In this blog post, you’ll find everything you need to know to plan a visit to Pondicherry, including details on where to stay in Pondicherry, where to eat, how to see the French parts of the city, which beach to visit in Pondicherry and more. And check out the ideal itinerary to spend a weekend in Pondicherry.

Visit the best beach in Pondicherry 

Skip all the other beaches and just head to Serenity Beach, which we felt was the best beach in Pondicherry. The water is calm enough to play in, swim far out, and even catch a wave or two to amateur surf! The rock pier is also a great photospot and stretches beautifully into the Bay of Bengal – a perfect place to be at Sunrise.

The beach also has many amazing cafés to spend hours at, especially in the hot noon sun. Some of these cafes also offer rooms to stay at if you want to spend a night or two by the ocean.

Stay in the White Town area for the best experience

Other beaches in Pondicherry include Paradise Beach, Veerapattinam Beach and the Auro Beach. Paradise Beach is clean and enjoyable, getting there can be a little difficult – you may have to take a ferry for INR 300 to the beach and tackle a huge crowd of beach-goers. Veerapattinam is a more offbeat beach only a few local families visit to enjoy their beach day. Auro Beach is further up north, and is visited less as well.

What is the best time to visit Pondicherry? Anytime is good, but the most pleasant months are December, January and February. The summer and monsoons (till November) make it less fun at the beach, but everything else is just the same. Besides, look for a Friday or Monday holiday to make your perfect long weekend in Pondicherry!

Kayaking in the Bay of Bengal

While you’re at the beach, why not go kayaking or out on a fishing boat into the ocean. For a few hundred rupees, its a great way to spend an hour out in the expansive blue water! Most of these boats are arranged by the local fishermen.

Experience Tamil heritage in Old Town

The Tamil Quarter of Pondicherry is fondly called Old Town because of the vibrant Tamil culture. It is extremely easy to get lost in admiration of the simplicity of this neighbourhood. This is also the best place to try South Indian street food or grab traditional breakfast like Idlis and Dosai.

Tip: Visit the Vinayagar Kovil in the French Quarter, a very holy Tamil temple in Pondicherry. Remember to look up at the ceiling of the main arch entance of the temple!

Visit the French Cathedrals on a heritage walk

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral is the grandest church in Pondicherry and a must visit! Located on Mission Street, the church is over 300 years old and still looks absolutely beautiful in its traditional Portuguese style. If you’re here on a Sunday, you can attend the Mass as well. 

Another beautiful Gothic cathedral is the Sacred Heart Basilica in the Old Town. No weekend in Pondicherry is complete without a visit to these Churches.

Stay in the White Town area to be close to all the important spots in the city

Do an afternoon city walk and relax at the Promenade

Although afternoons are hot, the shade of the green canopies in the city provides great relief! The neighbourhoods of Old Town and White Town (French Quarter) are very easy to explore on foot. Walk to Cathedrals, the Temples, and the Aurobindo Ashram before ending the day at the Promenade, Pondi’s most iconic boulevard. You can thank us later for all the beautiful homes and former French office buildings you’ll end up gawking at!

Tip: The Promenade or Rock Beach is one of the best places to spend your evening in Pondicherry. The seafront street has a lot of spots to sit at overlooking the sea, innumerable cafés and streetfood shacks to grab snacks at!

Photographing the colorful French Quarter

If you love Street Photography, White Town is a place you cannot miss! The white window frames, walls painted heart-warming yellows and deep oranges and the soothing greens of the trees play magic! The French Consulate, the legislative assembly, the Soldiers’ Memorial are some of the famous buildings. The colorful streets are scattered mostly through White Town, so if you’re doing a heritage walk, its too hard to miss!

Reconnect with yourself at Auroville

Auroville is a township just outside Pondicherry. What makes it unlike any other is how it operates – kindness, humane assistance and community service. There is no money in its usual form, but the richness in being of help to one another! Auroville was started by Mirra, fondly called as ‘The Mother’, as reflection of her beliefs – something she greatly learnt from her mentor, Sri Aurobindo. In Auroville, visitors can learn about a new perspective of a spiritual lifestyle. If you’re lucky, you may be able to attend a very unique meditation experience in the Matri Mandir.

Read more: Auroville, The City Of Dawn

The golden Matri Mandir is shaped in the form of a dome and signifies the centre of the new universe built to ‘realise human unity’. Inside it is a meditiation hall that is considered to be one of the most resoundingly powerful places in the world. There is no distinction of caste, religion, or even nationalities for that matter at Auroville. Unique, isnt it?

