Colonial Charm & Cultural Treasures Chennai Sightseeing Tour
Description
On this private sightseeing tour of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, discover the city’s architectural diversity with visits to popular landmarks including Fort St George, the Government Museum, the Madras High Court and the Ripon Building. As you explore this bustling metropolis and cultural hub, your private guide will teach you about the fusion of traditional Dravidian (South Indian) styles of architecture with European colonial influences. You’ll also discover Chennai's religious diversity while exploring San Thome Cathedral and Kapaleeshwar Temple, and soak in the vibrant beauty of the city with a stroll through a flower market.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Fort St. George is the first English fortress in India, founded in 1639, the modern city of Chennai. The construction of the fort provided the impetus for further settlements and trading activity, in what was originally an uninhabited land
San Thome Church, is known as St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Thomas, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Santhome and it was built in 1523 by Portuguese explorers, over the tomb of Saint Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus
Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to lord Shiva located in Mylapore.
The Government Museum or the Madras Museum, is a museum of human history and culture located in the Government Museum Complex in the neighbourhood of Egmore.
St. Mary's Church is the Anglican church located at Fort St George in Chennai, It lies East of Suez and also the oldest British building in India. The church is popularly known as 'Westminster Abbey of the East'
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Departure Point: Departs from your Chennai hotel Dates: Daily, except Fridays Return point: Returns to original departure point
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A moderate amount of walking is involved; comfortable walking shoes are recommended
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Reviews(10)
The guide was knowledgeable , but the 6 hour tour we thought we had booked and paid for ended exactly 3 hours and 15 minutes after start , so we felt we didn't get what we had paid for .
The tour guide and driver were excellent. We saw the sights for which we paid. Mr. Vanka answered our questions and more!
Thank you Laurie. We always will excel in providing services to all our clients. Your review of our honest services means a lot to us. Thank you once again.
The guide and the driver are punctual. They are both very friendly and kind. The ride is comfortable from the car. The guide has a lot of knowledge about all the places visited. This makes the tours very interesting. The traditional lunch is very good. I highly recommend.
Thanks and noted. Please refer our compony's service to your frients and families. Thanks and kind regards, Muthu
<p>I was the only person on this tour and so received first class attention from the guide. I probably wouldn't want to spend as much time as we did at the Government Museum but the visit toone of the largest Temples, the churches, the beach and lunch in an Indian Restaurant were much enjoyed. The driver was most reliable</p>
<p>I have given this tour only three stars because it was very rushed and completed in less than two hours. This is through no fault of the guide. He was given the wrong information by the local office and we started out on the wrong your outside Chennai. By lunchtime, the mistake was realised and pointed out to the guide who phoned the Delhi office for confirmation of what I said. We then commenced the two hour drive back to Chennai. The guide did what he could to salvage the situation. We enjoyed seeing what the guide showed us.</p>
<p>The guide was very knowledgeable! The driver was very reliable. I felt very safe at all times. I saw all the major attractions in Chennai and had a lovely lunch!<br/> The problem is that they didn't arrive at the agreed time. In fact, I think that they forgot about me! Luckily the hotel staff helped me by calling the local agent Apollo and I think the tour was organized right there and then! I had tried to confirm the tour by email as advised but my email was never acknowledged. I suggest that you call the local agent and speak with someone directly and confirm the tour and pick-up time. It's well worth it!</p>
<p>After confirming the tour a week in advance, I was disappointed that the driver was not at the hotel to pick us up at 9 a.m., the pre-arranged meeting time. The hotel was wonderful and called the number that had been provided, only to find out that the number belonged to someone in New Delhi. That person gave the hotel another number to call that was based in Chennai, and contacted them to inform them that we were waiting on our driver. The driver then showed up an hour after the initially agreed upon time at 10 a.m.</p> <p>We went to the Government Museum and our tour guide was terrific although based on her comments it was evident that the tour was put together at the last minute. She was extremely knowledgeable and made the day very enjoyable. Unfortunately, it seemed that neither the driver nor the guide knew the itinerary. After the Government Museum, we went to the Kapaleeshwar Temple, and then to Fort St. George, followed by a late lunch. We were dropped back at the hotel by 3:30 p.m. which was a much shorter day than we had anticipated and paid for. We missed out on the experiences of visiting the Madras High Court, the Ripon Building, and the flower market that had been promised.</p> <p>I was so disappointed, as this was our only day in Chennai for sightseeing and given my previous experiences with Viator, failed to meet my expectations.</p>
<p>This tour was excellent. Both guide and driver were very knowledgeable, spoke good English and made sure we had seen everything on the itinerary and some! Lunch was a great experience with good local vegetarian ingredients. Would recommend to anyone thinking of visiting Chennai.</p>
<p>The guide did an excellent job and told me in details what the fort,the peacock temple and the museum about.</p>
<p>Exceeded expectations. Guide really knew the detail history and his English was great.</p>
