Solo travelling to Pondicherry/ Puducherry|| White town Pondicherry|| Auroville|| What to do at Pondicherry|| what to eat at Pondicherry|| transport Pondicherry|| Solo travel guide to Puducherry||
This was part of my bucket list for a very long time. One for Auroville, and the other for this French town and its cafes. And finally, it happened. After Isha, I wanted to have one meditation session at Auroville, and it drove me to Pondicherry. My reasons were simple, and I am so thankful that it happened. Overall, it was a great trip. I loved the way things worked out for me, and so grateful for the experiences I had. Loads to tell you; let’s dive in..
How to go to Pondicherry:
Inter-city Bus Services: I went to Pondicherry from Coimbatore after my trip to Isha Foundation. Mostly, there are night buses available to Pondicherry from Coimbatore. I found only one day bus from Krish Travels, and it was a very comfortable journey. It took about 9 hours; yes, it’s a long journey, but won’t complain.
Apart from that, there are regular A/C buses available from Chennai city; it takes about 4 hours, and the journey is quite good. I booked the bus service on RedBus, even though many bus companies have their own booking portal.
Train: There are train services available from Chennai city. Like, if you are travelling from any other state, there are high chances that you have to change your train at Chennai.
Airport: Puducherry also has an airport. There are flight options available; especially from Bengaluru, there are direct flights available.
Stay at Puducherry:
There are many hotels, hostels and apartments available for a stay. Mostly, for first-timers, people prefer the white town area, by the beach or close to the beach in one of those yellow buildings. I didn’t stay in those yellow buildings but in a white one, at the very heart of white town. And truly as a first timer it’s a great place to stay and to tell you the truth I wanted to stay at the white town area only.
Apart from there, you may choose other locations like Eden Beach area, Serenity Beach etc. Now, to make it clear, all these beaches are about 5-6 km away from White Town.
Then there comes Auroville. Now, Auroville is roughly 11 km away from white town, and if you want to stay at Auroville, you can stay there; then, for white town, better split your stay between Auroville and white town.
What to do at Pondicherry:
The usual would be eat, sleep, stroll and repeat.. or else, there is plenty to do. For example:
White Town: the place to be. Out of all the places I went to, I truly loved white town. I didn’t mind taking the same lane every day, exploring some more. But yes, early morning should be the time for French Town walk, as the day progresses, so does the sun. After 9 in the morning, the sun is too strong to take, hence go for early morning and, of course, once again in the evening. Evening walks are beautiful. The beautiful buildings, cafes, shops, street art and the vibe; it’s so attractive and inescapable.
Temples & Churches: Pondicherry has many churches and temples. And many of them are very close to white town. Maximum within 2 km, I walked to all these places. I covered churches like Notre Dame des Anges, Our Lady of Angels church, and Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Then I also visited a few temples close by. As you walk, you come across a few temples, and then there is one big temple close to the Aurobindo Ashram.
Aurobindo Ashram: very close to White Town. They close at 6 pm. People come to offer their prayers to the samadhi of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Phones should be switched off; no pictures allowed. No entrance fees required. There is a bookstore inside the ashram. People are allowed to sit and meditate here. You should remain silent inside. It’s a short tour. And there are temples around this area; do explore them.
Rock Beach: it’s part of white town only. Boulder Beach. Hence, you can’t enjoy the water; an evening stroll, sitting by the beach, is quite a practice among locals and tourists. But was this one my favourite? I won’t say this.
Wonders of White town/ Live Art Museum: you must have seen Instagram posts by many influencers about a museum which has dolls from every country and looks so amazing. Well, it is quite nicely done. At the entrance, they talk about 4 museums altogether, but please don’t think you are entering a palace; the tour will end sooner than you have imagined. So, about the dolls, they don’t have dolls of all countries, but they dress the dolls in the traditional attires of all countries in the world and all states of India, and present them in a very cute way. That’s the main attraction. There are some statues of some famous celebrities, artwork, etc. The main attraction, however, is the dolls in their exquisite attire. Entry fee: RS 295 pp.
Lighthouses: read this part carefully. There are 2 lighthouses near white town. One is very much within the white town, which looks very new but is actually the Old Lighthouse. The other one is the New one, about 2 km from White Town, but looks older than the old one!! Did you get it?? Read it again, and it will be crystal clear!! Starting with the New one first. It’s taller than the old one, has one elevator which takes you to the top. Weekdays are absolutely empty. Be there as long as you may like; the view from this one is better, of course, because of the height. Entry fee is 12 RS per person. Open from 9 am to 5 pm. The Pondy Marina beach is close by. Coming to the old one now: as mentioned, it’s very much in white town. It’s well-maintained, actually recently renovated; there is also a guesthouse inside the lighthouse. Entry ticket is 50 RS per person. Open from 9:30 am to 6 pm. You have to buy your last ticket latest by 5:30pm, after that they close the counter and the place remains open for remaining viewers.
