Pondicherry

Pondicherry or Puducherry is a small coastal city on the east coast. It is the capital of the Union Territory of Pondicherry, which also includes other provinces like Karikal, Mahe and Yanam. The city is embedded within the state of Tamil Nadu. When India got its independence, Pondicherry, along with the other three provinces, were under the French rule. They later got their independence in 1954 and were integrated into the mainland of India. However, since the ruling was different, a new Union Territory was formed with the 4 provinces, although the places were distributed in many states. The administration has continued ever since.

Pondicherry is a nice and relaxing tourist spot. Since the place were ruled by French, there is a lot of French influence in the city. One can see a lot of European style restaurants. Let us see some of the places here and of course the foodie places too.

Promenade Beach:

Promenade or the Rock beach is one of the popular tourist spots. It is a 1.2km long stretch of rock saddened beach. It has many attractions along the way like the Mahatma Gandhi statue, French war memorial, Chief Secretariat among others. There are many cafe joints overlooking the sea, giving a perfect ambience. The highlight here is that the road is closed in the evenings and people throng to enjoy the sunset and the cool evenings.

(Promenade beach road)

(Mahatma Gandhi statue)

(Lighthouse)

(War memorial)

(Evening view at Rock beach)

Paradise beach:

The Paradise beach is one of the cleanest beaches in Pondicherry. It is about 8kms from the city center. The highlight here is a boat ride on the back waters to reach an island where one can involve in multiple activities. The speed boat can be rented at the Chunnambar boat house. The island is maintained by the government and is very neat. There are restaurants too on the beach. Activities like parasailing, horse riding, ATV bike ride are available here.

(A view of the landing area on the island)

(Way to the beach)

(Backwaters)

(The Paradise beach)

(View from the boat)

French colony:

As mentioned earlier, the city was ruled by French. There are a few structures and buildings which resemble the French architecture. Kudos to the government for still maintaining them. Painted in bright yellow, pink and peach colors, the colony offers a different look from the normal buildings.

(Vibrant colors on the buildings in French colony)

Auroville:

Auroville is a small town about 6km from Pondicherry. It was a vision from the Aurobindo ashram to build a universal town. It basically meant people staying in this town has no citizenship. Many people from different countries live here currently. Renting a 2-wheeler is the best option to reach here from Pondicherry. There are a lot of bus options available too. The town spreads across acres. So, on a sunny day, it gets slightly tiresome covering the whole area. The main attraction here is the Matrimandir, which is a meditation hall. It is a spherical structure, covered in gold. The Matrimandir is about 1.5-2km from the entrance of the Auroville. One can walk (the best option) or rent a bicycle to roam around. On the way, there are a lot of eateries serving food from multiple cuisines. One can try the Farm Fresh Cafe, Marc's Coffee, Paradise pizza. These are some good restaurants.

There is also the Auroville beach which is about 3km from Auroville. One can relax or play here on the beach.

(Rock formations inside Auroville)

(Matrimandir)

(Auroville beach)

Serenity Beach:

Another popular beach here is the Serenity beach. It is about 3kms from Auroville beach and about 5km from the Rock beach. This beach is known for its sunrise point.

(Serenity beach)

(Sunrise at Serenity beach)

Eateries in Pondicherry:

There are a lot of delicious eateries and cafes in the city. However, I will list a few here, especially a few vegetarian options which are must try's.

Café Xtasi - A good wood-fire pizza restaurant in the White town. Serves delicious pizza. Location here.
Farm Fresh Café - Another great pizza place near Auroville. Serves Italian and burgers. Location here.
Richy Rich - Delicious ice cream parlor, located on the Promenade and Jawaharlal Nehru street. Location here.
Coromandel Café - Excellent café serving delicious desserts among other recipes. Located in French colony and known for its ambience. Location here.
KBS Kofi Bar - A small shop parallel to the Promenade and in the French colony. Known for its amazing filter coffee, tea, milk. Location here.
Dilliwala6 - A proper veg restaurant in the French colony. Serves North Indian food. Great taste and good service. Location here.

Pondicherry is a relaxing place. If one needs a place to laze around, then one can easily come to Pondicherry. The city is located at about 370 km from Bangalore and about 150kms from Chennai. It has good connectivity from major cities like Chennai, Madurai, Bangalore. One can reach Pondicherry by train, bus, air or self-drive. It is a weekend getaway. The place has a lot of resort, home stays and hotels ranging from budget friendly to luxury ones. As mentioned, there is no dearth of food options. So, you can put Pondicherry on your bucket list for your next weekend ;)

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram or Mamallapuram is a small town on the outskirts of the city of Chennai. It is a UNESCO heritage site for a group of monuments. Mamallapuram was the capital of the Pallava kingdom. The city is named after King Narasimhavarman I, who was also called as Mamalla. The city is well known for its shore temple, and rock carving which are nearby. Since it is very near to Chennai, one can rent a cab or auto from Chennai for a day out. The best option to visit all places here is to rent an auto, since the places are quite near to each other. Here too, there are many hotels and resorts available. Typical South Indian food is quite the norm here. Below is the list of monuments that can be visited.