IDENTITY CARD
Formalities Passport: Passport valid for six months after the end of the trip. Visa application via Indianvisaonline.gov.in. The entry visa is issued on arrival in Chennai, and requires presentation of a paper copy of the visa granted online + a photo + fingerprints... The wait can be interminable: two hours queuing after a long flight is a long time.
Area code 00 + 91 + city code without the 0.
Currency The rupee (INR). 1 € = 79.5 INR (March 2018).
Best season The high season runs from November to February. From June to September, the monsoon brings torrential rain.
Time difference : + 3 h 30 in summer; + 4 h 30 in winter.
Group size All sizes. As a result, large groups are deprived of Pondicherry's wonderful boutique hotels. What a pity.
TO FIND OUT MORE
Indian National Tourist Board. 13, bd Haussmann. 75 009 Paris - Tel : O1 45 23 30 45 - Email : indttourparis@aol.com - Internet: incredibleindia.org
Other websites : tamilnadutourism.org and tourism.pondichery.gov.com
GETTING THERE
Jet Airwaysin partnership with Air FranceSince October, the airline has been offering five direct services - every day except Tuesday and Wednesday - between Paris CDG 2 and Chennai, operated by A 330-300 two-class aircraft. The flight takes 9 hours 30 minutes on the outbound leg, taking off from CDG at 10am, and 11 hours on the return leg, taking off from Chennai at 1.45am. In Business, the seats recline 180°, which is particularly comfortable for the night flight home, while dinner and breakfast are served on request.
Tel.: 01 49 52 41 15 - Internet : www.jetairways.com
Air France > Telephone: 0820 320 820 - Internet: www.airfrance.com
Air India offers a daily service from Paris to Chennai with a 2.5-hour stopover in New Delhi. Long-haul flights are operated by Boeing B787.
Tel.: 01 55 35 40 11 - Internet : www.airindia.fr
HOTELS
Chennai (Madras)
Trident
Sober, contemporary, with a lobby that opens onto both the lounge and the restaurant - which, incidentally, has won several awards. The best rooms overlook either a courtyard planted with trees or a very pretty garden where a large swimming pool and the spa buildings have been judiciously installed. But above all, the Trident is just 15 minutes from the airport, which is a great advantage for late flights back to Europe. 167 rooms. Two restaurants. Three meeting rooms for 6 to 12 people.
1/24, G.S.T. Road, Chennai 600 027 - Tel : +91 44 2234 4747 - Email :
reservation@tridenthotels.com - Internet : www.tridenthotels.com
Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Radisson Blu Temple Bay
It's a real pleasure to stay at a resort, especially when you consider how generous India is when it comes to awarding stars, which are often greatly overestimated. But here, it's all there: the reception hall under a large straw hut, the quality of the catering, the comfort of the rooms in villas and bungalows scattered around the grounds, the gigantic landscaped swimming pool 225 m long, all meandering - it almost looks like a river - and the wide range of activities on offer: quad bikes, catamarans, rickshaw tours of the village, bicycles, beach games, introduction to surfing and scuba diving, trawling. Situated 58 km from Chennai and 100 km from Pondicherry, the Radisson Blu has the advantage of being close to some of South India's most important cultural sites, but also of lying perfectly on the beach... which means you can enjoy the pleasures of the seaside, the bustle of a booming Indian city and the discreet charms of a former and fantastical French colony. 148 chalets, villas and suites, 4 bars and restaurants, 20 venues and meeting rooms with capacities ranging from 15 to 1,100 people.
57, Kovalam Road, Mamallapuram - Tel : +91 44 27 44 36 36 - Email :
rsv@rdtemplebay.com - Internet: www.radissonblu.com/hotel-mamallapuram
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
Perumal House
This is an atmospheric hotel, telling the story of an old Tamil house from the 19th century, when France was living in opulent times in Pondicherry. The result is two adjoining patios planted with trees, one dedicated to the reception area and the other to the restaurant serving sophisticated Tamil cuisine. The rooms, no more than a dozen in all, are spread across the upper floors and laid out in the style of a Moroccan riad. Like the rest of the hotel, they are soberly furnished in a charming Indo-colonial style. The management offers visits to artists' studios throughout the city. The chef, for his part, gives cooking lessons in the mornings, sourcing produce from the Goubert market. 10 rooms, reserved for exclusive groups, a restaurant, a bar...
44 (old N° 58), Perumal Koil Street, Pondicherry - Tel : 91 413 22 27 519 - Email : maisonperumal@cghearth.com - Internet : www.cghearth.com
Dune de l'Orient
First, you pass under an archway that still bears "instruction publique" (public education) in large letters on its pediment. This signage has been preserved intact, a nod to the days of the French. Then you come to a large courtyard, refreshed by tall trees, under which a restaurant has been quietly installed. The menu later includes coq au vin and sautéed chicken with mushrooms, which are also reminiscent of times gone by. On the left: the reception and a grand staircase leading upstairs. Everywhere you'll find antiques, sculptures and period engravings... And lounges, boudoirs and antechambers all beautifully furnished in the colonial style... The same goes for the rooms, with their very high ceilings because of the heat, whirling fans and romantic mosquito nets... It's charming, and makes for an enchanting stay in Pondicherry. For exclusive groups. 14 rooms.
17, Romain Rolland St, Pondicherry 60 5001 - Tel : +91 413 234 3067 - Email :
booking@dunewellnessgroup.com - Internet : dunewellnessgroup.com
RECEPTIVE
Discover India
59/17, First floor. Kalkaji Extention. Guru Ravi Dass Marg, New Delhi 1100 19 - Tel : +91 11 406 54 000 - Email : info@discoverindia.net - Internet : www.discoverindia.net - Representation in France (Soazig Lemoine): Tel: 06 61 78 78 83 - Email: soazig@discoverindia.net
PRACTICAL GUIDES
Guide du Routard, Petit Fûté, Bibliothèque du voyageurGallimard, Guide Voir Hachette.
