Pondicherry (Puducherry)

Pondicherry's French Quarter, with its mustard-yellow colonial villas, tree-lined boulevards, and the white seaside promenade, feels unmistakably Gallic. The 19th-century Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, and the experimental township of Auroville nearby add a unique spiritual layer. Cafes and bakeries on Rue Suffren serve some of India's best coffee and croissants.