French Town is the French part of
Pondicherry town. It was built along the sea on sand dunes. The town features colonial style buildings with long compound walls and gates, along the long wide streets. Continuous wall to wall constructions with high garden walls and ornate gates are the major feature. The residential buildings are simple, characterized by flat roofs, an inner courtyard with garden and colonnaded porticos. Arched windows, balconies and parapets are common features. Tall arched doors, high ceilings, cement or tiled floors, Belgian glass set in the arched wooden frames above doors and porticos are the attractive architectural features.
The public buildings are within large fenced in compounds. French models have at times been used to design these buildings, which were adapted to suit local conditions. These buildings often have an impressive stair to an elevated groundfloor and a colonnaded facade.
The nearest airport is at Chennai. The nearest railway station is Pondicherry Railway Station.
