A Weekend in White Town-Pondicherry

June 24, 2020

A weekend in the 'Paris of the East' (as it is called) Pondicherry, a beautiful city down south.

A white town donning French colonial architecture, a long stretch of pristine beach and some good food is all you need to rewind, relax and rejuvenate on a weekend getaway!

Some Quick Facts:

Pondicherry (a union territory) is known as Puducherry since 20th September, 2006 and was once ruled by the French empire. Though the French handed it over to the independent India in 1954, it still has a French community of roughly about 5000-5500 people living in the city-mostly in the French colony-White town area. French is also widely spoken along with Tamil and other languages.

The French legacy left behind by the French is still well preserved and can be witnessed through the colonial French architecture ranging from mustard coloured villas having highlights of white - some of which are now turned into heritage hotels to some chic boutiques.

Villa Krish-Our Stay in White Town

Getting There:

Air: The nearest airport is Pondicherry airport (a small airport - mostly, connecting flights) and the second nearest is Chennai airport. From Pondicherry airport, a cab ride of 16 min (6.2 km) and from Chennai airport, a cab ride of approx. 2 hr 40 min (147 km) will land you in White town.

Train: The nearest railway station is Villupuram which is about 35 kms away from Pondicherry.

Road: Pondicherry falls on the National Highway 45 and connects well to all the major cities of the south. We took a cab from Velankanni that took us about 4 hours (162 kms) to reach white town. Also, many buses ply at frequent intervals from major cities of South to Pondicherry.

Tip: If booking a cab, book it at least a day prior from 'Hireme Taxi' by downloading the app from playstore. If booked directly when at the airport, it might turn out to be expensive. They are currently operational only in south.

Accommodation: Plenty of Heritage hotels available. The one in which we stayed was Villa Kirsh in white town. The villa has prominent French architecture and colours. The interiors that decked up every corner takes you back in time to the colonial French era. It was an opulent staying experience! It's a four storey villa with a terrace restaurant and a bar that allows you to catch the glimpse of the promenade beach. The early morning sunrise views from the terrace were completely enthralling!

White Town Vicinity

Evening view from the terrace

Food: Le Cafe - Highly recommended. It's the only sea facing cafe in the vicinity serving a wide range of quick bites as well as complete meals that includes both French as well as South Indian. It's located on the promenade beach front and the roof top seating arrangement offers an amazing view of the ocean - overlooking the bay of Bengal.

Le Cafe at Promenade

Cheese Tuna Baguette

Sausages & more in Breakfast at Villa Krish

Things to do:

Promenade Beach: Promenade beach is one of the major attraction. Rock beach is a popular stretch of approx 1.2 km along the promenade beach. The evenings by the beachfront are tranquil and mesmerizing!

Promenade Beach Front

Ocean Lessons at Rock Beach :)

Explore French Colony: Hire a two wheeler from your hotel front desk and explore the French colony - French quarters and step back in the colonial era as you capture some timeless memories of the beautiful colonial architecture.

Gandhi Statue & French War Memorial: A huge Gandhi statue is situated on the promenade beach stretch and opposite to it is a French War Memorial that was built in 1971 in the memory of French Indian soldiers who lost their lives in world war I.

Gandhi Statue

French War Memorial

Visit Temples and Churches: The city has some beautiful temples and churches reflecting the marvelous Gothic architecture.

A beautiful church in White Town

Sir Aurobindo Ashram: It is located approx. 300 meters from white town (2 min.) and was founded in 1926 by Sir Aurobindo and his disciples. This is considered to be a sacred place and a spiritual retreat center.

Sir Aurbindo Ashram

Auroville: It is located approx. 12 km (30 minutes) from white town and is a universal township with the purpose of realizing human unity. It is also one of the major tourist attraction!

Auroville

Shopping:

Janaki: Shop for some amazing handicrafts and souvenirs at Janaki - in white town. It is open on all days from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Cluny Embroidery Centre: If you are looking for embroidered home furnishings in vintage designs that dates back to the colonial French era then this is the place! It is in white town and is open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm on all days except Sundays and Mondays.
Auro Wood Works: It is in Auroville and is known for making amazing sculptures of Hindu deities and other handicrafts.

Best Time to Visit: The ideal time to visit is from October to March when the weather is pleasant.

Ideal Time Required:

2 days and 3 nights