Places to visit in Kochi (Cochin)

Kochi grew on islands and peninsulas around a harbour. The name is usually traced to Koch Azhi, a small river mouth. In 1405 the local king moved his capital here; Portuguese traders followed, the Dutch drove them out in 1663, and by 1800 the British ran the administration. Arab traders and a Jewish community settled alongside, so a temple, a synagogue, a mosque and Portuguese churches stand a short walk apart.

• Fort Kochi: the old quarter on the harbour mouth: nets, churches, colonial lanes and cafes, all walkable.
• Mattancherry: the spice quarter next door, with godowns, the Dutch Palace, the synagogue and Jew Town.
• Ernakulam: the mainland centre with Marine Drive, the metro and the main stations. Far from Fort Kochi by road, a short crossing by boat.

Which side to sleep on is covered under where to stay. Malayalam is the local language; English is enough in tourist places.

• Chinese fishing nets: cantilevered teak-and-bamboo nets, said to have come from China, worked by four or five men with stone counterweights in the morning and early evening.
• St. Francis Church: the oldest European church in India, built in wood by the Portuguese in 1503 and in stone in 1516; Vasco da Gama was first buried here.
• Santa Cruz Basilica: founded by the Portuguese in 1505; the present white cathedral with stained glass and frescoes was consecrated in 1905.
• Mattancherry Palace: the so-called Dutch Palace, a 16th-century Portuguese building later renovated by the Dutch, with Ramayana murals.
• Paradesi Synagogue and Jew Town: one of the oldest working synagogues in the world, built in 1568 and floored with hand-painted Chinese tiles. Closed on Saturdays.
• Dutch Cemetery and Indo-Portuguese Museum: 104 Dutch tombs from 1724 on; church silver, and remains of the first Portuguese fort in the museum basement.
• Kathakali: at the Kerala Kathakali Centre make-up in front of the audience from 17:00, the play 18:00 to 19:00, about ₹600. See also shows.
• Art and museums: largely free shows at the Durbar Hall and David Hall, and over 5,000 objects at the Kerala Folklore Museum. Every two years, usually from December, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale fills the old warehouses for three months or more.
• Markets: the spice godowns of Bazaar Road in Mattancherry and the Broadway lanes in Ernakulam. See markets.

• Athirappilly Falls: Kerala's largest waterfall, about 65 km and 1.5 to 2 hours away.
• Cherai Beach: 10 km of sand on Vypin Island with backwaters just behind it, about an hour from Fort Kochi.
• Tripunithura: the Hill Palace Museum, the royal residence of 1865 with Kerala's largest archaeological collection, and the Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, about 12 km southeast of Ernakulam.
• Kadamakkudy Islands: paddy fields and backwater lanes about 15 km out, a popular sunset drive.
• The Muziris circuit: Paliam Palace and the Paravur Synagogue around Chendamangalam, about 35 km north, and further on in Kodungallur the Cheraman Juma Masjid, held to be India's first mosque.
• Munnar: the tea hills are 130 km and about four hours away, so plan at least one night.

More on the day trips page.

One day: stay in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. A heritage walk from St. Francis Church to Santa Cruz takes about two hours; add the Dutch Palace, sunset at the nets and Kathakali.

Two days: give Mattancherry a slow half-day, then take the Water Metro to Ernakulam for the Durbar Hall and Marine Drive.

Three days or more: add one trip out: Athirappilly, Cherai, Tripunithura or the Muziris circuit. Day-by-day plans are on the itinerary page.

Kochi is at sea level and hot all year, with highs of 30–35°C. December to February is the best window: little rain (about 2 mm in January, 53 mm in December) and the sea open for swimming at Cherai. March and April are hot, and May turns wet. June to August bring 460–600 mm of rain a month, rough seas and interrupted ferries, and September to November stay wet at roughly 175–360 mm.

From mid-December Fort Kochi hosts the Cochin Carnival, which ends with the burning of the Pappanji effigy at midnight on New Year's Eve; rooms book out for Christmas and New Year. Onam (3–15 September 2027) centres on the Thrikkakara temple. See also weather, best time and festivals.

By air: Cochin International (COK) at Nedumbassery, Kerala's main gateway, is about 30 km from Ernakulam and 37–40 km from Fort Kochi, 1 to 1.5 hours by road. The round-the-clock prepaid taxi costs about ₹900–1,100 to Fort Kochi; the budget route is a bus to Aluva and then the metro, about ₹100 in all. See the airport page.

By train: two stations are both called Ernakulam, Junction (South) and Town (North), so check the ticket. More on the railway station page.

Around the city: the water is the shortcut. The air-conditioned Water Metro runs 7:00 to 20:00, High Court to Fort Kochi in about 20 minutes for about ₹40; the old state ferries cross for about ₹6. The metro serves the mainland only. Details under getting around and how to get there.