Marina Beach

Marina Beach is a roughly 13-kilometre strip of sand along the Bay of Bengal on Kamarajar Salai (Beach Road), running through central Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. It is often counted among the longest urban beaches in the world and is the city's great public gathering place rather than a resort shoreline. The promenade side is lined with memorials to Tamil political leaders, the Gandhi statue, the Triumph of Labour statue and the Anna Square memorial, and on the sand itself colourful fishing boats are pulled up in rows beside the fishermen's settlements.

What visitors do here is mostly walk, watch and eat. Stalls and carts sell sundal (boiled chickpea snack), corn, raw mango with chilli, fried fish and ice gola, and families fly kites, ride ponies and wade at the water's edge. Swimming is unsafe and discouraged because of strong currents and an undertow, and lifeguard presence is limited, so most people stay on the sand. Horse rides, balloon shooting stalls and small shops add to the carnival feel, especially in the evening.

A typical visit lasts one to two hours. Sunrise is the most peaceful time, when walkers, joggers and fishermen share the sand, the light is soft and the air is cooler. From about 4:00PM to 9:00PM the beach fills with families and groups, and Sunday evenings and public holidays are very crowded, with heavy traffic along Beach Road. Good photo angles include the fishing boats against the sunrise, the lighthouse and Ripon-era skyline looking north, and the Anna and MGR memorials from the promenade. The beach is open at all hours, but visitors should avoid the sand late at night when lighting is patchy.

The beach is easy to reach on public transport, with Light House and Chepauk suburban stations within about a ten-minute walk, and Government Estate metro station roughly two kilometres away. It combines well with the nearby Light House viewpoint, Fort St. George and the Triplicane temples, making it a convenient anchor for a half-day of central Chennai sightseeing.