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Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram Trip Itinerary

Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram Trip Itinerary

I have designed a perfect itinerary for your Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram trip. This is a 5-day itinerary which covers some of the best places to see, local food and accommodations.

HOW TO REACH

Chennai Airport is the nearest Airport to reach both places. We first visited Mahabalipuram. It is approximately one and a half hour drive from Chennai airport. You can easily get taxis from the airport to reach Mahabalipuram. There are many Luxurious and Budget stays at Mahabalipuram. Although you can cover the places to see in Mahabalipuram in a day, I recommend staying here for 2 days. Mahabalipuram has some of the best luxurious Resorts and Hotels with amazing hospitality. It is a beautiful place with many historical places and beaches.

Day 1

MAHABALIPURAM

four points by sheraton MAHABALIPURAM
FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON

Check-in and relax in the Hotel or Resort you are staying in. All the accommodations in Mahabalipuram have a lot of amenities to enjoy in the Resort.

We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort Hotel and Convention Centre. It is a luxurious resort. They have a lot of amenities and facilities like Swimming Pool, Gymnasium, and Play area. They also have cycles at the resort. You can ride the bicycles inside the resort as it is a spacious property. They also have spacious rooms which are well maintained and clean. CLICK HERE to book a room in this Hotel.

They serve delicious food in the restaurant. We had booked a meal package with our stay. The chef himself speaks to the guests and tries to serve the best food. We had an amazing stay at the Hotel with a wonderful staff.

Day 2

Places to Visit in Mahabalipuram

Well, there are a lot of interesting places to visit in Mahabalipuram. There are beautiful temples, some UNESCO heritage sites and serene beaches. You can see beautiful carvings and ancient architecture in these places.

There is also an interesting museum in Mahabalipuram. The museum has a lot of Sea Shells collected by a person who is passionate about accumulating them from different parts of the world.

All the Places are listed below

Well, we had booked a Half Day Taxi to visit all the places and then head towards Pondicherry. As all these places are very near to each other, you can easily see them together. It takes approximately 4 to 5 hours to see all these interesting places.

Paanch Pandav Rath

Paanch Pandav rathas at Mahabalipuram
PAANCH PANDAV RATH

It is also known as the ‘Five Rathas‘. It resembles the processional Chariots of the temple. The Five Rathas resemble the Rathas of Draupadi and the Paanch Pandavas.

Shell Museum

Shell Mueseum from Mahabalipuram at my Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram trip
SHELL MUSEUM

This museum displays the passion of Mr K Raja Mohamed to accumulate Sea Shells from all parts of the world. He has devoted many years to collecting different sea shells from all over the world. The museum was built in 2013 and displays his interesting collection of Sea Shells. This is one of the best attractions to visit in Mahabalipuram. There are several structures beautifully built with Sea Shells. This place is worth a visit when in Mahabalipuram.

Shore Temple

Shore temple Mahabalipuram
SHORE TEMPLE

This place is located near the seashore. There are two shrines at this place one facing towards the East and the other facing towards the West. You can see interesting ancient architecture and carvings here. It is built in a spacious place with a lot of greenery around it. The location of the Shore Temple is very beautiful as it is near the seashore.

Krishna’s ButterBall

Krishna's Butterball
KRISHNAS BUTTERBALL

Well, this is an interesting place to see in Mahabalipuram. It is a granite boulder naturally balanced on a slope. Although it has nothing related to Lord Krishna, it is known as Krishna’s Butterball by the local people.

Arjuna’s Penance

Arjunas Penance at Mahabalipuram
ARJUNAS PENANCE

It is said that this sculpture depicts the story of Arjuna obtaining the weapon PASUPATHA from Lord Shiva. Also, some scholars have identified this place with the story of Bhagiratha bringing the Ganges to the Earth.

So, these were all the major places to see in Mahabalipuram. Well, after seeing all these places, we headed to Pondicherry in the same cab.

The drive towards Pondicherry is very beautiful. The East Coast Road is full of greenery on both sides. Also, the roads are very well maintained for a comfortable drive.

PONDICHERRY

I was amazed to see this beautiful place. Pondicherry is now known as Puducherry. It is one of the Union Territories of India. A unique thing about its place is the French-Tamil culture, as it was ruled by the French until 1954. You can see a blend of both Tamil and French cultures in Pondicherry.

Also, you can find some beautiful old buildings and houses with ancient French architecture and designs in Pondicherry. The houses built give a feel of French and Tamil culture. Some of the streets of Pondicherry still have their French names. You can get a feel of a French Colony in White Town in Pondicherry. Some of the restaurants serve delicious French delicacies.