The height of the lighthouse is shorter than the new one, which also means you have to take stairs to go up. Sounds cool!! The only small issue is the stairs are spiralling up to the top, and so did my brain, so your steps should be slow and steady. Don’t rush. Since the space is limited here, 5-6 people are allowed at the top at a time. Maximum time allowed is 15 minutes per visit. You see the rock beach at the front, the promenade; not bad overall..
Auroville: my first and foremost objective was to meditate inside the Matri-mandir. One has to pre-book a slot, which opens 5 days before the arrival date (the website remains inoperable on Tuesday), and they confirm over email with the allotted time. Upon arriving, they brief the rules to go inside the Matri-mandir. I am not getting there. The interior of the Matri-mandir is sparkling white marble. The surroundings are still under construction as per Sri Aurobindo’s vision, which will take its own time. The Matri-mandir is the place to be. I wanted to be there for as long as I could.
You are allowed a maximum of 1.5 hours inside Matri-mandir. After that, you are brought back to the main entrance. Entry to Matri Mandir is free, and prior confirmation is required. For a day visitor, you have the option for a few tours. There are staff available to help you with the booking, like, there is Svaram Sound Garden tour (entry fee 350 pp), there is a Svaram Healing bath session available (800 rs pp), but this session will only be possible if 6 people book it. Otherwise, on a Wednesday, they do it as a group activity. There is an Auroville guided tour available. The car takes you around the Auroville city, with 2-3 stops in between. An AC vehicle for 3-4 will cost 1800-2400 Rs in total. There are cafeterias inside; you can book a tour and, in the meantime, enjoy some time with your choice of food.
Sound garden tour is for about 45 minutes but half is more than enough as per me. Then comes the Matri Mandir viewpoint. For the visitors who are booking the tour, they are given a transfer to the viewpoint, and from viewpoint everyone can take a free ride to come back to the entrance point. The viewpoint is beautiful; you see the golden orb from a distance, and in the late afternoon it has its soft yet shining view. But I know with all my heart that the inside is far more enchanting.
For any other visitor who only comes for the viewpoint, they have to make their own way to the Matri Mandir Viewpoint, which is roughly 1 km from the entrance point. During the day or afternoon, it’s a little tough, if you ask me. Keep a bottle of water (you can refill inside, as they have many water refilling stations) and an umbrella.
If you want to explore Auroville more, you have to stay here; you cannot explore the place on foot. You may get the option to rent a scooter if you come early. But you have to have a reservation in the cafes if you wish to explore any; it’s a city itself and works at its own pace and policy. I got a brief glimpse, thanks to a little friend I made there.
Staying here is recommended. There are a lot of communities here; people from across the world come for volunteering, to attend various workshops, etc. Staying here helps you learn them more. But yes, you have to rent a bike to commute inside; that’s for sure.
Serenity Beach: about 2 km from Auroville. Nice one; you get to take surfing lessons in the daytime here.
Paradise Beach: one has to take the boat service from Junagarh Boat House. Service starts at 10 am; the ticket price will be 375 pp, Better book the round ticket. The last service is at 4 pm. I went there but skipped it at the end.
Mangrove Boating: Instead, I went for the mangrove boat ride. There are 2 places from where one can take a boat ride. One of them is Ariyankuppam on Arikamedu Road. I went to Wills Boat House. They have an option for a motor boat, which is shared and needs at least 10 people to operate. Or else go for Kayaking; a single boat for 1 pax costs 600 for 30 mins. For longer durations and more people, the rates will differ. They also provide a guide along with you. The kayaking was a great decision; you row the boat in between the drooping mangrove over your head, and rowing beneath the playful light and shadow was so serene and calming. I loved it. The earlier you go, the more you enjoy. They are open from 6 am to 6 pm. There are a few other Boat houses, but the Rapido rider suggested this one and the people at this boat house were also very nice. They also have a stay option here, which looks like simple huts. Not sure if I will recommend..
Eden Beach: Eden Beach is a Blue Flagged beach in Pondicherry, which means it is a certified clean beach of Pondi. And seriously, I couldn’t complain. This is the most organised and cleanest beach I witnessed in Pondi, and that also means I loved it. Truly and purely loved this beach. People stay at this beachside; there are stay options available. There is also a backwater before the beach; one can enjoy kayaking here as well, but not the mangrove-like experience. Then there are a lot of fun water activities available at this backwater.
