Pondicherry

A french colony upto 1954, Pondicherry is a living monument of French Culture in India. The Aurobindo Ashram and 'Auroville' the international township are famous all over the world.

Temperature (°C):
Summer: Max 40.8, Min 31.2
Winter: Max 31.1, Min 25.
Season:
Throughout the year, but preferably October to March.
STD Code: 0413

How to get there

	Air: The nearest airport is Chennai (Madras) (160 kms) connected by Indian Airlines.
	Rail: Villupuram (32 kms) is the nearest railhead connected directly to Chennai (Madras) which in turn is connected to major cities in India.
	Road: Pondicherry is connected by good motorable roads to places in in South India. Bangalore (503 kms), Chidambaram (68 kms), Kanchipuram (113 kms), Chennai (Madras) (162 kms), Mamallapuram (134 kms), Thanjavur (170 kms), Thiruvannamalai (103 kms), Trichy (198 kms) etc.
	Local Transport: It is very well connected by bus service to Chennai, Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Tanjore, Chidambaram etc. Conducted Tours: Pondicherry Tourism Development Corporation Conducts local sight seeing tours from 0900 hrs till 1300 hrs from Tourist Information Bureaue, 19 Goubert Avenue. Fare: Rs.30 per head.

Places of Interest

• Botanical Gardens (2 kms)
• Eglise De Sacre Coeur De Jesus (1.5 kms)
• The Promenade, Govt. Park
• Manakula Vinayagar Temple (2 kms)
• Romain Rolland Library (1 km)
• Sri Aurobindo Ashram (2 kms)
• French Institute (2 kms)
• Museums & Art Galleries (0.5 kms, 1000-1700 hrs. Mon. closed)

Excursions

• Auroville (10 kms)
• Arikamedu (10 kms)
• Chunnambar Boat House (8 kms)
• Mailam (45 kms)
• Mandagapattu (50 kms)
• Ousteri Lake (15 kms)