by the Portuguese in 1516, making it the oldest European monument and one of the oldest churches in Chennai. Legend says shipwrecked Portuguese sailors were guided to safety by a mysterious light, and built the church in thanksgiving; the name 'Luz' means light in Portuguese. It retains its whitewashed Portuguese-baroque character.

Opened in 1896 and named after Lord Connemara, this is one of India's four National Depository Libraries, entitled to a copy of every book, newspaper and periodical published in the country. It occupies a magnificent Indo-Saracenic hall within the Egmore museum complex and remains a working public library and treasure house of rare volumes.

Established in 1851, the Government Museum in Egmore is one of the oldest museums in India (widely cited as the second oldest after the Indian Museum, Kolkata). Set in a complex of striking red Indo-Saracenic buildings, it is celebrated for its Bronze Gallery of Chola-era bronzes, including a famous Nataraja, and for the historic Connemara Public Library.