Tourism in Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu offers an opportunity to visit a large number of beautiful temples, and a number of natural beauties, etc. Some of the most famous temples of the district of Tiruvallur in the state of Tamil Nadu include Devi Karumariamman temple, Lord Siva temple and Ashramam, Murugan temple, Lord Siva temple, Vadivudaiamman Temple, Sri Bhavaniamman temple, etc. Apart from the temples there are various other places of tourist interest in this district which are Pulicat Boating Center, Poondi Reservoir in the Tiruvallur taluk, etc.

At Chembarambakka there is an ancient Shiva temple in a dilapidated condition. The walls of the temple are adorned with inscriptions of the Chola period. A huge beautiful Shiva lingam is seen inside the sanctum which is, of course, in a ruined state. At Poovirundavalli, there is an ancient temple for Lord Varadaraja Perumal with his Consort, Pushpakavalli Thayar. Moved by the prayers of Thirukatchi Nambi Alwar, Sri Varadarajaswami, Sri Venkatesaperumal and Sri Ranganathar gave Darshan to him simultaneously at this place. There are shrines for Thirukatchi Nambi Alwar at this place in the Tiruvallur district.

There are two temples at Ambattur; one for Sri Vinnaraya Perumal and another for Lord Shiva. The temple for Lord Shiva is very old and dilapidated. Temples for Lord Muruga and for the local deity Kannatamman can also be seen at this place. The Mounaswami Matam, which has a temple for Sri Bhuvaneswari Amman inside, draws a large number of the devotees of Mounaswami. There is also a Mariamman temple at Poovirundavalli. Apart from various temples, there are three churches and a mosque was constructed by Rustom, son of Dhulfiquer of Astrabad, a servant of Nawab Jumlat-ul-mulk.

Another major temple in the district of Tiruvallur is the Lord Arulmigu Subramaniya Swami temple at Tiruttani. It is one of the six abodes of Lord Muruga. This temple is located on a hillock and has three hundred and sixty five steps. The major festivals celebrated here are Shiva Rathiri, Adi Kirthigai Theppa Thiruvizha, Shasti Thiruvizha, etc. Adi Kirthigai Theppa Thiruvizha is celebrated in mid of July and August. Lord Veeraraghava Perumal temple at Tiruvalur district is also a prominent place of pilgrimage and there is a sacred tank located very close to the temple which is called Hrittapanasini. Apart from these temples, there is another beautiful temple known as Sri Viswaroopa Panchamukha Anjaneyaswami temple which is dedicated to Sri Panchamukha Hanuman.

Temples in the district of Tiruvallur form the major centers of pilgrimage and draw a large number of devotees as well as general tourists from different parts of the state as well as various other parts of India throughout the year. Apart from the temples there are also several other places of interest in this district. Pazhayanaur is one of the villages in this district which is located at a distance of about fifteen hundred meters from Thiruvalangadu village. The contribution of Pazhayanur to the great tradition and glory of Tamils is unique. It was at this village that seventy Tamil Vellalars together sacrificed their lives to uphold a spoken work of honour. The opinion of the scholars is that nowhere could they come across such a unique incident involving the sacrifice of so many lives at an appointed hour.

Another place of tourist interest in the district of Tiruvallur is Poovirundavalli. It is more popularly know in its corrupted form as Poonamallee, the birth place of Thirukatchi Nambi Alwar, a great devotee of Varadaraja Perumal. It is located at a distance of twenty kilometers from Chennai, on the road leading to Bengaluru (Bangalore). The name `Poovirundavalli` may be attributed to the fact that the area around, is full of jasmine flowers which are being cultivated extensively. Jasmine means `Malli` in Tamil and hence, `Poonamallee` may refer to the place where jasmine is cultivated. In Sanskrit language, the place is called Pushpakavalli. `Pushpam` means flower and `Valli` denotes Goddess.

There is another major attraction in this district which is the Poondi Reservoir. This reservoir is located in the Tiruvallur taluk. Poondi is a small village which is located about sixty kilometers away from the city of Chennai. There are frequent buses from Chennai and Tiruvallur in order to get to this place. `Poondi` the name, it is said, is derived from Poondu in Tamil, the shrub which was previously abundant at this place. Poondi has acquired a great importance as it has a huge reservoir called Sathyamurthy Sagar. The area of the reservoir is about 60.5 square miles. The water from this reservoir goes to the Red Hills tank from where the Chennai city receives water supply after undergoing necessary proceeding. This reservoir and its suburbs make an interesting picnic spot.