Madurai
One of India’s oldest cities, centred on the vast Meenakshi Amman Temple with its rainbow-coloured towers.
Oct-Mar 1-2 days
Places to visit
Places to visit in Tamil Nadu
1057 places on one map: 760 temples, 47 lakes, 28 mosques, 26 gardens and parks and more. Tick off the ones you have seen and they go into your India passport.
Our guides to Tamil Nadu
Ooty
The Nilgiris’ classic hill station: tea gardens, botanical gardens and the UNESCO Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
Oct-Nov, Mar-Jun 2 days
Kodaikanal
The “princess of hill stations”: a star-shaped lake, pine forests and cliff-edge walks in the Palani hills.
Sep-Oct, Mar-Jun 2 days
Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)
Seventh-century Pallava rock-cut temples and a shore temple on the Bay of Bengal: a UNESCO site an hour from Chennai.
Nov-Feb 1 day
Rameswaram and Kanyakumari
India’s southern tip: the Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga on Rameswaram island, the ruined town of Dhanushkodi, and sunrise where three seas meet at Kanya…
Oct-Mar 3-4 days
Coonoor
A quieter neighbour of Ooty in the Nilgiris: tea estates, colonial cottages, Sim’s Park and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (UNESCO).
Oct-Jun 2-3 days
The best-known places
Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 Brihadisvara TempleTemple11th century Tamil Chola Dynasty Temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Great Living Chola TemplesWorld Heritage Site
10th to 12th centuries shaivism Hindu temples, UNESCO World Heritage sites situated in India.
Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0 Meenakshi TempleTemple- Nilgiri Mountain RailwayMuseum
w:user:PlaneMad, CC BY-SA 2.5 San Thome BasilicaTemple
Ms Sarah Welch, CC BY-SA 4.0 Group of Monuments at MahabalipuramWorld Heritage SiteUNESCO world heritage site at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 4.0 Ranganathaswamy Temple, SrirangamTemple
Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0 Mudumalai National ParkNational park
L.vivian.richard at English Wikipedia, Public domain Fort St. GeorgeFort- ValparaiHill station
Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 3.0 Airavatesvara TempleTemple12th century Chola Hindu temple, UNESCO world heritage site.
Ssriram mt, CC BY-SA 4.0 Ramanathaswamy TempleTempleHindu temple in Rameswaram island in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Tamil Nadu on one page
Tamil Nadu has five tiger reserves and a share in five UNESCO sites. The UNESCO list here runs from Pallava shore temples to the Nilgiri toy train and Gingee Fort. Madurai jasmine has its own GI tag.
A one-page guide to Tamil Nadu: a map with the capital, UNESCO sites and tiger reserves, the key facts, what to eat, what to take home and a festival to plan around. Free to save, print and share.
Download the imageDownload the PDFSave to Pinterest
Image 660 KB, PDF 239 KB. Sources are printed on the guide; checked 25 October 2026.
Put this guide on your blog or website
Free to use with the credit link. Copy this code:
Everything in Tamil Nadu by type
Destination guides 6
World Heritage places 3
Forts 25
- Fort St. George
- Gingee Fort
- Vellore Fort
- Fort Dansborg
- Dindigul Fort
- Udayagiri Fort
- Tiruchirappalli Rock Fort
- Vattakottai Fort
- Attur Fort
- Alamparai Fort
- Namakkal Fort
- Thirumayam Fort
- Rajagiri Fort
- Sankagiri Fort
- Fort Geldria
- Fort Vijf Sinnen
- Kenilworth Fort
- Ranjankudi Fort
- Trankebar
- Sivaganga Fort
- Erode Fort
- Tangrakottai
- Anchettidurgam
- Aranthangi Fort
- Droog Fort
Palaces 3
Temples 760
- Prahadisvarar Temple
- Meenakshi Temple
- San Thome Basilica
- Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam
