Puducherry, India
Puducherry is a regional capital of 657,209 people in Puducherry, India, founded in November 1, 1954.
Why visit Puducherry
Townapedia lists 35 museums and landmarks, 15 parks and trails, 230 places to eat, 76 places to stay and 16 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Eden Beach Puducherry, Pondicherry lighthouse, Aayi Mandapam and Arikamedu.
Weather in Puducherry
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Puducherry
Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the capital and most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of India and is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal to the east and the state of Tamil Nadu, with which it shares most of its culture, heritage, and language.
From the Wikipedia article Pondicherry (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Puducherry on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do16
Pondicherry lighthouse
Lighthouse · 0.6 km
Former lighthouse in India
Kovai Pazhamudir Nilayam
Farm and orchard
17 Rue Rangapouille, Puducherry
Mo-Su,PH 09:00-22:00
Kunasaegaran Pillai Marchand de Fruits
Farm and orchard
Rue Mahatma Gandhi, Puducherry
Mo-Su 09:00-20:00
4 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks35
Arikamedu
Monument and historic site · 3.6 km
Still digging arikamedu
French War Memorial
Monument and historic site · 0.6 km
War memorial in Pondicherry, India
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Puducherry Science Centre & Planetarium
Museum · 3.1 km
Children's Science Museum in Kurinji Nagar, Lawspet
Old Lighthouse, Puducherry
Monument and historic site · 0.6 km
Goubert Avenue
Tu-Su 10:00-17:30
Papiers faits à la main de Sri Aurobindo
Monument and historic site · 0.9 km
50 Boulevard Sardar Vallabbhai Patel (Boulevard du Nord), Puducherry
Bharathiyar memorial and research centre
Museum · 0.7 km
Mo-Fr 09:30-13:00,02:00-17:30; Mo off, Tu-Su 09:00-05:30
23 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds15
3 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes230
Cantos Social House
Cafe · Coffee Shop
No. 16 Junction of Mission Street and Montorsier Street, Heritage Town, Puducherry
Tues-Sun 12pm to 12am
Dindigul Thalappakatti
Restaurant · Indian, Biryani · 1.1 km
108 Kamaraj Salai, Puducherry
PH,Mo-Su 11:00-01:00
Restaurant Satsanga
Restaurant · French · 1.0 km
54 Rue Labourdonnais, Puducherry
12:00-15:00,19:00-23:00
Richy Rich
Ice cream · 0.9 km
Bright & cheerful dessert shop & ice-cream parlour, with a sea view right outside.
52 Goubert Ave, White Town, Puducherry, Puducherry
Mo, Tu, Th-Su, PH 10:00-23:45; We 11:00-23:45
Sicily's
Restaurant · 1.0 km
56 Goubert Avenue, Beach Rd, Puducherry
Hours: Tuesday 7:30 am-10:30 pm Wednesday 11 am-10:30 pm Thursday...
Atherai veg restaurant
Restaurant · Indian
50 Needarajapayar Street, Puducherry
Mo-Su 07:30-22:00
Bread And Chocolate
Restaurant · 0.7 km
"Bread & Chocolate is your one stop destination to experience artisanal gourmet food ; Focused on quality ingredients and always working...
6 Marine Street, next to Sri Aurobindo Ashram, White Town, Puducherry, 605001
Mo-Su 08:15-17:00; Mo-Fr 06:00-21:30; Sa, Su 05:45-21:30
Cafe Veloute
Restaurant · Indian, International · 0.7 km
28 Lal Bahadur Shastri Street, Puducherry
Mo-Su 11:00-23:00
Dilliwaala6
Restaurant · Indian · 0.7 km
6 Rue de la Marine, Puducherry
Mo-Su 07:30-22:30
Hot King
Cafe · Kebab
284 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Puducherry
Mo-Su,PH 11:00-11:00
218 more on the map.
History
Puducherry, formerly known as Pondicherry and Poudichéry, gained its significance as "the French Riviera of the East" after the advent of French colonialisation in India. Puducherry is the Tamil interpretation of "new town" and mainly derives from "Poduke", the name of the marketplace or "port town" for Roman trade in the 1st century, as mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The settlement was once an abode of learned scholars versed in the Vedas, hence it was also known as Vedapuri.
