The best way to explore a city, especially one that is rich in history, architecture, culture, traditional food and its many flavours, is probably on foot. Chennai offers all this and much more! Get ready to explore this ancient city that has much to offer in terms of heritage and customs, while also seamlessly adapting to the modern asks of a metro. If you’re confused about how and where to start, we’ve put together some of the city’s most popular walking tour operators here.
Storytrails India Private Limited
Guests, explorers, and adventurers have been enthralled for over 15 years on guided city tours held by Storytrails. Specialising in showcasing the local way of life to visitors through story-based walking tours, the stories straddle history, architecture, customs, religion, dance, food, and a whole lot more. Check out their Peacock Trail and the Bazaar Trail when you’re in town next.
Operating days/hours: Monday to Sunday, morning and evening
Duration range: 2.5 to 3 hours
Price range: The private tour tariff begins at INR 6,500 for up to 3 persons, including tax
Group sizes: It depends on the trail, 1-10 in some, 1-25 in others
Booking a tour: Write to contact@storytrails.in or call +91 9940040215
Chennai Magic
Magic Tours is a 15-year-old company, one of the pioneers in walking tours in India. They offer immersive, interesting walks and tours of Chennai and surrounding attractions, including Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry. The walking tours in Chennai offer a whole gambit of experiences soaked in arts, culture, architecture, local flavours and more. Their Mylapore Walk and the Food Walk in Adyar are must-dos when you visit Chennai next.
Operation days/hours: All days, except Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Duration range: 2 hours
Price range: Starts at INR 750 per person
Group sizes: Solo, Couples, Families, Groups of like-minded travellers (size from 1 to 20)
Booking a tour: Write to deepa@magictoursofindia.com
KeyTerns
KeyTerns is in the niche travel business, offering guests experiential travel opportunities specifically around heritage, culture, adventure, birding, and wellness themes where every niche traveller gets a new dimension. Explore multi-faceted Chennai with tours that focus on delightful culinary experiences, adventurous birding expeditions, and thoughtfully curated well-being walks and more! Do check out their Museum Walk to explore Chennai Egmore Museum, India’s 2nd oldest of its kind and their Birding tour to spot some spectacular winged beings that nest and feed in the city’s marshlands.
Operation days/ hours: Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Duration range: 3 hours
Price range: Starts at INR 1000 per person
Group sizes: 1 to 100
Booking a tour: Visit https://www.keyterns.in/collections/visit-chennai
5 Senses Walks
5 Senses Walks are led by cultural evangelists who unpack Authentic India for travellers. They believe in sustainable tourism and work with local communities to organize experiences across India including in Chennai. Explore the city’s beautiful stories with walks that cover ancient British buildings, George Town - the city’s first settlement, and the Marina Beach Walk, which is home to the city’s very soul. Another popular walk is aptly called Gods of Mylapore, touching upon architecture, spirituality, history and more!
Operation days: Daily departures at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Duration: 2.5 hours
Price range: Rs 1800-2500/per person
Group size: 1-15
Booking a tour: Visit https://5senseswalks.com/
Ambitions4 Photography Academy
Sign up for a unique photowalk around Chennai with Ambitions4 Photography Academy. Capture the vibe of the bustling city, while learning nuances of photography from the experts. The Mylapore Photowalk is rife with vibrant colours, emotions, and interactions and provides great scope for street and people photography. The Mahabalipuram Walk offers colours that are more muted, with the ancient temples and monuments against the blue skies. Do check out their Koyambedu Market Walk with the opportunity for many vendor portraits and action unfolding.
Operation days/hours: Will be announced on the website
Duration range: 3 hrs
Price range: Starts at INR 500
Group sizes: 10-25 persons
Booking a tour: Call +91 9444441190
Pic: Binsan Oommen Baby
Madras Inherited
Madras Inherited is an initiative passionate about making significant changes in the domain of heritage awareness and preservation. Established in 2018, Madras Inherited has been regularly conducting heritage walks in Chennai every weekend and leads more than 20 walking routes in the city, including heritage photo and sketch walks. Stroll through the lanes of George Town discovering the origins of Chennai. Walk through T Nagar alternating between its history of trade and the political remnants sprinkled along the way, exploring in depth two aspects that are quintessentially Chennai - politics and shopping. The Mylapore walk goes beyond the temples and markets, into the residential streets of the area, where the architecture of the houses themselves beautifully narrates the manifold nature of the history.
Operation days/hours: Public heritage walks - Weekends 06:30 a.m. to 08:30 a.m. Private, customised walks on weekdays.
Duration range: 2 hours
Price range: INR 700 for adults and INR 450 for students
Group sizes: 10-25
Booking a tour: Call +91 8925704427 | Write to mail@madrasinherited.in |
DM on Instagram @madrasinherited
Cauvery Kesavasamy
Cauvery Kesavasamy is a published author of two well-received books: Shru-berry Tales-Conversations with a Toddler, published in 2019 and The Perfect Face and Other Stories, published in 2020. She has just finished working on her third book, an illustrated picture book for children. Cauvery grew up learning the green from the trees and browns from the dusty towns of urbanizing India. With a background in law, and management, and a brief stint in banking, she found her true calling in writing stories. She is currently working as a freelance content writer for a leading hospitality brand.
