Pondicherry travel guide

2 to 3 daysHow long to stay

Budget to mid-rangeRough cost

Couples, Families, Friends, SoloWho it suits

PuducherrySouth India

Is this for you?

Come to wander, eat and sit in cafes. Pondicherry is a gentle, walkable town with French street names and a long seafront, and it feels different from the rest of India. It's a good rest after the busier Tamil temple towns. If you want a list of big sights to tick off, skip it.

When to go

Go in the coloured months. The black ones are best avoided.

What to do

White Town

The old French quarter: quiet streets of colour-washed buildings, small cafes and shops. Our one source says go on foot, slowly, and we'd do the same.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Promenade Beach

A seafront walk of about 1.2 km, by one source's count. Go in the early morning or at sunset.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Auroville Viewing Point

Auroville is an experimental township around a golden dome, the Matrimandir, not a tourist site: silence is expected. The free Viewing Point opens 09:00 to 17:30 daily. Collect your own pass at the Visitors Centre.

Paradise Beach

A quieter beach, a short boat ride from Chunnambar.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

What to eat

Two kitchens grew up side by side here, Tamil and French, and the best meals borrow from both. Go for Franco-Tamil home cooking, and a good croissant is the bonus.

French bakes

Croissants, bread and pastries, baked in a town that still has French street names. Have them for breakfast in White Town.

Vegetarian

Masala-grilled fish

The day's fish, grilled with local spice. Menus change daily at the heritage house kitchens, so ask.

Milagu kozhi

Tamil pepper chicken, and one of the dishes that shows up on Franco-Tamil menus. Have it with rice.

Muttai kuzhambu

A Tamil egg curry, thick and homestyle, served with rice. Look for it on Franco-Tamil menus at dinner.

Where to go

Baker StreetRue Bussy

French-style breakfast and pastries. Skip the burgers and pizza.

Cheap eats

Coromandel CafeWhite Town

A garden lunch in a restored villa. You're here for the setting, and the menu is short.

A treat

Maison PerumalHeritage Town

Franco-Tamil home cooking in a Tamil house. Menus change daily, so book ahead.

A treat

SurguruSeveral branches

Cheap, dependable South Indian dosas and thalis, or set plates.

Cheap eats, vegetarian

Doors of Pondicherry - Grand Entrance with Wooden Gates — iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Promenade is a 1.5 Km long beach road on one side of which lies the sea and on the other side there are many important french time build — Dey.sandip, CC BY 3.0

Windows of Pondicherry - White wall, Wooden windows — iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0

This is the long pier that belongs to the Port Authority in Pondicherry. An early morning shot shows the activities of fishermen. — Dey.sandip, CC BY-SA 3.0

French Quarter, Pondicherry (5) — Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, CC BY 2.0

Doors of Pondicherry - Yellow walls and White frame — iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0

Matrimandir (the golden globe), Auroville, Pondicherry, India. — Kpsudeep, CC BY-SA 4.0

This is a picture of a Croissant. — Mark Mitchell, CC BY 2.0

Getting there

From Chennai Egmore, a daily evening train takes about 4 hours, and a daily morning train comes back in about 3 hours 55 minutes. Check times on the Indian Railways site when you book. From Mahabalipuram it's about 95 km on the East Coast Road, 1 hour 33 minutes to 2 hours.

Where to stay

Near Auroville Simple stays closer to the Auroville visitors area. You're outside town, so it's not for walking to cafes.

White Town The French quarter, walkable and with the most character, if that's what you came for. Some places here are upper-end boutique stays.

Worth knowing

Permit

Collect your free Auroville Viewing Point pass in person at the Visitors Centre, not from an agent; it's open daily 09:00 to 17:30. The Matrimandir isn't a tourist site, and silence is expected.

Safety

Check the forecast and keep your plans flexible from October to December. The Tamil coast is wettest then, with cyclones most often in late November and early December.

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