How To Reach Pondicherry

Pondicherry or Puducherry is the capital city of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The city lies on the south-eastern Coramandel Coast of India and is an enclave of the state of Tamil Nadu. Pondicherry is bound by Tamil Nadu’s districts of Cuddalore and Villupuram on three sides and by the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side.

Pondicherry, fondly referred to by the people of South India as Pondy, is a charming quaint little town that is a treasure house for tourists. The sea and spirituality adds an old world charm to the former French Colony of Pondicherry. Pondicherry is easily accessible by air, road or rail. The town’s proximity to the large metro city of Chennai gives it the added advantage of good transport facilities, especially by air. The town is well connected to most Indian Metros and you wouldn’t have difficulty getting to the town.

The easiest and probably the fastest way to reach Pondicherry would be by road.

The airport in Pondicherry is a small one and has been accomodating flights from some cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The latest additions are the Air Odisha 19 seater Beech aircraft that flies on the Chennai-Pondicherry-Salem -Bengaluru route.

Otherwise, the next nearest domestic and international airports are at Chennai (151 km) and Tiruchirapalli (203 km). Chennai is connected with most Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kochi and Pune among others. International flights serve London, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Muscat, Kuala Lampur et al. You could take a flight from either of these cities to Chennai and travel by road to Pondicherry.

The nearest rail station is the Puducherry Railway Station at South Boulevard (Subbiah Salai). There are daily, tri weekly and weekly trains from Kolkata, Chennai, Trivandrum, Bengaluru, Mangalore, Kanyakumari, Tirupathi, New Delhi and Mumbai that halt at Pondicherry. From the railway station you can hire a cab to the city centre. The Pondicherry Main Bus Terminal is about 1.7 km and Pondicherry Airport is 6.5 km from the Railway Station.

The National Highway connects Pondicherry to cities like Chennai and Bengaluru. You could drive to Pondicherry or hire a taxi. The East Coast Road running parallel to the Bay of Bengal connects Chennai to Pondicherry and is such a beautiful scenic landscape. The roads are well maintained and it would be a breezy drive down the seaside East Coast Road to Pondicherry, literally! Otherwise, there are regular and air conditioned multi axle cosy buses to Pondicherry from Chennai, Bengaluru, Madurai, Coimbatore, Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli.

The best mode of transport would include a stroll round town. Most of the tourist sites are situated quite close to each other and you easily walk along, enjoying the sights. There are Puducherry Road Transport Corporation (PRTC), mini buses for getting around town along with taxis and tuk-tuks (auto rickshaws) too. The best option would be hired two wheelers as they are so quick to get around and enjoy the sights. Most bike rentals offer delivery at your place of stay.