Chennai's Colonial Echoes: Breathtaking British Heritage Walk

A great tour to get deeper into the history of Chennai and understand how the city evolved before and after colonial times. Hareesh was an excellent guide and took time to explain everything and to answer my questions. An added bonus was a visit to George Town and Marina Beach on the way back to my hotel. Plus the chance to ride a local train. Thoroughly interesting and enjoyable tour which I would highly recommend.

Excellent and efficient tour of the sights of British Madras. We definitely saw things we would not have done on our own, and also enjoyed the good explanations from our guide. He was very informative, patient and easy to talk to.

If you are interested in learning, seeing and interacting with the remnants of the British colonial history through its legacy buildings (or not) this is the tour for you. My guide was Hareesh and he was just fantastic, very friendly, engaging and a wealth of knowledge about the buildings, the city and its history, as you would expect. This tour is a great counterpart to do with the Georgetown Heritage Walk with great symmetry but little overlap as it focuses more on the growth and expansion of Madras through the British Raj, rather than its foundation. A fantastic tour, do yourself the favor and make time for this one! TIP: Bring your water bottle and probably a hat.

This tour is a great way to see the British architecture in Chennai. My guide Jainath was excellent. He was very knowledgeable about the architecture and history of the buildings and the city. He was very friendly and flexible When l said that I already had plans to visit one of the buildings on the tour, he offered to take me to another very interesting sight. I particularly enjoyed the short suburban train ride and the coffee at Central Station. I did a private tour, and was picked up punctually at my hotel. Both the driver and the car were excellent. I am very pleased to highly recommend this tour.

Great walking tour around Chennai’s British architecture highlights. Hareesh was a knowledgeable and interesting guide. We enjoyed the walking, local trains and tuktuk transport.

It felt typically British as we meandered around the old part of Chennai in the rain, but it did not dampen the guides enthusiasm! Hareesh took me on a tour of a range of British buildings in Chennai, explaining the history of the British time in the city and the changes they made. Meeting at Egmore station, he explained the different architectural influences on the building from British to Persian. We walked onto the Main station, learning about the effect on Chennai of the railways and the new modern metro system currently being installed. We then took the train for a stop, and took in the Ripon Building, which seemed so incongruous and, well, British, in a very Indian setting. It is still a government building, albeit with the odd addition of an Aircon unit. We passed the railway HQ, complete with a steam train, and finished with a walk around the University of Madras, which is an enchanting campus close to the beach. All in all a very interesting few hours, As a British I'm glad we did a few positive things in India, despite our aggressive colonial past. Hareesh speaks excellent English and is a very engaging guide who made time for a lovely cup of coffee. Communication from 5senses was good throughout.

Great tour, lots of very interesting information. Talked love experience with train ride. Hareesh is a true sample of excellent tour guide. He demonstrated deep knowledge of history, warm personslity and highly motivated guide who truly loves history, city of Chennai, Indian culture. Highly recommended ! Thank you!

Had a great experience knowing facts and history. Had been to most of these places but haven't seen many monuments introduced to us. Now will look more for such details in places and trying to understand the history behind the monuments.

We had a good day visiting those places. The guide let us know some valuable information that we were unaware about the places.

Chennai's architectural journey was a visual delight. The Egmore Railway Station stands as a fine example of Indo-Saracenic style, blending Mughal and Gothic elements. Victoria Public Hall, a majestic red-bricked building, echoes British colonial grandeur. The Ripon Building, with its white façade and classic Italian style, commands attention. MGR Railway Station, though modern, retains traditional Tamil influences. Lastly, Madras University, with its imposing Indo-Saracenic architecture, reflects the city’s rich educational heritage. Each landmark offers a unique glimpse into Chennai's architectural evolution, making the city a captivating destination for history and architecture enthusiasts.