What you don’t know about Pondicherry?

I’ve been wanting to visit Pondicherry for a while but didn’t expect to be there on a work cum leisure trip. I was in the southeastern part of the country in September 2019 and it turned out to be a well-earned break too. My boyfriend and I stayed in Pondicherry for four days. We hired a Zoom car at Chennai and drove down to Pondicherry. Ditching the car, we chose to explore this French colony on foot and a bicycle. Pondicherry is best explored on foot or a bicycle. But, there are many things that you don’t know about Pondicherry.

Pondicherry aka Puducherry is a town situated in the state of Tamil Nadu. It used to be a colony of the French and is now a Union Territory in India. The French influence is evident in the architecture and streets of this town. The famous address – White Town boasts of some beautiful cafes, restaurants, and hotels run by Indians and French. The sea-facing promenade is a hotspot frequented by locals and tourists for their dose of Vitamin SEA!

While the first half of my day was spent working, we chose to utilize the 2nd half by walking around White Town. I was there for the South Indian cuisine and French cafes! We ate at Idli & Idiyappam, Eat My Cake!, PY Cafe, Villa Krish, Sisily, Auroville Bakery, and Les Alizes – Palais De Mahe.

What you don’t know about Pondicherry?

All-day restaurants are a myth

There are cafes and restaurants that serve food all day long, but with conditions. Most of the all-day cafes have timings for meals. The cafes and restaurants serve lunch until 1500hrs and reopen for dinner by 1900hrs. While some claim to be open all day, only refreshments and desserts are available between 1500 to 1900hrs

A long walk to Auroville

No complaints about this one but if you don’t have a vehicle, it’s a long walk to reach the entry gate of Auroville. Also, Auroville Bakery is not inside Auroville.

Parking in White Town

White Town consists of narrow bylanes so parking a four-wheeler causes inconvenience. There is a dilapidated shipping yard, converted into a paid parking space for a sum of Rs. 10.

Do not speak in Hindi

If you don’t know Tamil, English is a language that you can rely on during your visit to Pondicherry. Brownie points if you can speak French!

Eat local/Tamil dishes in Chennai

If you crave for South Indian food while in Pondicherry, you have limited options. Getting a good cheesecake or crepe is easy but finding a good South Indian restaurant can be a daunting task! So, eat idli podi in Chennai!

The East coast road

If you ever thought that you will drive along the sea coast to reach Pondicherry, you’re mistaken! The East Coast Road (ECR) is a beautiful route but the sea coast view is 2% of your drive.

Pondicherry was a good experience and I would love to visit the place again. Do let me know if my blog post has been helpful. Also, tell me other things that you discovered during your visit to Pondicherry. I’m all ears!