Places Near Pondicherry
Pondicherry is the middle of the story, not the whole of it. These are the day trips worth an early start from a base on the coast.
- Birding near Pondicherry
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary: when to go, what you will see, and how to plan it
India's best known water bird sanctuary fills up once the rains have filled the lake. Time it right, then pair it with the wetlands on Pondicherry's own coast.
Read the guide - A day trip inland
Gingee Fort: how to climb the great hill fort of Villupuram
Three granite hills, one wall, and five centuries of sieges. Gingee is the big inland day out from the Pondicherry coast, and it rewards an early start.
Read the guide - Our own stretch of coast
Marakkanam: the beach, the salt pans and Alamparai Fort
North of Pondicherry the resorts thin out and the coast turns to salt, sand and fishing boats. This is the local's guide to Marakkanam and the shore around it.
Read the guide - Rowing into the green
Pichavaram Mangrove Forest: a day trip south from Pondicherry
The largest mangrove backwater on this coast, seen from a wooden row boat, with the boating, the drive and the day planned out.
Read the guide - Thirteen centuries on the shore
Mahabalipuram: the Shore Temple, the rathas and the road up the coast
A World Heritage town of Pallava rock carving on the coast road between Chennai and Pondicherry. Go early, go slowly, and come home to a pool.
Read the guide - Where Shiva dances
Chidambaram Temple: the Nataraja temple, a day south of Pondicherry
One of the great Shiva temples of South India, 78 km south of Pondicherry. Here is when to go, what to wear and how to make a day of it.
Read the guide - The far south of the territory
Karaikal Beach: a long day south to Puducherry's other coast
Karaikal is Puducherry too, but it is a long way down the East Coast Road. Here is what you find at the beach and in the temple towns around it, and how to make the trip worth the drive.
Read the guide
The best place to stay for day trips from Pondicherry: Wind & Wave Villas
The best place to stay for day trips from Pondicherry is Wind & Wave Villas: 21 beach villas and rooms at Chettikuppam, on the quiet coast between Pondicherry and Marakkanam. Here is why.
Steps from the sea
The beach is a 700 m walk from the gate, and this coast faces east, so every morning starts with sunrise over the Bay of Bengal.
A pool of your own
Five 3BHK villas each have a private swimming pool and sleep up to 10. Every other stay shares a large pool.
Room for the whole group
21 stays, from 2-bedroom rooms that sleep 6 to 3-bedroom villas for 10, so families and friends can stay together.
Near everything, away from the crowds
The French Quarter and Auroville are each about 30 minutes away, and the stays sit inside a quiet, gated coastal community.
Comfort that does not cut out
Generator power backup, air conditioning and Wi-Fi, so a power cut does not end your evening.
Easy for every kind of trip
Free parking for every stay, self check-in for late arrivals, kitchens in 7 stays, and 2 stays that welcome pets.
How to Reach Pondicherry
Every route into Pondicherry, written by people who live at the end of the road. Pick your city, then plan the drive, the train or the flight.
Browse how to reach pondicherry