Tip: Spend at least three hours at Auroville on your way back home from Pondicherry.

Drooling over French food in White Town (foodie weekend in Pondicherry)

Cheesy Lasagna, freshly baked breads, delicate pastries and chocolate glazed eclairs are enough to make your day – and Pondicherry is home to so many cafés and bakeries that will convince you to stay there forever! These cafes dot many corners of White Town and along some of the beaches too.

Tip: Check out Bakers’ Street and Café Des Arts in White Town (the French Quarter); if you are at Serenity Beach, try Theevu Plage or one of the cafes on the sea shore. Le Cafe, Crepe in Touch, Le Cafe Chaplin are also worth a visit.

Stay in the White Town area to be closest to all the authentic cafés

How to travel to Pondicherry

Pondicherry, or Puducherry, is very well connected with most places in India by both land and air

Air: The nearest international airport is in Chennai. There is a smaller domestic airport in Pondicherry. The most practical combination is to fly into Chennai and take a three hour bus/taxi ride to Pondicherry.

Bus/Train: Pondicherry is very well connected with Chennai, Bangalore and many more South Indian cities. Tickets are priced from ~INR 600 (airconditioned bus from Bangalore to Pondicherry). Train, taxi and bus tickets can be purchased here

Taxi: Taking a cab is also a great idea as it may be very comfortable to use inside the city.

Best option for a weekend in Pondicherry: Self-drive roadtrip

We did a roadtrip from Bangalore to Pondicherry – perfect for a weekend in Pondicherry. The drive from Bangalore to Pondicherry was very smooth; the roads are actually good, enough places to visit enroute and so many interesting food stops on the way! We also drove around inside Pondicherry and to Auroville more effortlessly this way.

How to travel within Pondicherry

Pondicherry has a good intercity bus service, although, for visitors it might not be the most comfortable option. You can either hire a taxi or rent a scooter in the neighbourhood of your hotel/homestay to explore the city more conveniently. Driving your own car is also easy with parking being available in most places.

Auroville is beyond the Tamil Nadu border. Keep in mind, the Tamil Nadu police is very strict against importing alcohol from Pondicherry.

Suggested Itinerary for a weekend in Pondicherry:

Day 1: Arrive in Pondicherry and check-in, have lunch and play at Serenity Beach until evening time, and later spend the evening at The Promenade or Rock Beach experiencing the local vibes and street food in the views of the Bay of Bengal

Day 2: Breakfast at Bakers Street, start your Heritage walk from that cafe to Aurobindo Ashram through Old Town and White Town. Visit the Ashram and offer your devotion at the Vinayagar Temple and the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception. Have lunch at Café Des Arts or one of many other French cafes. Visit Paradise Beach or Veerapattinam beach – or if you want to go back to Serenity beach, just do it!

Day 3: Have breakfast at Indian Coffee House on the way to Auroville. Explore the township until noon before leaving the city again.

Stay in the White Town area for the best experience

Travel costs (for a weekend in Pondicherry) and safety

Pondicherry is reasonably cheap to explore. A good meal can cost as little as INR 80 in the smaller restaurants in the Tamil Quarter. French food is usually more expensive, but worth the experience!

INR 3,000 (USD 43) can easily get you decent accommodation in both White Town and the Old Quarter. But if you want to stay in the heritage hotels on The Promenade or in the more upscale parts of White Town, expect to spend INR 8,000 or more per night. You can renting a scooter for INR 500 to INR 800 (under USD 12) depending on the season.

Pondicherry is quite safe. Couples and even female travelers can have a good time. Best to avoid distant spots on the beach, or spending very late hours in the evening, much like anywhere else in the world. The Promenade or Rock Beach is usally crowded until 10-11 pm on weekends – so its okay to be out there late.

Our experience: We travelled on a budget and spent only about INR 8,000 (for two) including accommodation, food and local sightseeing, over a three day, long weekend in Pondicherry.

Other places to see on the way to/from Pondicherry

A few kilometres outside Pondicherry, is the histroical Gingee Fort, which is very visible to the state highway on which you’re likely to be driving.

Another stop can be made at the legendary Thiruvannamalai Temple midway between Bangalore and Pondicherry. It is not only one of the holiest Hindu Temples in the south, but also visited by many foreign tourists for its architecture and cultural importance!

If you have more questions, or want to explore Pondicherry with us, write to us or leave a comment below!