St Thomas Trail tour in Chennai: Four hours with guide

Walk through caves and climb to mountaintop shrines where St Thomas left his mark

A four-hour guided tour in Chennai traces the footsteps of St Thomas the Apostle across three religious landmarks: the Santhome Basilica near the beach, the Little Mount cave where his handprints remain, and St Thomas Mount where he was martyred in AD 72. The tour includes private transportation from your hotel, a full-time English-speaking guide, lunch and all entry fees.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore St Thomas religious landmarks

• Visit Santhome Basilica
• See St Thomas' Pole at Basilica
• Explore Little Mount cave and handprints
• View masonry cross on Little Mount hill
• Visit St Thomas Mount and Church of Our Lady
• Enjoy city and airport views from Mount

The Experience

The tour starts with hotel pickup and moves through Chennai's Christian heritage sites in a single morning or afternoon. Your guide walks you through the Santhome Basilica, a neo-Gothic cathedral rebuilt by the British in 1896 on the site of a Portuguese church from 1523, where a relic of St Thomas, a bone fragment, sits behind glass in the tomb. The museum upstairs holds artifacts tied to his life and death, including the lancehead believed to have killed him.

At Little Mount, you enter a cave where St Thomas hid in AD 68 and see the palm print and hand print near the tunnel entrance that are believed to be his own. A spring inside the cave is said to be his miraculous creation. A masonry cross carved at the hilltop marks where he prayed. From there, the tour climbs to St Thomas Mount, 2.5km north, where the Church of Our Lady of Expectation sits atop the site of his martyrdom. The views of the city and airport spread out below, and inside the church a fragment of his finger bone and the Bleeding Cross he carved are on display.

Private transportation moves you between the three stops, and lunch is included partway through the day. The guide speaks English throughout and handles all entry fees so you walk straight in.

What’s included

• Private transportation between all three sites.
• lunch.
• entry fees and taxes to the Santhome Basilica, Little Mount and St Thomas Mount.
• a full-time English-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup and drop-off from anywhere in Chennai.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Wonder tours

Is this one for you?The four-hour pace and private transport mean you move through all three sites without waiting for a group or managing your own route between them. Book this if you want the full arc of St Thomas's story without the logistics.

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Top questions

What are the handprints at Little Mount that the tour visits?

The palm print and hand print near the tunnel entrance at Little Mount are believed to be those of St Thomas himself, left when he hid in the cave in AD 68 to escape his pursuers.

Does the tour include entry to all three sites?

Yes, all fees and taxes for the Santhome Basilica, Little Mount and St Thomas Mount are included in the tour price, and your guide will take you straight through.

What is the Bleeding Cross at St Thomas Mount?

The Bleeding Cross is a cross St Thomas is believed to have carved himself. It is displayed inside the Church of Our Lady of Expectation at the top of St Thomas Mount.

When did St Thomas arrive in India and what happened to him?

St Thomas the Apostle is said to have brought Christianity to India in AD 52 and was killed at St Thomas Mount in AD 72. The tour visits the sites connected to both events across his twenty years in the country.

Is lunch included, and what time does the tour end?

Lunch is included during the four-hour tour. Your hotel pickup and drop-off are also included, so the tour wraps up back at your hotel.