The Pondicherry Botanical Garden was established by French botanists in 1826, making it one of the oldest botanical gardens in India. It spreads over about 22 hectares in the southern part of the city, with avenues of mature trees — rain trees, Alexandrian laurels, palm species — that provide shade rare in the surrounding heat.
The garden is a genuine pleasure: peaceful, well-maintained, and with enough botanical diversity to justify an hour or two. There is a small aquarium near the entrance with freshwater fish from the region. On weekends it fills with local families, but on weekday mornings you can walk the main avenue almost alone. The toy train that runs through the garden is aimed at children but can be an amusing diversion regardless.