Pondicherry (French Quarter)

Pondicherry (Puducherry) is India with an unexpected French accent. Its charming 'White Town' quarter is a grid of quiet, tree-lined streets edged with mustard-yellow colonial villas, French street signs, chic boutiques and cafés serving croissants and filter coffee alike — a genuinely unique atmosphere on India's east coast.

Life centres on the seafront Promenade (Rock Beach), lovely at dawn and in the evening when it's closed to traffic. Add the serene Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the experimental township of Auroville nearby, and a laid-back beachy pace, and it's a favourite weekend escape.

• ›Wandering the French Quarter's photogenic streets.
• ›The seaside Promenade at sunrise or evening.
• ›The Sri Aurobindo Ashram and nearby Auroville.

The French Quarter is small and best explored on foot or by bicycle. Weekends draw crowds from Chennai — weekdays are calmer. It's also known (unusually for the region) for its bars and relaxed nightlife.