Interestingly, you can plan a budget trip even to Pondicherry which might sound very unrealistic because of its location. Situated on the bank of the sea it is an amazing location to explore the beaches. It boasts multiple beautiful beaches and offers adventure activities to everyone. The French-style streets, houses and cafes are the one of the main attractions of the city.
Coming to the topic, to plan a budget trip to Pondicherry, we need to figure out the complete itinerary first. We need to understand how many days we need to explore the best of Pondicherry.
Now you can refer to this post: Top 14 places to visit in Pondicherry to get a gist of the number of days you will need to explore the best of Pondicherry.
Planning a budget trip to Pondicherry can be challenging so to make it easy for our readers here is the key points we will be discussing about in this post.
- Best way to reach Pondicherry in the least cost
- Budget Friendly accommodations in Pondicherry
- Couple-friendly accommodations
- Best way to explore the top attractions in the city
- Overall Trip Budget
- Conclusion
Best way to reach Pondicherry in the least cost
Pondicherry is a union territory; hence, one needs to pay a toll tax while entering its territory. So, in case you are planning to visit pondicherry by car then it won’t be a budget-friendly idea at all.
Visiting pondicherry by car includes rent of the vehicle if not personal plus fuel and toll tax. So, you can avoid booking a car on a budget trip. From most of the nearby locations, Bus is a great option. A sleeper bus from most nearby cities costs around Rs 500 to Rs 1000 per person which is good. I do not have any bad experience of travelling by bus, therefore, I can suggest it to be okay.
By train:
You may also book a sleeper ticket on a train and many locations nearby like Bengaluru, the sleeper ticket price is only 250rs-300rs. Which is even cheaper than a bus.
Hence,
The minimum cost of reaching pondicherry by Bus is 500 -1000rs
The minimum cost of reaching pondicherry by train is 250-300rs
Budget Friendly accommodations in Pondicherry
There are two main three ways to stay in pondicherry. One is the most common way that you most likely know already of booking a hotel for yourself. Another is to look for a dorm to save money. The third is a pro way that I will tell you about later after discussing the first two ways.
Booking a hotel:
There are a variety of hotels in pondicherry. On average, there are three base prices that you will see mostly.
- Above 5000rs: Hotels with many mindblowing facilities rated 5-star and above.
- Between 3000rs to 5000rs: Hotels with basic features and some extra add-ons at a very beautiful location.
- Below 3000rs: Hotels with basic facilities at a decent location.
It’s up to you whatever you choose but as we are talking about a budget trip here so we will try to find a way to save our money while utilizing most of it.
Cheapest Hotels in pondicherry:
Even if you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel then you need not worry. There are hotels under 1000/night which you can easily find on online booking platforms.
Dorms in pondicherry:
There are many dorms in pondicherry as well where you can easily book your bed in less than 800rs.
Pro tip: Look for a backpackers community hostel and you will get really budget-friendly accommodation.
Now coming to the third and the pro way that I was talking about in the starting. That is good especially if you are visiting Puducherry by train. So, here is the secret.
- Look for a bed in the retiring room at Puducherry railway station.
- Book a bed in the dormitory online.
- A non-ac sharing dorm costs 250rs/bed for 24hrs and 148rs for 12hrs.
However, this option is mainly feasible for a backpacker who has nothing to leave in the room.
Couple-friendly accommodations
Yes, there are many. You can just verify it while booking online I would advise you to call and confirm the same once.
Best way to explore the top attractions in the city
Here are the top 11 places in Puducherry that I have arranged in an order based on my experience.
- Rock Beach
- Promenade Beach
- Paradise Beach
- SRI AUROBINDO ASHRAM
- French colony
- Pondicherry Museum and the Light House
- Serenity Beach
- Auro beach
- Auroville
- Matri Mandir (please confirm before visiting whether access is special access is required)
- Arulmigu Manakula Vinayagar Temple
Overall Trip Budget
I will try to share a brief note on my daily expenses while my trip to pondicherry.
Journey cost: (In Rupees)
Visiting and returning: 800×2= 1600
Scooter renting + fuel: 400+150 = 500/day
Breakfast+ Lunch + Snacks+ Dinner = 70+120+100+120 = 410/day
*Sightseeing and entry for most of the places are Rs 20. I was able to cover 4 places in a day so suppose all of them have entry fees then
Entry fees: 20×4 = 80/day
In Total, you can expect an expense of 1000 to 1200 daily.
So, for a 3-day budget trip to pondicherry, you need Rs 3600 + Rs 1000 = Rs 4600 at max. If are really comfortable with adjusting your extra requirements then you perhaps might be able to lessen the budget even more.
Conclusion:
Pondicherry is a very budget-friendly destination to visit especially in winter. It gives you a feel of French streets while walking inside the city. It gives you a reason to believe in the fact that it is known as the Paris of the East.
There are many budget hotels and dorms in pondicherry which one can choose as per one’s preference. We also saw that pro tip that one can use if left with no choice and has to cover your trip in a given budget. Backpackers may love this idea of accommodation.
Pondicherry has a huge list of the best places which one must not miss while on a trip. Exploring the city is better when done using a scooter or bike. Please comment if you want an article about using a scooty in pondicherry for travelling.
The total budget of this pondicherry trip should not exceed 4500rs which did not in my case. I was able to cover it up in 4200rs only and I wish you make it lover even more.
So, this was it for the blog, let us know in the comments how much you liked it and share it if you found this helpful.
V good article