It all started with a stroll away from the seaside. Although the yearning to feel sand slipping from under our feet was alluring, it was the harsh afternoon sun that kept us away. We walked through baroque villas where outdoor cafes were intimately nestled, as if shying away from the humid air, waiting for the evening dance to begin. Creepers on wooden doors softened their grandiosity and chalk drawings or traditional rangoli outside them invited us to their world. Occasionally, the twirling rot iron street lamps stood on the corners, watching the passersby quietly.

French quarter

Next, we headed to the White Town (the French Colony). The yellow houses had a fabulous architecture and it did look like something we see in the movies. But somehow, I felt it was overvalued too. There is nothing much to see there; one can just get a few pictures clicked (that too not in front of the houses as the French people obviously don’t like it). The place is perfect for clicking a picture in a black ravishing dress!

Pondicherry is famous for its French quarters, of colors such as sun burnt yellow, peach, ash or just white, the ornate balconies, sprawling courtyards and arched gates lined with bougainvillea. The perpendicular roads which still retain their French names will make you apply your brakes every now and then, just so that you see the architecture around you.

Our hotel was situated in White Town, so a lot of places including cafes/restaurants were at a walkable distance.

White Town is the beauty of the Pondicherry city.This is the part of the city that you will fall in love with. The French influence is evident in the buildings and city plan.The beach guesthouse we stayed was just 10mts from Promenade . The place is a bliss and you can spend a pleasant evening walking or just seeing the tides hit the shore. Also , Since the place we stayed was just so near by, we spent mornings and evenings looking the abundance that is the Sea .

French Riviera of India. Quiet lanes with trees creating a roof ahead. Dominated with pale yellow old French buildings. A place to relax, stroll & soak it all in.

You will try and not skip on its clean brick cobbled pavements. You will fail. The French Quarter’s mustard and white mansions that hide behind bursts of pink bougainvillea vines will elude you. You will look through its glass windows expecting an 1860s scene out of Paris. You will see a couple of weights and lifting machines instead and reel with the shock of realising that this French mansion has now been converted to a gym. You will also grumble as you pass by the white, immaculate colonial mansion that is Raj Niwas (Residence of the Governor of Pondicherry) and not be able to enter it. I would suggest you take a walk through the ‘white town’ in the early mornings or late nights while the crowds are thinner. INTACH also organises Heritage Walks in the French Quarter. So get in touch with them or just rent a bicycle and hum to yourself as you zip past crumbling mansions.