White Town

If you do one thing right in Pondicherry, base yourself in White Town. The French Quarter is a compact grid between the Promenade and the old canal — mustard-yellow heritage houses, shuttered windows, French street names still bolted to the corners. It is small enough to walk end to end in fifteen minutes, which is exactly why it works as a base: park the car, and you can reach the seafront, the Ashram, the cafés and the boutiques all on foot.

The two out-of-town days — Auroville to the north, the beaches to the south — are short drives you make and return from. You still sleep here. Cross the old canal into the Tamil Quarter (Heritage Town) for vivid painted houses, temples and everyday street life that most visitors skip; it is a five-minute walk and part of what makes staying central worth it.