- Airavatesvara Temple
- Ramanathaswamy Temple
- Shore Temple
- Tiruchendur Murugan
- Thiruparankundram
- Adiyogi, Isha Yoga Centre
- Kapaleeshwarar Temple
- Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram
- Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple
- Nataraja Temple
- Varaha Cave Temple
- Pancha Rathas
- Kamakshi Amman Temple
- Varadharaja Perumal Temple
- అరుణాచలం దేవాలయం
- Ekambareswarar Temple
- Parthasarathy Temple
- Lakshmi Narayani Golden Temple
- Nellaiappar Temple
- Mahishasuramardini Mandapa
- Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruttani
- Ucchi Pillayar Temple, Rockfort
- Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple
- Masānī Ammān
- Draupadi Ratha
- Maruthamalai Marudhachalamurthy Temple
- Tirumalai
- Chitharal Jain Monuments
- Karpaka Vinayakar Temple
- Tiger Cave
- Kumarakottam Temple
- 108 Divya desams
- Panchapandava Cave Temple
- St. Mary's Church, Chennai
- Sri Ramana Ashram
- Armenian Church, Chennai
and 720 more on the map
Mosques 28
- Begumpur Mosque, Dindigul
- Thousand Lights Mosque
- Kazimar Big Mosque
- Muhyuddin Andavar Mosque
- Jumma Masjid of Kilakarai
- Athar Jamad Masjid
- Triplicane Big Mosque
- Khutba Mosque, Pondicherry
- Goripalayam Mosque
- Hafiz Ahmad Khan Mosque
- Malik ibn Dinar Mosque
- Masjid-o-Anwari
- Periamet Mosque
- Dharma Kidangu Mosque
- Triplicane Labbai Jamaath Masjid
- Masjid Mamoor
- Bahram Jung Mosque
- Kottaimedu Mosque
- Masjid e Mahmood, Choolaimedu
- Kattubava Mosque
- Sungam Mosque
- Makkah Masjid, Chennai
- Nadir Shah Mosque
- Big Mosque, Poonamallee
- Butt Road Jumma Masjid
- Bawa Kassim Valiyullah Masjid, Elankadai
- Masjid-e-Anwari
- Khutba Periya Palli, Kayalpattinam
Monasteries and stupas 1
Monuments 13
Ancient sites 12
Museums 19
- Nilgiri Mountain Railway
- Saraswathi Mahal Library
- Government Museum, Chennai
- Gass Forest Museum
- Gandhi Memorial Museum
- Thanjavur Maratha Palace
- Vivekanandar Illam
- Birla Planetarium
- Chennai Rail Museum
- Dakshinchitra
- National Art Gallery, Chennai
- tharangambadi maritime museum
- Gedee Car Museum
- Tamilnadu Science and Technology Center
- Railway Heritage Centre
- Anna Science Centre
- Cuddalore Government Museum
- Mahakavi Bharathi Memorial Library
- District Science Center - Tirunelveli
National parks 8
Wildlife sanctuaries 37
- Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve
- Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
- Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
- Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary
- Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
- Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary
- Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary
- Koothankulam Bird Sanctuary
- Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary
- Vaduvoor Bird Sanctuary
- Chitrangudi Bird Sanctuary
- Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary
- Kurinjimala Sanctuary
- Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary
- Vellode Birds Sanctuary
- Karikili Bird Sanctuary
- Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary
- Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary
- Kanjirankulam Bird Sanctuary
- Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary
- Udayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary
- Pakkamalai
- Nanmangalam Reserve Forest
- Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary
- Gangaikondan Spotted Deer Sanctuary
- Melaselvanur-Kilaselvanur Bird Sanctuary
- Kallaperambur Lake Bird Sanctuary
- Kadavur Wildlife Sanctuary
- Nanjarayan Tank Bird Sanctuary
- Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary
- Tiruvidaimarudur Conservation Reserve
- Cauvery south Wildlife Sanctuary
