The city attracts a large number of tourists from within the country and abroad. About 9,100,000 tourists visited Madurai in 2010, out of which foreigners numbered 524,000. Apart from Meenakshi Temple and other religious places, the tourists also have a set of medieval and modern tourist destinations.
The palace complex of Thirumalai Nayak Palace was constructed in the Indo-Saracen style by Thirumalai Nayakar in 1636. It is a national monument and is now under the care of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department. There is daily sound and light show that explains the virtues of King Thirumalai and the features of the palace.
The palace of Rani Mangamma has been renovated and is now one of the five Gandhi Sanghralayas (Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai) in the country. It includes a part of the blood-stained garment worn by Gandhi when he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. A visit by Martin Luther King Jnr. provided him with inspiration for his own peaceful protests against discrimination.
The Eco park, situated in Tiruparakundram, features lighting, including trees using optical fibres, and fountains. Rajaji children park, maintained by the Madurai Municipal Corporation is situated between the Gandhi museum and the Tamukkam grounds - it has a visitor average of 5,000 per day during holidays and 2,000-3,000 on working days. MGR Race Course Stadium is an athletic stadium which has a synthetic track and a swimming pool. Several National Meets are held here and also International and national level Kabbadi Championships. Railway grounds at Arasaradi, Medical college grounds & Madura College Grounds are the full fledged Cricket Stadiums in the city.
The people of Madurai celebrate numerous festivals, which include Meenakshi Tirukkalyanam, the Chittirai Festival, and the Car Festival.
The annual 10 day Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, also called Chittirai festival, celebrated during April–May every year attracts 1 million visitors
