First things first: Finding a ride 🛵

I always rent a bike when I travel. It gives me independence.
Pondicherry has plenty of bike rental shops, and while online options like Royal Brothers exist, booking directly from local shops isЧитать далее
The 3-Day Plan

We planned 3 days and 2 nights in Pondicherry. Our return bus was on March 15th night.
We booked our first night in Auroville. For the second night, we planned to book directly at a hotel inЧитать далее
Our unique stay in Auroville

We stayed at SoulZone, which offers unique sleeping pods and is located at the very beginning of Auroville Road.
After approximately 30 minutes of scootering from Pondicherry, we reached SoulZoneЧитать далее
No time to waste

Since we had the whole day ahead of us, lingering at this cute little property wasn't part of the plan. We immediately began freshening up from the tiredness of the overnight bus journey, and withinЧитать далее
Auroville Rd

Since it was just 9 AM, we figured this was the best time to visit Auroville Beach before the sun became unbearable.
The 7 km ride via Auroville Road was peaceful, lined with lush greenery, cafes,Читать далее
Café Hunt

Our first stop was 'Bread & Chocolate', one of the most popular cafes in Auroville. But there was no seating available. Instead of waiting, we kept exploring since there were plenty ofЧитать далее
Planning over breakfast

While eating breakfast, we planned our day. We also asked the café owner about nearby attractions.
He recommended:
- Youth Centre (experience Auroville’s unique culture)
- Matrimandir (the goldenЧитать далее
Auroville Visitors Centre

It's like an information and reception centre for visitors to Auroville and Matrimandir, it comprises several exhibitions, information desk, garden, auroville styled garments and book shops andЧитать далее
Change of scenery: White Town calling

Realizing we had covered most of Auroville's highlights and it was too early to return to our accommodation, we decided to head back to Pondicherry, specifically to the charming White Town.
White Town & it's charming streets

The first thing you ever hear if people talk about Puducherry is the White Town/French colony which is the main attraction of this town.
White Town transported us to a different world with itsЧитать далее
Lunch at Coromandel

After exploring many cafés, we chose Coromandel Café for lunch. It's one of Pondicherry's best. A relaxed afternoon with good food, chilled beer, and slow conversations made it one of the bestЧитать далее
Pondicherry's iconic Starbucks

As we rode back toward our stay, a cool wall with eye-catching graffiti caught our attention - one we had saw in several Instagram reels before. It turned out to be Pondicherry's famous StarbucksЧитать далее
Just one more turn

Heading back to our property, instead of going straight back to our stay, I couldn't resist continuing forward on Auroville Road since the tree canopy and winding path were relaxing.
Just when aЧитать далее
Small break

We finally got back to our pod, thinking we might sleep. But then we realized that if we did, we'd wake up after dark with nothing to do and we weren’t even feeling sleepy.
After an hour of lyingЧитать далее
Auroville Beach revisit at Golden Hour

This time, the beach was actually enjoyable. The weather was perfect, and the place was lively with people enjoying the waves and bathing in the ocean. Small beach shops were open too, adding to theЧитать далее
Night bites

On our way back from Auroville Beach, we stopped by Hope Cafe on Auroville Main Road. At night, the ambiance was amazing with open seating, greenery, and fairy lights. But there was one majorЧитать далее
New day, new adventures

The next morning, we woke up to a complimentary buffet breakfast at our stay. After enjoying the meal, we checked out and headed to Pondicherry.
Dual purpose

Next, we headed straight to Anthe's Restaurant for a light brunch in White Town, one of Pondicherry's most beautiful cafés. This spot served dual purposes - cafe exploration and providing a peacefulЧитать далее
How to reach the Paradise?

While researching our next stop at Anthe’s, we came across two popular beaches: Promenade Beach and Paradise Beach.
We had already seen a glimpse of Promenade Beach the previous day while exploringЧитать далее
Private beach, private experience

We found out that the online information about needing a boat to reach Paradise Beach was incorrect. We were able to ride directly to the beach and park our scooter there. It was a relief to avoid theЧитать далее
Reflection Point: Perfect trip duration?

Back in White Town, we started searching for accommodation for the night. But a thought kept nagging at me—what would we do the entire next day? Honestly, neither of us felt like staying anotherЧитать далее
Making the most of remaining hours

With our early departure decided, we had a few hours left to enjoy the city and complete necessary tasks - returning the bike, having dinner, and booking our bus tickets. For the bus, we chose to bookЧитать далее
Local Flavors: Beyond Café Culture

After an hour or so of leisurely coffee sipping, we headed out for food. We wanted to sample some street food, as Pondicherry's cafés offered limited menu options compared to the vibrant streetЧитать далее
Dinner Dilemma

With no rush (most buses departed after 10 pm), we still needed to plan carefully to avoid complications. Two tasks remained: returning the scooter and having dinner.
The scooter needed to beЧитать далее
The cost of changing plans

Knowing our post-return destination, we headed to the rental shop. I explained that although we had booked for three days, we were returning after just two, but the shopkeeper refused any refund,Читать далее