Fun in the sun
Chennai’s sandy beaches are the best place to occupy kids in the tropical southern heat. Splash around in the salty shallows, cover little ones in sand and sun cream, and enjoy picnics in the cooling sea breeze.
This vast stretch of smooth sand offers the perfect respite from the whirring big city buzz. Join families with their colorful rainbow kites flitting and flying around, munch on roasted chilli and lime-flavoured corn on the cob, and enjoy gentle pony rides along the shore.
Kid-friendly attractions
Chennai might be a grown-up city brimming with swanky bars, cool shops, and gleaming restaurants, but that doesn’t mean there’s nowhere to entertain little ones. The city’s handful of child-friendly fun spots are great places to while away the hours.
Express Avenue
As well as a multiplex cinema and countless brand stores, this glitzy mall is also home to Fun City – a dynamic kids’ zone with a particularly entertaining soft play area. It's a great place to appease kids after blitzing the shops, before you and the clan hit the mall’s vast food court for tasty treats.
Whites Road, Chennai 600014.
Outdoor attractions
Chennai is a big bustling metropolis, but its scattering of parks and nature reserves make for fun-filled days out for all the family. Look past the urban centre and you’ll find nature and colorful wildlife abounds. Arignar Anna Zoological Park
Also known as Vandalur Zoo, this vast animal-packed park is a no brainer for entertaining kids of all ages. From wallowing Nile hippos to grumbling Asiatic lions, the zoo’s mammals, birds, and reptiles are spread out over huge shrub and forest-filled enclosures, so you might want to hop in a battery-operated car to make the most of your time.
Vandalur, Chennai 600048.
Nestled in the heart of the city, leafy Guindy National Park is where you can wander among timid spotted deer, proud strutting peacocks, and comical quacking ducks. The forest-shrouded Children’s Park has a fun play area for little ones, while families of all ages will be thrilled by the hissing residents in the reptile-filled Snake Park.
Guindy Road, Chennai 600022.
Family dining
From mouth-watering grand buffets in luxury hotels to quick and easy fast food chains, Chennai has an abundance of family favourite restaurants for all budgets. It’s worth checking reviews before dining, just to make sure you’re heading to a child and tummy-friendly spot.
If you fancy scrummy breakfast idli rice cakes and paper-thin dosas to eat with your fingers, head to one of Saravana Bhavan’s reliable veggie restaurants. Always popular, this relaxed chain is a Chennai institution and a go-to choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
21 Kenneth Lane, Chennai 600008.
Tuscana Pizzeria
If your kids can't handle spicy grub and crave mouth-wateringly gooey pizza dripping with melted cheese instead, you have to head to Tuscana when in Chennai. Other menu delights include creamy pumpkin and ricotta-filled cannelloni and child-pleasing smooth Italian ice creams.
Wallace Gardens, Chennai 600006.
