Chennai

St. George fort : Built in 1653 by the British East India company is now houses State secretariat and Legislative Assembly. The 46 m high flagstaff at the front is a mast salvaged from a 17th century shipwreck. Fort museum (Rs 2, Friday closed) has a collection of military memorabilia from the British and the French East India companies, as well as the Raj and Muslim administrations. St. Mary's church (1680) is the first English church in Madras.

High court : The red Indo-Saracenic structure (1892) at Parry's corner is said to be the largest judiciary building in the world after the Courts of London. You can wander the court building to admire the architecture.

Government museum, Egmore : One of the best museums in Chennai (Rs 15, Camera Rs 200, Friday closed) with fine archaeological section, natural history and zoology section. The bronze gallery of ICICI is also worth a visit. The nearby National art gallery can be visited with the same ticket. On either side of the gallery are the children's museum and Modern art gallery.