The French Quarter — locally called White Town — occupies the eastern edge of Pondicherry between the canal and the seafront. The urban grid here is unmistakably French: wide streets planted with rain trees, shuttered colonial villas painted in shades of ochre and cream, and a conspicuous absence of the chaos that characterises most Indian cities of this size.
The neighbourhood is very walkable. The best streets for aimless exploration are Rue Dumas (Goubert Salai) along the seafront, Rue Suffren inland from it, and the lanes in between. The French consulate, the Alliance Française, and a cluster of boutique hotels occupy restored colonial buildings. In the early morning, before the temperature climbs, this is one of the most pleasant urban walks in south India.