Velankanni, Nagore and the Tranquebar Coast

A UNESCO World Heritage Site with a 66 metre granite tower, built by Raja Raja Chola around 1010. The big Nandi is carved from a single stone. Remove shoes at the gate and carry socks for hot stone.

The white Gothic basilica by the sea, visited by people of every faith. Stay for the evening Rosary and Tamil Mass, usually at 6 PM. Timings change on feast days, so check at the shrine office.

After breakfast at your hotel, walk to the small tank where the first vision of Mary is said to have happened, then see the Shrine Museum near the Basilica, full of thanksgiving offerings left by pilgrims.

An old Shiva temple in the heart of Nagapattinam, with the shrine of Goddess Neelayadakshi. It closes at about noon and reopens in the evening, so we come before lunch. Cover shoulders and knees.

The 16th century shrine of the Sufi saint Shahul Hamid, with five minarets and a gold dome. Hindus, Muslims and Christians all come here to pray. The shrine doors open in the early morning and evening. Cover your head and remove shoes.

The most famous temple to Saturn (Shani) in South India, inside the Darbaranyeswarar Shiva temple. Saturdays are very crowded, so we go early. Many visitors dip in the Nala Theertham tank first. Cover shoulders and knees.

A Danish fort built in 1620 right on the beach, with a small museum of Danish letters, coins and porcelain inside. The fort is closed on Fridays. If this day falls on a Friday, we swap Day 2 and Day 3.

A 1306 Shiva temple half eaten by the sea, then a short walk up King Street past the Danish gate, colonial houses and the New Jerusalem Church of 1718.

Poompuhar was a great Chola port where the Cauvery meets the sea. The gallery tells the Tamil epic Silappathikaram in stone carvings, and the beach is next door. Swimming is not safe here.

One of the largest temple complexes in Tamil Nadu, with the huge Kamalalayam tank beside it and the biggest temple chariot in the state. Cover shoulders and knees and remove shoes.