Cycling tour of Pondicherry

For this tour, you will have the opportunity to cycle around the French, Muslim and Tamil quarters of Pondicherry.

You will start this tour with a visit to the French Town. It is an oval-shaped township with the streets placed at right angles which is rather unlike other Indian towns. The town planning and the skyline are both typical of coastal French settlements, an influence that travelled overseas with the colonialists.

From here, you will continue to the Tamil Quarter. Originally built around a nucleus of shrines, this part of the city has a contrasting architectural style, demonstrated in restored Tamil mansions which have unique elements like semi-public street verandahs for visitors outside the house, and inside, a central courtyard with grand columns.

Your last stop will be the Muslim Quarter which is home to some ornate Islamic architecture.

The highlight of the tour is to see the religious harmony that exists in the town with shrines like Varadaraja Perumal in the Hindu Quarter, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in the French Quarter and Khutbah and Meeran mosques in the Muslim Quarter, all thriving simultaneously.