This was my second trip to Pondicherry, and I loved it as much as the first time. And left me wanting to go back again…

We had taken a bus which dropped us near a stop called Indira Gandhi Statue. From there we took a couple of autos to our homestay. This homestay was just opposite Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

We freshened up and started for lunch. We walked to White Town for lunch, which was around a km away. Being new years’ time, most places were full. (White Town is the area around Promenade/Rocky beach, which has lot of restaurants).

We finally found this restaurant Le Chateau (which very surprisingly was quite empty). Good food, nice ambiance. We spent most of the afternoon here.

We visited the Aurobindo Ashram after this. Unless you are a follower of Rishi Aurobindo, there is nothing much here. The place has the Samadhi of Rishi Aurobindo and the Mother and a nice book store.

The next day we went to Paradise Beach (the best beach in Pondicherry according to me). The crowd was less, which gave us a great opportunity to introduce our daughter to the beach for the first time.

We had lunch just outside the beach in this hut restaurant (every restaurant is a french restaurant in Pondicherry). I had a yummy crab meal here.

For dinner, we again went to White Town, had dinner in Villa Shanti. Had to wait for quite a while, but the food was worth it (tip: if you are planning to go to Villa Shanti, reach there before 8pm or after 10:00pm for dinner, in between it’s full)

The next day was entirely spent in Auroville. By the time we reached, it was time for Lunch. We had lunch in the Auroville cafeteria. We were too busy eating to take photos. Then Moumita (wifey) and my Sister went shopping, which took up the afternoon.

I had visited Matrimandir before. The rest of us was not interested in just going and seeing the structure from the distance, so we did not go forward. Below is the view of Matrimandir from the viewpoint (photo taken in my last visit)

While returning, we dropped by Bodhi Beach and Auro Beach, which both falls on the road back on ECR. Both were quite disappointing compared to Paradise beach.

Bodhi Beach Pondicherry
Bodhi Beach Pondicherry

Another nice rooftop restaurant in White Town is Rendezvous. I had been there previously, but during this visit, it was always useful.

For best experience in Pondicherry, you need a vehicle – scooter or car as per your need. There are quite a few options available. You might want to book from before (no need for scooty, but during season, its better to book car in advance).

Good food, nice beaches to hang out, quaint streets to explore, what else do you need for a nice weekend vacation?