Spencer Plaza

Chennai (Madras)


India's oldest mall is significantly downmarket from Chennai's other shopping centres, but has many smaller, cheaper craft and souvenir shops. It feels a bit like a multistory bazaar, with a McDonalds.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chennai (Madras) attractions

1. Thousand Lights Mosque

0.66 MILES

Chennai's main Shia mosque, built in 1810. Mostly useful as a landmark, as non-Muslims aren't allowed inside the buildings.

2. Government Museum

0.69 MILES

Housed across from the striking British-built Pantheon Complex, this excellent museum is Chennai’s best. The big highlight is building 3, the Bronze…

3. Wallajah Big Mosque

0.73 MILES

Built entirely of granite in 1795 by the Nawab of the Carnatic, and generally known simply as the Big Mosque.

4. Parthasarathy Temple

1.15 MILES

Built under the 8th-century Pallavas and unusually dedicated to Krishna (a form of Vishnu) as the charioteer Parthasarathy, this is one of Chennai's…

5. St Andrew's Church

1.27 MILES

This 1821 neoclassical Scottish Presbyterian church is one of India's most exquisite churches, rising up in leafy grounds in the middle of frenzied Egmore…

6. Valluvar Kottam

1.42 MILES

This 1976 memorial honours the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar and his classic work, the 133-chapter Thirukural. Its most striking element is a 31m-high stone…

7. Vivekananda House

1.5 MILES

The marshmallow-pink Vivekananda House is interesting not only for its displays on the famous ‘wandering monk’, Swami Vivekananda, but also for its…

8. Marina Beach

1.6 MILES

Take an early morning or evening stroll (you don’t want to roast here at any other time) along the 3km-long main stretch of Marina Beach and you’ll pass…