I recommend staying in White town or near white town if you want to explore the local culture of the place and get a vibe of it. You can walk around the streets of the white town which has many beautiful cafes and is filled with old buildings giving a feel of a French Colony.

Also, you can visit Auroville and some of the Beautiful Beaches in Pondicherry. Well, you can easily commute in an Auto Rikshaw in Pondicherry. Although it is a bit expensive to travel by Auto rikshaw, it is the easiest and best way to travel around Pondicherry. So, if you are staying in White Town, many of the places can be visited by walking. Only a few of the beaches and Auroville can be visited by Auto Rikshaw.

Pondicherry Apartment from Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram trip
PONDICHERRY APARTMENT

We stayed in Heritage Town in an AIRBNB during our stay in Pondicherry. It was just 10 minutes walking distance from White Town. A perfect location near some of the popular cafes and Restaurants. The Airbnb we stayed in was filled with beautiful paintings. It was a spacious 2 Bedroom Apartment. The Apartment was very well-maintained and clean. The staff looking after the apartment was very nice. They helped and guided us with the places to visit in Pondicherry.

SURGURU

Dosa from Surguru, Pondicherry
FOOD AT SURGURU

We had taken some rest after reaching the apartment as we went there immediately after our half-day tour of visiting all the places in Mahabalipuram. Then we headed towards our favourite Restaurant SURGURU for lunch, which was just 5 minutes walk from our apartment.

Well, this is a popular restaurant in Pondicherry serving authentic South Indian Food. They also serve some delicious North Indian Food and Indian Chinese Food. We also got the food Home delivered from this place.

Then we enjoyed a relaxing time in our apartment.

DAY 3

CYCLE TOUR

Best Cycle Tour in Pondicherry from Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram trip
SITA CULTURAL CENTRE

Well, I started my day with an amazing Cycle Tour. The tour is organised by Sita Cultural Centre in Pondicherry. My guide Manisha shared every detail about all the interesting places in Pondicherry. Also, we walked around some places. She also had taken me to all the beautiful places around White town and heritage town.

This is a 2-hour guided tour. It is worth an experience, If you like to explore the place in a bicycle. We saw some beautiful old houses on our way.

Also, we visited some of the beautiful churches, Lord Ganesha Temple, passed by from Aurobindo Ashram, and White Town. She also showed me some of the popular Cafes and restaurants in White Town. She told me about the culture of the locals in Pondicherry.

ROCK BEACH

Rock beach Pondicherry
ROCK BEACH

Then we visited Rock Beach in Pondicherry. This is a very beautiful beach. It has a huge promenade to stroll around and enjoy the sunsets. Although we went here in the morning which was fun too.

LE CAFE

Le Cafe
LE CAFE

We visited the popular Le Café which is on the promenade. They are popular for their Coffee. We had Cold Coffee and Ice cream. It was refreshing and relaxing to sip on a Cold Coffee with a beautiful beach view.

CRAFT BAZAAR

Craft Bazaar in Pondicherry
CRAFT BAZAAR

Then we went to the CRAFT BAZAAR which is right next to Rock beach. You can find some good handicraft products here. They have handmade bags, Jewellery, wooden toys, and a lot more interesting products in the Bazaar.

Then we had our lunch at Surguru and took some rest at our Apartment. In the evening we then went to Pondy Marina Beach.

PONDY MARINA BEACH

Pondy Marinaa Beach Pondicherry
PONDY MARINA BEACH

Well, Pondy Marina Beach is perfect to spend your evenings with family. There are a lot of activities to do near the Beach. There is a huge food court to enjoy some delicious food. Also, there are a few rides and activities for kids besides the food court. You can stroll around the beach or sit and enjoy seeing the sunset.

COROMANDEL CAFE

Coromandel Cafe
Coromandel Cafe

Then, we headed to Coromandel Café for some Coffee and snacks. This is one of my favourite places in Pondicherry. The Cafe has a beautiful ambience and serves delicious food. They have huge chandelier décor inside the Café. The interior of the café is very beautiful. Also, the outdoor seating area in the Café is perfectly designed. It is perfect to spend some time in the evenings sipping Coffee and having some delicious snacks.

Later in the evening, we had a relaxing time in the apartment.

DAY 4

Matri Mandir
AUROVILLE

We started our day a bit early in the morning and headed towards Auroville. This is an experimental township. Its purpose is to be a place where people of all countries can live in harmony and peace.

AUROVILLE BAKERY

This is a peaceful place and is amid a lot of greenery around. Well on our way towards the visitors centre we stopped at the popular Auroville Bakery. They are popular for their variety of Fresh Bread and cookies. Well, you can visit this place a bit early in the morning as the bread and a lot of their products are sold out quickly.

