If you ever heard any stories about Pondicherry you would know know that it is one place always compared to Goa and considered inferior and second best to. But that does not stop people from visiting this place. The charm of this place draws thousands of people each year and each have a good time in half the price they would having as much fun anywhere in India.
In the course of choosing a holiday destination, it is highly crucial you decide the right time and season you fix your date upon. This is essential in places where the climate has a role to play in the way your holiday plays out or places where you should visit during festive seasons. In beach destination like Pondicherry, the time of travel makes all the difference between having a good time or a dry vacation.
Although there are a few number from the mass who visit Pondicherry just to experience the rich French influenced culture and tradition, they are just a handful. The mass majority come there for the beach parties and a carefree vacation. Stay in some of the cheap hotels in Pondicherry or beach shacks and have the time of their lives. Promenade beach, Auroville beach, Paradise beach and Serenity beach are some of the notable beaches. Pondicherry beaches are not as crowded as the beaches in Goa which some people prefer. The options of drinking is available in abundance and you will find the cheapest alcohol, be it in the form of spirits or beers in this part of the country. Being a Union territory of India, this place is exempted from sales tax thus making cost of living very low. Enjoy there as much as you can because according to the law there, you are not allowed to carry liquor outside the state territory and every passenger is thoroughly checked before leaving the borders of the state.
There is nothing more soothing on a hot summer’s day than taking a dip in the ocean which is why you will see a huge crowd during summers although the most visited season is during the end of the year during December and January when Christmas and New Year’s are around the corner. It is during this season that the hotels in Pondicherry are all packed and full and chances are you will be overcharged if you don’t have an advance booking because a surge a price is normal in such locations when the demand is high.
For the people looking for a quiet and serene holiday in Pondicherry, if you choose to go during the peak seasons, the beach is the time you want to go during the afternoons and not late evenings when the crowds start to gather. Spend a quiet afternoon sipping on some beer from the shacks and talk a walk along the beach and grab a few bites of the freshly cooked vegetables and sea fish outside the shacks. Later on, you could take a walk along the quiet streets of Pondicherry where you could see small cottages and private homes built during the colonial rule built in French architecture with cottages and walls painted in bright vibrant colour and deep red bougainvilleas hanging over the walls and gates.
Pondicherry is mostly a weekend getaway for people living in near-by cities like Chennai, Coimbatore or Bangalore. Most tourists also approach it via these cities although there is an airport where Jet airways and Air India airline operate, train is still the major mode of transport the travellers use.