Pondicherry is simply Fun and relaxing!

Pondicherry is a must-visit place in India, be it a weekend getaway or a month long stay to unwind and have fun. Tourists flock to Pondicherry for Shri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. Also, Pondicherry is a former French Colony with a community of French people still living there which gives the place an international appeal. In fact “ Whitetown” built by the French is the most posh and well maintained section of Pondicherry. It is lined with buildings built in the French architectural style, many of which overlook the beautiful sea. There are numerous French Cafes where tourists have the ease of spending hot, sunny afternoons in a cozy ambiance, enjoying French cuisine, good music, and socializing or just being solo. There are endless restaurants serving continental food, wood-fired thin crust pizzas, freshly baked breads, cakes, French pastries etc. It is a gourmet delight! The recent years have seen an increased number of European tourists visiting Pondicherry due to the beach and the international appeal. It is a little French Town nestled in the southern coastline of Tamil Nadu. A lot of youngsters from in and around Chennai come down to Pondicherry for fun and the great Pizzas! Tantos Pizza on the way to Auroville is the most popular pizzeria and a must try when visiting Pondicherry, popularly known as Puducherry.
The best way to explore the town is to hire a bike. Many also like to cycle around the streets and cycles are easily available for hiring. A drive to Auroville is highly recommended. It goes through a beautiful forest and is a romantic experience to say the least. A community of people from 57 nations lives in the middle of a forest growing their own food, running their own crèches, schools, hospitals and so on. It is a self- sufficient community, called the Aurovillen community. The idea of people coming together from different countries and living together is to create and experience brotherhood and oneness despite differences. The Mother’s Temple, known as the “Matri Mandir” is situated here in Auroville. If living in a forest with all modern amenities fancies you, there are ample resorts on the way to Auroville. Usually these places are more popular with the foreign tourists. This is a great place for anyone who has a feel and attraction for the forest. People are seen cycling around in these areas, visiting many restaurants, Tantos is one of which. It is a well-guarded forest with apparently no wildlife.
A day’s excursion to the south of Pondicherry brings you to Arikamedu, a former Indo-Roman trading center from 2nd century AD. Excavations here have found Roman coins and wine jars. A few kilometers away is Chunnambar, the PTDC boathouse. Boating here is an amazing experience and a short boat ride lands you in a sand bar that is like being on a remote island in the middle of no-where! Beaches like paradise beach is very popular and popular for boating experience.
15 kms to the west of Pondicherry is the Ousteri lake. It is the largest fresh water body of the region and a home to over 20,000 birds belonging to 40 species in the winter month. It has been recognized as one of the important wetlands of Asia by the International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).This is a popular picnic spot.
Pondicherry is a touristic delight for all age groups. It has developed well to facilitate tourists in all ways. Besides the luxury resorts, there are good number of guest houses and the best among these belong to the Shri Aurobindo Ashram. The ones that overlook the sea are simply wonderful. The rooms are spacious, immaculately clean, have an old world charm, very peaceful and are beautifully designed with a lot of thought and care. Besides good accommodation and abundant variety of food from Indian to Continental, Pondicherry is popular for Yoga, Bollywood Dance, Tango, Salsa, French Cooking, Indian Cooking, Scuba Diving and Horse Riding. Puducherry suits the romantics, the spiritualists, the youngsters out to have fun, the retired, the girls’ gang, the loner, the nature lover, it has something for everybody. TravelsnTrips highly recommends Pondicherry as a must visit place in India.