AUROVILLE VISITORS CENTRE

Then we visited the Visitors Centre. There were pictures displayed with information about Auroville Town and explaining the purpose for which the township is formed. Also, you get Free passes to visit the Matri Mandir Viewing Point from here. If you are interested to visit the Inner Chamber then you must fill up a form and place a request before a few days. Find detailed information about it on their website https://auroville.org/

MATRI MANDIR

Matri Mandir Viewing Point is a long walk of about 20 – 30 minutes from the visitor centre. They have a special Van for small children and senior citizens to visit the viewing point. You can get a good view of the Matri Mandir from this viewing point. It has a Golden Dome-like exterior and is amid greenery.

SHOPS

Then we went to some of the stores near the Visitors Centre. They had many local products to sell. There are some popular boutique stores with a variety of products.

BREAD AND CHOCOLATE

Coffee from Bread and Chocolate
BREAD AND CHOCOLATE

Then we went to Bread and Chocolate which is a small café in Auroville serving a variety of bread and Coffee. We enjoyed having Coffee at this place. It is a small little place with a good ambience.

Later we had our lunch after returning to our apartment and relaxed in the afternoon. In the evening, we visited Eden beach.

EDEN BEACH

Eden Beach Pondicherry
EDEN BEACH

This is a Blue Flag Beach. The beach is very well-maintained and clean. They have facilities like Toilets and Changing Rooms at the beach. The Beach also has a kids play area. I recommend coming here in the evenings during the sunsets. The sunset view from the Beach is very beautiful. Also, the Backwaters of the beach looks very beautiful during the sunset. You can click good pictures of the Backwaters and the Beach. This is one of the beautiful beaches in Pondicherry.

PIZZA XTASI

Pizza Xtasi Pondicherry
Wood Fired Pizza From PizzaXtasi

Then we went to Pizza Xtasi which serves one of the best Wood Fired pizzas in Pondicherry. We enjoyed having Pizza at this place. Although it is a small place, the ambience is just perfect. We had a veggie Pizza. It was perfectly cooked and very delicious. Also, we had some equally good Pasta.

DAY 6

SANDUNES PARADISE BEACH

Sandunes Paradise beach Pondicherry
SANDUNES PARADISE BEACH

Well, this was a relaxing day. We started a bit early in the morning to visit the Sandunes Paradise beach. Well, this is also a very beautiful and well-maintained Beach. It is a private beach. You can enter the Beach by paying an Entry Fee. They have a lot of activities and facilities on the beach. They have a restaurant, and activities like ATV Ride, Horse Riding, and Boating on the beach. Also, they have a lot of seats placed under shade on the beach to sit and relax. There were clean washrooms and Changing Rooms. Overall, we had a good time on the Beach.

Then after coming back from the Beach we had some lunch and relaxed in the Apartment.

BAKER STREET

Baker Street Pondicherry
BAKER STREET

In the evening we went to this café known as Baker Street. They serve one of the best Butter Croissants I have ever had. All their products are served fresh. Well, I recommend going to this place early as all the products almost get sold out till evening. You can also relish some chocolates, pastries and cookies. This place has a unique ambience. You can sit and enjoy having some Butter Croissants and pastries.

ZUKA

Zuka Chocolate Cafe Pondicherry
ZUKA CAFE

Also, then we went to Zuka. This place serves one of the best Desserts in Pondicherry. As we were not hungry while visiting this place. We had some pastries and Tart packed. Well, the chocolate pastries and tart were very delicious. You can also try their Chocolates.

SHOPPING

HIDESIGN

Hi Design Factory Outlet Pondicherry
HIDESIGN

Later in the evening, we went to see the popular HIDESIGN Store in Pondicherry. They are popular for their handbags, purses and wallets. This is a perfect place to buy branded products. There is also a factory outlet of the store in Pondicherry from where you can buy their products.

MGROAD

Mg Road for Shopping in Pondicherry
MG ROAD SHOPPING AT PONDICHERRY

This road is another popular place for Street Shopping. You can get a lot of clothes, bags, shoes and some other products like mugs, home decor at a cheaper price from here. If you like to do street shopping, then this is the perfect place to shop.

DAY 6

With all the wonderful memories of our trip to Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry, we checked out from our beautiful apartment and headed towards Chennai Airport to be back Home.

Take a video tour of the itinerary in the below link

https://youtu.be/t5g040Z_d9I

Have a look at the trailer video of this trip below

 

https://youtu.be/OLVhtxYTZTU

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