The world’s second longest unbroken coast in the world is right here. This 12km stretch, called the Marina Beach, lies in the heart of the city. Having survived the 2004 tsunami, the beach will undergo a major facelift soon.

Check out the hawker stalls, fishing boats and fortune-tellers on the beach before that happens.

And visitors who take a 30-minute drive from the main beach towards Thalankuppam will be rewarded by the unadorned beauty of an abandoned pier.