If you need to book a cab or bike while coming back from here, and if you can’t manage, the bus stand is close by, right in front of a temple. You may take help from the conductor; he/she will help you dropping off at the closest location to your hotel.
Duration:
Usually, the weekends are very busy. Pondicherry is more of a weekend destination, but as per me, if you want to enjoy the place, weekdays should be your focus. You can enjoy cafes and places with fewer people. 2-3 days is not bad; I spent 5 nights and still wasn’t bored of the place. This is only for the white town area; Auroville is separate. You should have more time in hand if you wish to stay in Auroville.
Rough tour plan:
I mostly did my tours in the morning or late afternoon. From 11-3, I used to be inside the apartment. Except for the day I visited Auroville; that was, of course, a whole-day thing.
Day 1: Arrived in the evening; since I had a long journey, I wanted to have my dinner and crash. Saying this, I did explore the beach area, spotted ‘Baker Street’, kept it for the day next, had my dinner, took a short walk in the white town alleys and went back to my room.
Day 2: early morning walk to the white town, breakfast at Baker Street, followed by a hot chocolate moment at another café. Also, a tour to the Live Art Museum. In the late afternoon, I explored some churches and temples. Let me tell you one thing here, Pondi has a lot of temples, churches, and mosques. If you want, you can run around all of them, or if you are like me, better slow down, limit yourself to a few and enjoy them thoroughly. The churches, temples are beautiful here. I loved sitting there for some time. Looking around, they are simple, but have great energy. Then went for dinner, and all my evenings ended after a brisk walk in the white town lanes.
Day 3: morning breakfast at a South Indian Restaurant; in the late afternoon, I went for the lighthouse visits.
Day 4: Auroville visit. My meditation slot was at 8 in the morning; from White Town it takes about an hour to reach Auroville. While coming back, I took a small stop at Serenity Beach and by 6:30-ish I was back to my room, hence had dinner in White Town. If you don’t have your own transport to commute to-from Auroville, then better come back to Pondicherry early. Like by 5; otherwise it’s a challenge to get a vehicle.
Day 5: The plan was to go to Paradise Beach, I was at the ticket counter; since I had 1 hour to wait for them to open, I changed my mind and went for Mangrove Kayaking, followed by another stop at Eden Beach. And came back to white town. However, it was tough to get a cab/bike from Eden beach, luckily the bus station is very close, right in front of a nearby temple, they helped me getting down closer to white town, about 2 km distance from there. Either you can take an auto from there or like me I took a walk. It was a quiet, pleasant walk with an umbrella, of course.
There are many other places, like the museum in white town, and more temples a little distance away; if you have time and interest, you may explore as much as you want.
Food & Pondicherry:
it’s a foodies’ paradise. Full of cafes, French vibe, croissants, bakeries.. You name it, the place has a collection.
Baker Street, Bread and Chocolate, GMT Ice Cream, CherryPond, Café Hope, Café Velote, Coromandel café, De Roman, Le Chateau etc. you get great options here, plus there are budget places.. You must try Le Café run by the government. Then there are street food corners by the beach and many others. There can be some or other festivals going on by the beach. If a food festival is on, you may find a lot of local produce options.
Transport at Pondicherry:
Most important point to consider for your trip to Pondicherry. To move around the town, it’s best if you can ride a bike/Scooty and rent it locally. Otherwise, you have the option of Rapido bike (they work better than auto or taxi service). Autos charge bomb here (from a solo traveller’s perspective), 4-wheelers don’t confirm easily. This is a drawback when travelling to Pondicherry. Otherwise, if you know how to ride a bike, then you are in the right place and doing all the right things.
Travel tips to Pondicherry:
- Rental bikes are kind of a must.
- In many places, it’s difficult to get a Rapido; try to find the nearest bus stop and take a bus to the city
- White Town is expensive; accommodation, food (especially at the famous restaurants) will cost, hence be prepared.
- From White Town you can only do a day trip to Auroville; you cannot see Auroville completely. You won’t be allowed to enter the entire Auroville city on a day trip.
- Overall, white town is safe to be around, but most of the cafes close by 11 pm; hence, you can’t expect loud nightlife here. Though weekends are busy, the place is not bustling; the lanes still hold a calm, which is beautiful.
- Try visiting on weekdays, as you enjoy the cafes more; weekends are too busy.
& that’s more or less what I did here. To tell you a little more, there are even more places to visit, many other temples to see, but I wanted to go slow, cover only as much as possible, relax, and stay indoors or at a café during the scorching afternoons. And that’s it; Pondicherry will be a lot more pleasant than running around to see it all.
