Photo by IomaDI from Flickr

Fondly, nicknamed as ‘Pondy,’ this Union Territory of India is a world-famous tourist destination. It has a remarkable historical past and reflects the amalgamation of several cultures, prominently. The French colonies, the British Raj-era buildings, and various cuisines bear testimony to these facts.

Moreover, Pondicherry is blessed with numerous ‘virgin’ and gorgeous beaches and ‘pristine’ backwaters. The views of the rising and the sun, sparkling seawater, and noisy white waves will definitely leave you in a blissful state. Hence, we have brought forth our own list of top visit-worthy beaches in Pondicherry for you to explore in the future.

1. Serenity Beach

Apart from the golden tracts of sand, this beautiful beach is blanketed with green creepers at many places. Besides, the neighboring greenery does its bit to keep this place cooler. An evening walk on this soft sandy region will provide you with an exclusive sight of fishing boats and trawlers parked near the shoreline. You can play beach volleyball and built sand castles with your family and friends. The simmering azure water of the adjoining sea is ideal for swimming and boat rides. The high sea-waves also offer you the opportunity to go surfing in the daytime. In fact, the Serenity beach also has a surf school in its vicinity. Moreover, there is a café where you can buy refreshments. You can shop for local curios and souvenirs from the on-site flea market, every weekend. However, in contrast to its name, this popular beach remains pretty crowded with tourists!

2. Auroville Beach

Photo by Praveen, CC BY 2.0

Located near the renowned Auroville Ashram, it is one of the finest sea beaches in India. Due to its shallow, crystal-clear water and very small sea waves, this place has become a much-thronged swimming hub of people, here. For surfers, the morning hours are the ideal time to indulge in surfing activities. The less adventurous among us can spend our time searching for vividly-hued seashells of different sizes or building creative sand arts on this golden beach. What’s more! You can even book accommodation on any of the beachside hotels and inns, at a nominal cost.

3. Plage Paradiso Beach

Photo by SEN, CC BY-SA 2.0

Unlike the other beaches of Pondicherry, you will need to rent a ferry to reach this amazing stretch of soft and finely-grained golden sand. Luckily, the 30 minutes long ferry trip gives you an eye-catching view of the surrounding mangroves and flying birds. This place also houses a few shacks and rental shops, doing a brisk business. You can have plenty of coconut water and common snacks at these shacks. Moreover, you can hire fishing rods, fishnets, and water sports supplies from the onsite rental shops.

4. Promenade Beach

Photo by N D Senthil Ram, CC BY-SA 2.0

Unarguably, this 1.5 km long Promenade beach is the most crowded beach of Pondicherry.  Interestingly, the nearby road is cordoned off to prevent the passing by of vehicles, during early mornings and late evenings. In fact, these are the best hours to take a stroll, run, or do skating on the promenade without the fear of being hit by a vehicle. This place is also dotted with numerous commercial food stalls and health juice kiosks. If you are a hygiene-minded food lover, then you should head to the famous Le Cafe. Here, you can order coffee and an assortment of baked goodies. The statues of Joan of Arc, Dupleix, and Gandhi are some of the major monuments of this region. You should also check out the war memorial, the heritage city hall, and local lighthouse. For shopaholics, the nearby handicraft markets offer you a wide range of local stuff.

5. Karaikal Beach

Photo by Jassimjazz, CC BY-SA 3.0

Another much-visited shore of Pondicherry, this southern beach also offers food kiosks, restaurants and adventure sports facilities. Additionally, there is a children’s park and a parking facility on its premises. You can have fun navigating the rented boats, kayaks and canoes, offshore. Play a game of volleyball on the sandy beach or a game of tennis at its Tennis court. Otherwise, go for a long walk or sit on the beach as much as you want.

You can also travel to these lesser-known beaches- the Mahe Beach, the Quiet Beach, and the Reppo Beach if you want to explore Pondicherry’s other shore-side alternatives.

Guest Author’s Bio:

Rohit is an Indian traveler and a scuba driver by profession. He has visited many Indian and International tourist destinations. You’ll find him writing travel blogs at TransIndiaTravels.com and educational articles on the marine life, in his leisure hours.

Thank you, Rohit for this great post about Pondicherry Beaches. I love to have content from areas I haven’t been able to explore yet!

Photo by Mahesh Telkar from Flickr