The history of Puducherry can broadly be classified into two periods: pre-colonial and colonial. The pre-colonial period started with the reign of the Pallavas, who ruled the empire from 325 to 900, after which came the Chola dynasty, from 900 to 1279, and the Pandya dynasty, from 1279 to 1370. During the 14th century, the city was under the rule of the Nayaks of Gingee of the Vijayanagara Empire, from 1370 to 1614, when it was conquered by the Sultan of Bijapur, who ruled it from 1614 to 1638. It was during this period that Portuguese and Danish merchants used it as a trading centre.
The colonial period began with the Portuguese, the first Europeans to conduct trade in textiles, in 1521, and subsequently, the Dutch and the Danes in the 17th century.
From the History section of Pondicherry on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay76
Churches and places of worship67
Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Church · Roman Catholic
204 Mission Street, Puducherry
Madras Pentecostal Assembly Church
Church · 1.1 km
2nd Cross Rainbow Nagar, Puducherry
Église Saint-Jean (Église de l'Inde du Sud)
Church · Church Of South India
Rue Victor Simonel, Puducherry
Mudakku Mariamman Koil
Place of worship · Hindu · 0.8 km
Mudaku Maariyamman Kovil street, Puducherry
Shopping40
Gas and EV charging9
HP
Gas station · 0.7 km
254 Bussy Street / Lal Bahadur Shastri Street, Puducherry
Schools, colleges and libraries37
Blocks Child Care & Play School
School · 1.0 km
15 2nd Cross Rainbow Nagar, Puducherry
Healthcare53
Kuppammal Memorial Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.7 km
30 Mudaku Maariyamman Kovil street, Puducherry
Alpha Ortho Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.7 km
263 Bussy Street / Lal Bahadur Shastri Street
Adisha Child Care Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.4 km
47 Brindavanam 3rd Cross Street, Puducherry
Map of Puducherry
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Puducherry Airport (PNY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 km away.
- Gundupālaiyam 3 km west, about 3 min by car
- Kottaikuppam 3 km north, about 3 min by car
- Ariyānkuppam 5 km southwest, about 5 min by car
- Manaveli 5 km southwest, about 5 min by car
- Kurumbapet 6 km west, about 6 min by car
- Villianur 8 km west, about 8 min by car
- Auroville 8 km north, about 8 min by car
- Koonimedu 18 km north, about 18 min by car
- Uppalavādi 20 km south, about 20 min by car
- Cuddalore 21 km south, about 21 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Pondicherry Panorama 1, Karthik Easvur, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tombs of Bishops - Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (4), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (8), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (6), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (9), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (2), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (3), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (7), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (5), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (10), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Puducherry (11), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Puducherry Cathedral, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Outside Mary - Puducherry Cathedral, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Christ the King, Puducherry Cathedral, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Outside Joseph - Puducherry Cathedral, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- A street stall near Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Catherdral, Puducherry, iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0
- A book store infront of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Catherdral, Puducherry, iMahesh, CC BY-SA 4.0
- New and old lighthouses - Pondichery, Dr. Ajay B. MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Beach Promenade at Pondicherry panorama, Sanyam Bahga, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Puducherry-Bharathi Park-Aayi Mandapam-WUS02289, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Arikamedu, Early Historic Site 03, Jayaseerlourdhuraj, CC BY-SA 3.0
- French War memorial, Rafimmedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Statue at Pondicherry Museum 10, Satdeep Gill, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Puducherry Sacred Heart Cathedral 2, BishkekRocks, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges - our Lady of Holy Angels - Pondicherry, Aravindaraja, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Andrews Church Reddiarpalayam Pondicherry Front View, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Puducherry Immaculate Conception Cathedral 2, BishkekRocks, CC BY-SA 3.0
- New light house, Karthik Easvur, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Manakula vinayagar temple north entrance, Prabhupuducherry, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tomb of Nicolas Champenois, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Ambrose Rayappan, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Louis-Charles-Auguste Hébert, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Joseph-Adolphe Gandy, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Venmani S Selvanather, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Auguste-Siméon Colas, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Clément Bonnand, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tomb of Pierre Brigot, Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cathedral Cemetery, Pondicherry (1), Jayarathina, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Page built November 2, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.