- Nellai Wildlife Sanctuary
- Godumalai
- Melagiri
- Therthangal Bird Sanctuary
Hill stations 5
Beaches 4
Lakes 47
- Puzhal Lake
- Chembarambakkam Lake
- Kodaikanal Lake
- Emerald Lake, Ooty
- Veeranam Lake
- Berijam Lake
- Kaliveli Lake
- Ooty Lake
- Poondi reservoir
- Ukkadam Lake
- Sirudavoor Lake
- Chetput Lake
- Kolavai Lake
- Chitlapakkam aeri
- Stanley Reservoir
- Sholavaram Lake
- Aliyar Reservoir
- Avalanche Lake, Nilgiris
- Singanallur Lake
- Pechiparai Reservoir
- Bahour Lake
- Korattur aeri
- Paruthipattu Lake
- Wellington Lake
- Ambattur Lake
- Mathiyampatti Lake
- Ayanambakkam Lake
- Adambakkam Lake
- Villivakkam lake
- Maduranthakam lake
- Perungudi Lake
- Manali Lake
- Porur Lake
- Retteri
- Valankulam Lake
- Perumal Eri
- Velachery Lake
- Parakkai Lake
- Marlimund Lake
- Vellalore Lake
and 7 more on the map
Waterfalls 22
- Hogenakkal Falls
- Palaruvi Falls
- Agaya Gangai
- Pykara
- Thalaiyar Falls
- Vattaparai Falls
- Kiliyur Falls
- Monkey Falls
- Siruvani Waterfalls
- Thirparappu Waterfalls
- Suruli Falls
- Kutladampatti Falls
- Kumbakkarai Falls
- Muthyalamaduvu
- Agasthiyar Falls
- Katary Falls
- Coutrallam Falls
- Catherine Falls
- Kalhatty Falls
- Manalar Waterfalls
- Aintharuvi
- Silver Cascade Falls
Caves 4
Islands 11
Valleys 2
Mountain passes 1
Gardens and parks 26
- Government Botanical Garden
- Kishkinta
- National Fossil Wood Park, Tiruvakkarai
- Government Rose Garden
- Sim's Park, Coonoor
- Madhavaram botanical garden
- VGP Universal Kingdom
- Queens Land
- MGM Dizzee World
- Dash n Splash
- Anna Nagar Tower Park
- Palai park
- Tropical butterfly conservatory, Trichy
- Semmozhi Poonga
- Tholkappia Poonga
- Nageshwara Rao Park
- Dr. Annie Besant Park
- May Day Park
- Amirthi Zoological Park
- Black Thunder
- Perambur Flyover Park
- Mathur MMDA Park
- Natesan Park
- People's Park, Chennai
- Panagal Park
- Marine Kingdom
Zoos 3
Dams and other landmarks 15
Palace hotels 1
Wellness retreats 1
- Vaidyagrama
Cities: Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Salem, Kanchipuram, Tirunelveli, Erode, Vellore, Rameswaram, Dindigul, Nagapattinam.
Food to try in Tamil Nadu
Dishes 10
- Idli
- Dosa
- Pongal
- Sambar
- Rasam
- Filter coffee
- Kootu
- Thayir sadam
- Rava idli
- Vada
GI-tagged foods 10
- Palani Panchamirtham GI: sweet
- Srivilliputtur Palkova GI: sweet
- Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai GI: sweet
- Manapparai Murukku GI: speciality
- Ooty Varkey GI: speciality
- Marthandam Honey GI: speciality
- Nilgiri Tea GI: tea or coffee
- Erode Manjal (Turmeric) GI: spice or chilli
- Kodaikanal Malai Poondu (Garlic) GI: spice or chilli
- Kanniyakumari Clove GI: spice or chilli
Tick what you have tried. It all counts on the food passport.
Is a place in Tamil Nadu missing? Suggest it
Frequently asked questions
What are the best places to visit in Tamil Nadu?
The best known, by how many languages of Wikipedia cover them, are Prahadisvarar Temple, Great Living Chola Temples, Meenakshi Temple, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, San Thome Basilica, Group of monuments at Mahabalipuram, Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, Mudumalai National Park. Our destination guides cover Madurai, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), Rameswaram and Kanyakumari, Coonoor.
How many places to visit are there in Tamil Nadu?
Our map has 1057 places in Tamil Nadu, including 760 temples, 47 lakes, 28 mosques, 26 gardens and parks, 25 forts.
Are there UNESCO World Heritage places in Tamil Nadu?
Yes, 3 on our map: Great Living Chola Temples, Group of monuments at Mahabalipuram, Descent of the Ganges.
Places come from Wikidata (CC0) and our own destination guides; checked 19 Oct 2026.