French boulevards, ashrams, quiet beaches and 1,300-year-old Pallava stone carvings. This relaxed tour takes you through the colourful White Town of Puducherry, the experimental township of Auroville, and the UNESCO-listed monuments of Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram) on the East Coast Road.
- Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights
- Route: Chennai – Mahabalipuram – Puducherry – Auroville – Chennai
- Best time to visit: October to March
- Starts: Chennai airport / railway station
- Ends: Chennai airport / railway station
Tour Highlights
- Promenade Beach and the French Quarter (White Town)
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Manakula Vinayagar Temple
- Auroville and the Matrimandir viewing point
- Shore Temple and Five Rathas, Mahabalipuram
- Arjuna's Penance and Krishna's Butter Ball
- Scenic drive on the East Coast Road
Itinerary
Day 1: ARRIVE CHENNAI – MAHABALIPURAM (55 KMS / 1.5 HRS DRIVE)
- Arrive at Chennai airport or railway station and meet your driver
- Drive down the East Coast Road to Mahabalipuram and check in to the hotel
- Visit the Shore Temple on the edge of the Bay of Bengal
- Five Rathas, each carved from a single rock
- Arjuna's Penance, Krishna Mandapam and Krishna's Butter Ball
- Overnight stay in Mahabalipuram
Day 2: MAHABALIPURAM – PUDUCHERRY (100 KMS / 2.5 HRS DRIVE)
- Morning climb up the lighthouse and a visit to the Tiger Cave
- Check out and continue along the East Coast Road to Puducherry
- Check in to the hotel
- Evening walk along Promenade Beach (Rock Beach) and the Gandhi statue
- Overnight stay in Puducherry
Day 3: PUDUCHERRY – WHITE TOWN & AUROVILLE
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Heritage walk through the French Quarter — mustard-yellow villas and bougainvillea-lined streets
- Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the Manakula Vinayagar Temple
- Notre Dame des Anges and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Afternoon at Auroville: visitor centre and Matrimandir viewing point
- Optional boat ride to Paradise Beach at Chunnambar
- Overnight stay in Puducherry
Day 4: PUDUCHERRY – CHENNAI DEPARTURE (150 KMS / 3.5 HRS DRIVE)
- Breakfast and check out
- Drive back to Chennai airport / railway station for your onward journey
- Tour ends with sweet memories
Plan This Trip With Us
This itinerary is fully customisable — add a day, change hotel category, or turn it into a family, group or honeymoon trip. We can also help with flights or trains to the starting point. Prices depend on your travel dates, hotel choice and group size. Call or WhatsApp us on +91 98847 98483 or email info@adwaittours.com for a free quote.
Photo credits: Mamallapuram, Shore Temple, India by Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0); Elephant Herd Descent Ganges Mahabalipuram Sep22 by This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but p (CC BY-SA 4.0); Beach Promenade, Pondicherry, India by Dey.sandip (CC BY 3.0); Mahabalipuram Landscape, India by Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
