Pondicherry
Though very small, Pondicherry was the largest French colony in India. The city has a long and interesting history of trade and war. There is a strong French influence in the city, especially in the old quarters, with Rues and Boulevards lined with Mediterranean style houses and bakeries, although the city remains very much indian. French is still understood, and the whole city makes for rather pleasant mix of East and West. It is also known as The French Riviera of the East (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est). If you've spent some time in Tamil Nadu and approached Pondicherry by land, you'll very likely experience mild culture shock on discovering elegant French architecture and restaurants serving steak and good wine. Pondicherry is very much a city with a dual personality: crossing from East to West of the central canal reveals two cities with very different characters.
Get around
The best way to see Pondicherry and its surrounding areas is by renting out a "Pedal cycle" or a "motorcycle" or "gearless scooter". But as traffic increases, it is increasingly difficult to walk in many streets as they are crowded. There are several rental outlets on Mission St and MG Rd. The prices as of July 2010 were Rs.200/day for a gearless scooter, and Rs.250/day for a geared motorcycle and Rs 40/day for a bicycle. You will need to provide some identification document as collateral and an advance of Rs 500. Many of the rentals also provide delivery and pickup at the hotel which is very useful. (Note: Usually the number of days for these vehicles are calculated from 9.00 AM to 9.00 PM. The motorbikes are easily available in a couple of two wheeler rental shops in Mission Street. The Pondicherry tourism development corporation has daily bus services for tourists and it covers all the important tourist spots to be seen in Pondicherry. It is the best and most economic way to tour Pondicherry.
See
Get around
The best way to see Pondicherry and its surrounding areas is by renting out a "Pedal cycle" or a "motorcycle" or "gearless scooter". But as traffic increases, it is increasingly difficult to walk in many streets as they are crowded. There are several rental outlets on Mission St and MG Rd. The prices as of July 2010 were Rs.200/day for a gearless scooter, and Rs.250/day for a geared motorcycle and Rs 40/day for a bicycle. You will need to provide some identification document as collateral and an advance of Rs 500. Many of the rentals also provide delivery and pickup at the hotel which is very useful. (Note: Usually the number of days for these vehicles are calculated from 9.00 AM to 9.00 PM. The motorbikes are easily available in a couple of two wheeler rental shops in Mission Street. The Pondicherry tourism development corporation has daily bus services for tourists and it covers all the important tourist spots to be seen in Pondicherry. It is the best and most economic way to tour Pondicherry.
See
- The Beach
- Churches
- Paradise Beach
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram
- Auroville city
- Manakula Vinayagar Temple
- Villianur Thirukameeswarar Temple
- Auro Beach (Opposite to Auroville City)