marina beach

The beautiful city of Chennai is laid with majestic architectures, stunning views, relaxing beaches, magnificent temples, inspirational art centers, and delicious cuisines to quench the thirst for delectable food. It also is the most visited place in South India and attracts thousands of visitors from across the world. This beautiful city of palm trees and majestic temples also draws visitors to some of the best beaches in the country and Marina Beach is one of them.

Marina Beach is a refreshing tourist spot of Chennai that is visited by numerous travelers from across the globe and is the longest natural beach of India with a width of 437m. Taking long walks along the shore of the beach is a common activity done by locals and tourists alike. The pristine turquoise water of the beach and the golden sand that stretches up to 13km in length make it the second-largest beach on the planet. Take pleasure in experiencing the waves crashing on the golden sand and leaping through your feet, the wind breezing across your face and making the palm trees sway. One of the liveliest and busiest beaches in Chennai , Marina Beach attracts 15,000 to20,000 visitors every day during the season and offers stunning panoramic views for photographers. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal and stretches from Fort St. George in the North to Besant Nagar towards the South.

The beach also draws visitors to capture the exquisite sunrise and sunset and to enjoy the thrilling horseback rides that the children enjoy the most. Another exciting part of the beach is the Aquarium that has a variety of fish species and the numerous food stalls which offer scrumptious street food and some local cuisine make Marina Beach a much more fun place to be. Sculptures and inspiring monuments dotted along the beach also draw some attention. People click photographs with their idols or just with any statues of personalities such as Robert Caldwell, Kannagi, IlanoAdigal, Subhash Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekanand, Kamaraj, Periyar, G.U Pope, and Annie Besant.

Must-do Activities in Marina Beach

The pulsating and vibrant Marina Beach is full of adventurous and exciting activities that entice many tourists and locals to visit again and again. Some of the activities that you can do on the beach are:

Swimming/Diving

If you love swimming or know how to swim, this should be the first and foremost activity you must indulge yourself in. Swimming on the cool salty water with your buddies is a happening activity to make memories on a weekend getaway.

Make Sand Castles

Making sandcastles can never get old-fashioned. Bring out your inner child and help your young ones to nurture the artist in them or, try making your own.

Horse Riding

This is one of the best activities you can do to enjoy your time on the beach. Horses are available at a rent and you can either make your child sit on the saddleback carriage or ride the horse yourself leaping through the air.

Visit the Aquarium

You must visit the one-of-a-kind Aquarium on the beach to see the distinct species of fishes and experience the gloriousness of the underwater world.

Do Beach Yoga or Long Walks

Visiting the beach early in the morning may prove to be therapeutic in so many ways. The crisp and fresh air of the morning mist and the lesser crowd is the perfect time to do relaxing yoga on the beach or take long walks along the shore for some solitude and calmness.

Eat

Marina Beach is filled with food stalls and restaurants serving local street food and multi-cuisine to satiate your cravings for delicious food.

Places To Visit Near Marina Beach

One of the major tourist attractions of Chennai, Marina Beach also has many other tourist spots near by that must be visited. It is home to some of the most important marvels and landmarks since the 18th century. Some of those are:

1. Vivekananda House

2. Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple

3. St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica

4. Ice House

5. The Light House

6. Chepauk Palace

Places to Eat and Relish the Nightlife Near Marina Beach

After a long day at Marina Beach its time to give in to the hunger pangs you have been holding on for a long time. The Marina Beach has many restaurants nearby where you can have some mouthwatering food and refreshing drinks at late night also.

1. FirdouseBayn Restaurant

2. Libarrel

3. Moon and Sixpence

4. The Leather Bar

5. Blend (Taj Club House)

6. Pasha

How to Reach?

The popular Marina Beach can be reached by air, train and on road too. Below are the ways that can be taken to reach the Beach:

By Air: The airport of Chennai is well connected by every city in the country and is only 18.km from Marina Beach. You can either hail a cab or take a local bus to reach the beach.
By Train: The Chennai Central Station is very well-connected to rest of India and to the three other city stations that is the Chepauk station, Thiruvallikeni station and Lighthouse. It takes about 5-10minutes to reach any one of these stations from the Central station and from there you can take an auto-rickshaw or a cab to Marina Beach.
By Bus: The closest bus station is the Marina Beach bus stop where buses come in frequent interval of time and that is connected to other bus stops throughout the city.
By Road/Taxi: If you are new to the city, the most convenient option is to rent a private car or hire a taxi. It would mean you will have to spend a little more money but is saves up a lot of time and struggle too.

Best Time to Visit

Though you can visit the beach as per your choice, still, the best time to experience this wonderful beach is between November to February. Chennai is a hot and humid place most of the time and these are the only months when the temperature is relatively cooler. The summers in Chennai are extremely scorching and the monsoons months are also not safe because of the risk of high tide and aggressive water current. Also, you would enjoy the beach more if you visit it during the early morning or in the evening for a splash of cool air.