Pondicherry (or Puducherry), a French colonial settlement in India until 1954, is now a Union Territory town bounded by the southeastern Tamil Nadu state. The place is beautiful and carries along its rich heritage till now which has been the major attraction for lot of backpackers. It is often referred to as a “Weekend Gateway” for people travelling from Chennai and Bangalore. So if you are planning to visit South India, add a Pondicherry trip to your itinerary.
After reading a lot of reviews of the place and how it all gets lit up during the December months, we planned to celebrate Christmas in Pondicherry this time around.
We booked a direct train from Howrah Station to Pondicherry which takes around 32-33 hours. This train only run on Sundays.
We started our journey on December 22, 2019 at around 11:30 pm and we reached on December 24,2019 in the morning at around 8:30 am. We planned to spend 4 nights and 5 days and booked our return flight from Chennai on December 28, 2019.
Tip – 3,4 days is enough for Pondicherry trip
Pondicherry trip Day 1 : December 24, 2019
After reaching Pondicherry, we took an auto and headed straight towards our hotel “Pondicherry Executive Inn” located in close proximity to the famous Rock Beach and also Mission Street.
As we reached a bit early , we had to wait till the Check In time, and as we were so excited, rather than getting in our room we kept our luggage in the lobby and headed straight to the famous Auroville.
Auroville is mostly an experimental township in Viluppuram district, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, a famous disciple of Aurobindo and fondly known as the ‘Mother’ of Sri Aurobindo Society. We think that the he best way to experience Auroville ashram is to actually sit in one of the cafes, and talk to some of the local residents here about their experience of living in the city.
We took an auto which took Rs 500 for both ways, including waiting charge.
As we passed by we could get glimpse of the famous White Town, which was a treat to the eyes. Colorful buildings, clean roads, plenty of greenery all around were a treat to the eyes.
After reaching Auroville, we went to their visitors center. The place was absolutely unique, and we have never seen such a beautiful planned township before. When you go there just make sure you have sufficient time in hand to explore the entire place. After spending around 2 hours we decided to head back.
We were super hungry, so we decided to enjoy our breakfast in the famous Le Cafe which is just on the Rock Beach. Price and proportion was quite reasonable.
After our breakfast we headed back to our hotel and took some rest.
We wanted to explore the White Town after sunset, so we rented a scooty and two bicycles for us (Scooty – Rs 300/400 per day, Cycle – Rs 100/day, Auto is quite expensive). We went to several places in the town and the area was all lit up as it was Christmas Eve. We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the evening at leisure.
Pondicherry trip Day 2 : December 25, 2019
On day two, We planned to visit the famous Paradise Beach on the day of Christmas. This is one of the beach in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu where you can get into the Ocean, as not many beaches will give you that option, so for that reason we were double excited.
Note : You wont be able to get into Rock Beach or the Promenade Beach in the main town of Pondicherry as its not allowed
Anyways, so we packed our swimming clothes and hired an auto to take us to Chunnambar Boat House from where you have to take a ferry to go to Paradise Beach.
Try to go a little early as it gets a little crowded as time goes by. There are couple of eateries and a changing room if you want to change. There are security guards everywhere so you can get into the water without worrying much. After enjoying thoroughly we headed back to our hotel. We spent the remaining of the day with leisure.
Pondicherry trip Day 3 : December 26, 2019
We planned to go to the Pichavaram, mangrove forest in Tamil Nadu which is about 3 hours ride from Pondicherry but as it started raining early in the morning we had to drop the plan.
Instead we planned to spend the day exploring the main attraction of the town, Aurobindo Ashram. Please remember no one is allowed to click pictures inside.
Located in the White Town of Pondicherry, the Ashram has been named after Sri Aurobindo Ghosh. The foundation of this ashram was done on 24th November 1926 after he quit politics and settled in Pondicherry. This ashram was set up for helping people attain moksha and inner peace
You have to open your shoes and switch off your mobile phone before entering. Inside there were pin drop silence and witnessed people meditating beside the Samadhi of the Holy Mother. The ashram has around 80 departments which include farms, gardens, healthcare, guesthouses and engineering units among many others.
