There are many opportunities for shopping in Chennai. These include high-end boutiques, arts, crafts, souvenirs and textiles. One can head to T Nagar to shop for Kanjeevaram sarees and gold jewellery; Pondy Bazaar for leather goods, clothes for men and women and trinkets; Kader Nawaz Khan Road for branded shops and boutiques. While Ritchie Street is popular for electronic items, Anna Salai is famed for the Spencer Plaza Mall, which is one of the oldest shopping complexes in the city. There are a wide variety of malls located in Chennai that house international brands too.

One of the best buys in the city can be the renowned Tanjore paintings, an indigenous art form, which can be a great way to beautify the interiors of your homes. Wood carvings are a speciality of the city and you can indulge in shopping for various furniture and home décor items. Chennai is also noted for basket and fibre products that are made with palm trees, along with bamboo shoots, cane, grass and reeds. Besides the use of wooden barks, the artisans also use coconut fibres to make products like baskets, ropes, mats and other items. Found across the temples of Chennai, stone carvings are an exquisite attraction of the city, and tourists can buy souvenirs like figurines and sculptures reflecting duplications of those carvings. Moreover, there are many unique and handcrafted items available that make for great buys.