Pondicherry, a little France in India attracts a lot of tourists to relax and enjoy the holidays. French-style buildings, Roads, Beaches, Parks, spiritual places, and boating makes Pondicherry a unique and enjoyable place to spend your vacation. This city has many reasons to be on your tourist list. October to March is the best season to visit Pondicherry. Below are the best 10 tourist places in Pondicherry.
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Promenade Beach.
Promenade beach or Rock beach is the primary attraction among the beaches in this beautiful city. Not a typical promenade beach of just a paved sidewalk along the sea. Beyond the blue water sea and breeze, many famous sites like the Dupleix statue, Old lighthouse, Mahatma Gandhi statue, the old heritage hall, the statue of Joan of Arc, French war memorial, tourist information center, and Le cafe makes this 1.2km stretched beach a favorite one. A walk with your loved one on this beach will be a memorable one.
Information to visitors
Entrance Fee: Free of charge
Duration Needed: 1 to 2 hours
Distance from city: 3.5kms approx
Visiting time: 24*7(best in early morning and late evening)
Auroville.
Auroville has its origins in the french, Aurore means dawn and Ville means city. Auroville was established in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, a disciple of Aurobindo and famously known as the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Society. This is the right place for solace seekers and accepted as the “Universal Town”. Auroville is an experimental place where the people of many cultures and traditions across the world live together peacefully.
Matrimandir is the soul of Auroville, it is not a tourist place. This is a place where you could focus on your inner self. Right now around 2,800 people from over 195 nationalities are official residents of Auroville. SVARAM and shops in Auroville will give you a new experience.
Information to visitors
Famous for: Individual silent concentration, Yoga practitioners, feel peace
Entrance Fee: Free of charge but prior booking for Matrimandir
Duration Needed: 4 to 5 hours
Distance from city: 12kms approx
Visiting time:: 9 AM to 4 PM on Monday to Saturday. 9 AM to 1 PM on Sunday.
Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
Sri Aurobindo(Indian freedom fighter) after he retired from politics settled in Pondicherry in 1910. This spiritual ashram was founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo and developed by “The Mother” earlier known as Mirra Alfassa. You must visit this spiritual place if you have an interest in yoga, meditation, and spirituality.
Information to visitors
Famous for: yoga, meditation, and serenity
Entrance Fee: Free of charge
Duration Needed: 1 to 2 hours
Distance from city: 2.5kms approx
Visiting time:: 8 AM to 12 noon and 2 PM to 4 PM
Chunnambar Boathouse.
Chunnambar Boathouse is an amazing picnic and boating spot on the backwaters where the Chunnambar river meets the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the places that offer an exquisite houseboat experience. you can also enjoy boating on motorboats, sailboats, sped boats, water scooters, paddled boats, and pedaled boats. the resort offers huge fun and entertainment like trekking, backwater boat trips, and beach games. Regular ferry services are available from Chunnambar boathouse to Paradise beach.
Information to visitors.
Famous for: sightseeing, boating, and beach games
Entrance Fee: Rs 10 per person. The Boating tariff depends on the type of ride and boat
Duration Needed: 2 to 3 hours
Distance from city: 7kms approx towards Cuddalore
Visiting time:: 9 AM to 5 PM.
The Botanical Garden.
Botanical Gardens are present at many places, garden near the seaside is very rare like in Pondicherry. In 1826, the French laid this garden so it has a touch of the french architecture around this 22 acres spread garden. If you are a nature lover then you can even spend half a day admiring the beauty of the garden. Information such as name, Origin, Medicinal value, and the amount of oxygen created by the particular plant or tree is mentioned in the respective placards. The Kid’s play area, cartoon drawings on the wall, and Toy train ride make the children joyful.
Information to visitors.
Famous for: Sightseeing, Toy train ride, Aquarium, Kid’s play area
Entrance Fee: free for below 12 yrs and Rs 20 for an adult.
Duration Needed: 2 to 3 hours
Distance from city: 1.5kms approx
Visiting time:: 9 AM to 6 PM.
Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple.
Sri Manakula Vinayagar Temple is a well-known religious place dedicated to Lord Ganesha is considered to have been constructed almost 5 centuries ago. There was a pond on the western side of the temple, due to the closeness of the sea, the pond(Kulam in Tamil) was full of sand(manal in Tamil) hence it was called Manalkulam. There is a belief that during the French period, when Frenchman removes the Ganesha idol from the temple, It reappeared on its own in the temple. The Ganesh Chaturthi festival is very popular here. This religious place also famous for a saint named Thollaikathu siddhar, who attained enlightenment here.
Information to visitors.
Famous for: Traditional, Religious and serenity
Entrance Fee: No entry fee
Duration Needed: Less than 1 hour
Distance from city: 3.5kms approx
Visiting time:: 5:30 AM to 12:30 PM; 4:00 PM to 9:30 PM
The Basicila of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Basicila of the Sacred Heart of Jesus church is one among the 28 basicila in India. It was established in 1908 by the Frech missionaries and known for its excellent Gothic architecture. It contains rare stained glass panels of saints and panels depict the life of Jesus makes this church one of the special places.
Information to visitors.
Famous for: spiritual, architecture
Entrance Fee: No entry fee
Duration Needed: Less than 1 hour
Distance from city: 3kms approx
Visiting time:: 7 AM to 6 PM.
Ousteri Lake.
Ousteri Lake also known as osudu lake is a man-made lake recognized as one of the important wetlands of Asia by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources(IUCN). The 390 hectares lake backing a variety of flora and fauna and will be established like a vedanthangal bird sanctuary.
Information to visitors.
Famous for: Bird watching, Photography, Nature lovers.
Entrance Fee: No entry fee
Duration Needed: 1 to 2 hours
Distance from city: 11kms approx
Visiting time:: 9 AM to 5 PM
Art & Craft Village.
Art & Craft Village is an underrated place where you can experience a combination of indigenous and traditional crafts of local artisans and mangrove forest boating. The boating trip covers the visit to Arikamedu(Indo-Roman trading city) also. Click here to know more
Information to visitors.
Famous for: Sightseeing, Boating, Craftworks, Arikamedu
Entrance Fee: No entry fee
Duration Needed: 2 to 3 hours
Distance from city: 6kms approx
Visiting time:: 11 AM to 6 PM
Jawahar Toy Museum.
Jawahar Toy Museum should be a must-visit place on your trip to Pondicherry. A Rare collection of toys from different states of India are collected here. Not only the children but the adults also can equally enjoy this place.
Information to visitors.
Famous for: Sightseeing, Boating, Craftworks, Arikamedu
Entrance Fee: No entry fee
Duration Needed: less than 1 hour
Distance from city: 3kms approx
Visiting time:: 10 AM to 5 PM (Monday closed)
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