Tip – If you visit the place do not forget to checkout the shops of the Ashram affiliation situated in various places of the town. Ask for a map from inside the ashram. All buildings, shops related to Ashram would be painted Grey in the map for easy identification
We purchased few perfumes, local hand loom clothes, their famous incense sticks, soaps etc. You wont get all these anywhere else in India.
If you want, the Ashram provides a lunch meal also, which you have to inquire once you get inside the ashram
We spent the remaining day at leisure. There are plenty of eateries around white town and mission street, so do not forget to try out their famous French cuisine. Also alcohol is very cheap compared to other parts of India.
Pondicherry trip : December 27, 2019
This was the last day of our trip, so we planned to cover the remaining places in the city. We started off early and we headed towards Serenity Beach. As the name suggests there were very people which were actually there on the beach as it is mainly used for fishing purpose. But the sight of the water was gorgeous and also this beach is quite famous for surfing and water activities.
We did not do the surfing activities this time as we wanted to keep something for next time as well.
We spent some quality time in relaxing and eating in the nearby shacks and after that we headed straight back to the town as we had a lot to cover today.
We had our lunch in the famous Cafe Xtasi near Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Dont forget to try out their oven pizzas.
After a sumptuous lunch, we went inside the Immaculate Conception Cathedral.
Immaculate Conception Cathedral is a beautiful place of worship established in year 1686. Dedicated to St. Peters. This church was made for Capuchins and was first served as a small chapel situated outside the government park
From there we went to the famous Bharati Park which was just opposite to the Raj Bhavan.
It is surrounded by lush green trees and thus listed as among the best places to visit in Pondicherry. At the center of the park, there is this famous monument called Aayi Mandapam
From there we went to the famous Pondicherry Museum which was situated nearby.
We also visited the famous Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple. This is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha and is said to have been established almost 5 centuries ago. Situated behind the Raj Niwas, the sanctum is enshrined with a grand idol of Vinayaka called Vellakkaran Pillai.
After visiting the temple, we finally went close to the famous lighthouse of Pondicherry, although we were not allowed to enter inside. It was built by one of the renowned engineers of that time, L. Guerre. This abandoned Lighthouse is presently a converted museum and is considered as one of the top tourist sites in Pondicherry.
After travelling so much we finally took rest and sat infront of the beach and had some snacks. We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the evening and went to a pub as well being on our last day of the tour..
Pondicherry trip : December 28, 2019
As we had booked our flights from Chennai at around 6:00 pm, we had plenty of time in our hand to cover few other places along the road. After checking out from our hotel we booked an Uber from Pondicherry to Chennai via Mahabalipuram which only costed us around Rs 1200-1400. On our way we visited the famous Ponicherry University, Krishnas Butter ball in Mahabalipuram and Covalam Beach.
Krishna’s butterball is a gigantic Boulder measuring 6 meters high and 5 meters wide and weighs over 250 tons. This strange object in the town of Mahabalipuram is said to be in the same position for over 1200 years.
And finally we reached Chennai.
Before we conclude lets summarize few tips :
- 3 days is enough for a perfect Pondicherry trip
- Book well in advance and the trip cost will be lighter on pockets
- Try to hire a cycle or a scooty it will save a lot of money
- Do not forget to visit the ashram shops
- Try to apply early for the special meditation session in Auroville (Tuesday closed)
- Respect the local people, they are quite helpful
- Swiggy, Ola, Uber easily available
- Definitely try their French cuisine
- Few must visit eateries are Villa Shanti, Cafe Des Arts, Cafe Xtasi, Baker Street.
- Pondicherry is a place for both party goers as well as for spiritual people, choose your activity wisely. There are plenty of beautiful home stays also available in White Town. Try to stay in White Town.
We thoroughly enjoyed Pondicherry and would definitely like to come back again. People who do not like Goa can definitely choose Pondicherry for the next destination. Be it food of all cuisine, hotels, places to visit, you will get everything in this small city. If you want to know more drop an email to neonbrotherss@gmail.com.
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