Puducherry is a quiet little town on the southern coastline of India. The unique French connection, the tree lined boulevards, the pretty colonial heritage buildings, the spiritual vista, the endless stretches of unspoilt virgin beaches, a surprising choice of restaurants serving a mixture of cuisines, provide a exciting mix that draw travellers from all around the world.
Quiet beach resorts to the north and south balance the town's bustling, yet easy going life. But Pondicherry hasn't only its own special attractions to offer. It is a perfect base to explore the rich destinations around the town – including, Auroville, the international City of Unity; the imposing Gingee Fort, the holy temple towns of Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai and Chidambaram, the heritage sculptures and magnificent rock temples of Mamallapuram etc ..
Puducherry has a wide choice of hotels - beach resorts for the easy going tourist and families, heritage hotels for those who want to experience something else, high end business hotels for the corporate visitor. Ambient restaurants serve a rich variety of French, Indian, Asian and continental food, with the latest pizza for an American bite.
For the shopper, Puducherry has a lot to offer. Puducherry is soft on your purse with taxes low or non-existent. It is known for its traditional doll-making and textiles and silks. But it is also the birthplace of several world class brands in leather, pottery, aromatics, fashion and handmade paper. These excellent products came to renown solely by their superb quality. A new trend is the proliferation of exquisite decor boutiques and export-quality antique furniture galleries.
Puducherry airport is now operational. Currently Spice jet operates daily flight between Bangalore & Pondicherry. Next nearest airport is Chennai, which is around 135 kms from Puducherry (approx. 3 ½ hrs. journey). Chennai has excellent connections with almost all cities in India and direct connection to Europe, USA, Middle East and South East Asia. Trichy airport is 220 kms away & Bangalore is 320 kms.
The weather in Puducherry is hot, but manageable & delightful.
Winter runs from December through February. Daily temperature around 30° C and nights are pleasant, even cool. This is high tourist season in Puducherry. Summer is from March through July has hot and humid climate. Temperature is around 35° C- 38° C.
The monsoon on the west coast brings temporary relief towards the end of July and in August which results in milder temperatures and occasional showers which might continue right up to the month of October. The North West Monsoon in October through December brings cooler weather. The monsoon develops throughout this period; peaking in November and occasional quick tempered storm fill the streets for a day or so. Throughout the year, evening sea breezes can bring relief.
Puducherry has a wealth of heritage buildings of both French and Tamil architectural styles. The grid patterned layout of town divides it into two distinct settlements. The French section is on the east of the canal that bisects the town while the Tamil section is essentially on the western side. Being a small laid back place, Puducherry is pleasant to explore on foot.
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram is one of the well-known and wealthiest ashrams in India, with devotees from India and all over the world flocking to it for spiritual deliverance. Its spiritual tenets represent a synthesis of yoga and modern science. It is open to the public daily between 0800 -1200 hrs and 1400-1800 hrs. Children below 3 years of age are not allowed into the ashram and photography is allowed only with permission of the ashram authorities.
Auroville - or the ‘City of Dawn’ - was conceived as a place of research into the ideal of human unity by the Mother (Mirra Alfassa ), the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo. The idea is to build an innovative city where people of goodwill can live together in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.
Located around 8 kms north-west of Puducherry, Auroville was designed by the French architect Roger Anger. Around 2,000 people live there in settlements with names like Grace, Fraternity, Fertile, Certitude and Transformation. Nearly two-thirds of the residents are non-Indians. The central Matrimandir, which is not a temple but a place for individual silent concentration, is set in an area of 62 acres at the centre of the emerging township.
The Auroville visitors Centre is open from 0930 to 1730 hrs every day. One may get priory permission to enter Matrimandir.
Puducherry has four main beaches which are fairly popular with tourists and locals. The beaches here are relatively clean and not very crowded. Beaches are a little away from the town.
Promenade:
The 1.5 km long promenade running along the beach is the pride of Puducherry. On the sea front are several land marks. The War memorial cold and dispassionate throbbing the memory of last dreams, the statue of Joan of Arc blazing an inspiration, the heritage town hall, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi standing tall, Dupleix statue, old light house, the remains of the old pier, the old customs house, speak the splendour of the bygone era. The well furnished tourist information centre is situated in aesthetically heritage building facing the sea to cater to the need of visiting tourists.
Paradise Beach:
Beach is located 8 kms from the town, along the Cuddalore Main Road. Flanked by a quiet flowing creek on one side, the beach can only be accessed by boat
Serenity beach:
This beach is a ten minutes drive to the north of the town. This virgin beach, with its serene surroundings is an ideal place to laze away your day.
Auroville Beach:
The Auroville Beach as the name indicates is close to Auroville. It is right off the ECR, opposite the road leading to Auroville. Located around 12 kms from the main Puducherry town, its shallow waters and small waves make it an ideal place of swimming. It is a fairly popular destination on weekends. On weekdays it is relatively less crowded./p>
| Category | Hotel Names |
|---|---|
| Beach Resorts | Zest @ Big Beach, Le Pondy, Dunes Resort & Windflower Resort |
| Heritage | Calve, De L’ Orient, Aurodhan Heritage |
| Luxury Hotels | Le Duplex, Promenade, Hotel Athithi, GRT Sunway |
| Deluxe Hotels | Anandha Inn, Hotel Annamalai |
Drive from Bangalore to Pondicherry (about 325 km / 7 hr drive). On arrival at Pondicherry, check into the hotel. Evening you visit Sri Aurabindo Ashram. Stay overnight in Pondicherry.
Have breakfast at leisure. Rest of the day is for the sightseeing of Pondicherry. Stay overnight in Pondicherry.
Morning free time for you for shopping and afternoon you drive back to Bangalore
| Deluxe | Luxury | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| With 2 Adults | |||
| With 4 Adults | |||
| With 6 Adults |
| Deluxe | Premium | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahabalipuram | Zest @ Big Beach | Hotel Athithi | Anandha Inn |
| Vehicle Provided | AC Swift Desire / Innova | AC Swift Desire / Innova | AC Swift Desire / Innova |
| Trichy | Grand Gardenia | Grand Gardenia | Hotel Gnanam |
| Madurai | GRT Regency | Hotel Germanus | Hotel Supreme |
| Rameshwaram | Hotel Daiwik | Hotel Vinayaga | Hotel Vinayaga |
| Kanyakumari | Hotel Sparsa | Hotel Sparsa | Hotel Maadhini |
: For more details, contact – sales@crimsonholidays.in
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