Overview
Pondicherry or Puducherry is an urban city located in the Eastern Ghats of India. It is a well planned and beautiful city with large French influence in its culture, cuisine, green avenues, colonial buildings, old cottages and cathedrals. This makes the Union Territory very unique and a colonial appeal that few states of India has. The Indian tone is also evident from the vibrant festivals that take place here.
Weather
The climate is hot and humid throughout the year. The tourists can enjoy a leisurely walk during the night as temperature is cooler and comforting, along the streets and tranquil beaches. The winter starts from November and is the best season to visit Pondicherry.
Transportation
The roadways, railways and airways connect the rest of the country with the city. The Pondicherry Airport serves as a gateway to a number of domestic and international flights that brings in huge tourists. State run bus services, auto-rickshaws, rental cars form the major means of internal transport that helps to reach the tourists places in Pondicherry.
Tourism
Pondicherry tourism offers a wide range of places from beaches to heritage buildings, temples to mosques, parks to museums – for ardent travellers. The places to visit in Pondicherry are:
- The Beach Road or Promenade has many tourist attractions like the Bay of Bengal Ocean, the Children’s Park and the statue of Dupleix, Le Cafe, statue of Gandhi, statue of Nehru, a light house that dates back to 19th century, the Mairie and the French War Memorial.
- The Heritage Building has places like the Public Works Department, Romain Rolland Library, St. Joseph de Cluny, Alliance Francaise, Lycee Francaise, Le Foyer du Soldat, French Institute of Pondicherry, French Consulate, Raj Niwas, Legislative Assembly, Cercle de Pondichery, Ananda Rangapillai House.
- Ashram – Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Ashram Dining Room.
- Churches – Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Church of the Capuchins, The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, The Church of Our Lady of the Angels, the statue of Joan of Arc, Church of the Assumption, St. Anthony’s Shrine.
- Temples – Kanniga Parameshwari Temple, Manakula Vinayagar Koil, Varadaraja Perummal Temple, Kamatchiamman Temple, Pyramid Nataraj Temple, Panchavati Temple.
- Mosques – Jama Mosque, Meeran Mosque, Kuthbha Mosque, Mulla Mohamed Mosque.
- Museums – The Pondicherry Museum, Children’s Museum, Jawahar Toy Museum, Barathi Memorial Museum.
- Many parks like the Botanical Garden, Bharathi park, Aayi Mandapam or Water Monument are there.
- Beaches – Promenade, Serenity Beach, Paradise Beach, Auroville Beach and Chunnambar Backwaters.
- The French Cemetery
There are many places around Pondicherry like Chidambaram, Poompuhar, Thiruvannamalai, Auroville, etc. for travellers to have a look.
Food
There are quite a few good restaurants in Pondicherry serving different cuisines like French, Chinese, South Indian and North Indian for the tourists to enjoy the tour even more. The restaurants like Satsanga, Rendezvous, Sea Gulls, Le Club, Le Terrace, Surguru, Riaaz are well known for their taste and ambience.
Pondicherry is a place with lots of happy people and peaceful surroundings.