India GOMarkets and shopping in Kochi
Kochi shops on two shores. In Mattancherry the spice street and the antique rows of Jew Town sell what Kerala is known for, at prices pitched at visitors. Across the water in Ernakulam, Broadway is where the city buys its own spices, cloth and pots, and two fixed-price shops on MG Road tell you what crafts and Ayurvedic oils should cost. Start with the benchmark, then go to the bazaar.
Where to shop
Mattancherry Spice Market (Bazaar Road)
The working street of a spice trade five centuries old: godowns and wholesalers moving sacks by pushcart, sorting and drying in the open, and the smell of pepper, cardamom, clove and ginger. Mattancherry hosted the world's first pepper exchange. Retail shops along the stretch pack fresh spices and masala mixes in front of you. Come on a weekday morning to see the loading, not the aftermath; a guided walk of the bazaar and the godowns costs about ₹999–2,200 per person.
Jew Town: antiques and attars
The lanes by the synagogue are an open-air curio market. Crafters, run by the Malayil brothers since 1989, fills twelve thousand square feet of former spice warehouse with temple carvings, bell-metal, colonial furniture and a three-tonne uruli (a bell-metal cooking vessel); browsing is welcome and shipping can be arranged. At the SPR Perfume Museum consultants bring out alcohol-free attars (sandalwood, jasmine, vetiver, cardamom) from a collection of some 1,450 oils, and small bottles start at around ₹500.
Broadway and Ernakulam Market
A century-old lane opposite Marine Drive, formed in the early 1900s when traders crossed over from Mattancherry; many shops are still in the same families. Wholesale spice stores, textiles, bags and household goods fill a narrow pedestrian grid, with Ernakulam Market pressed against it. The customers are locals, so the prices are too.
Kairali Handicrafts Emporium, MG Road
The state's own crafts shop, run by the Kerala Handicrafts Development Corporation since 1968, with fixed prices and no bargaining: Kathakali masks, bell-metal urulis, Aranmula-style metal mirrors, wood carving, coir and sandalwood work. Its real use is calibration: learn what things properly cost here, then haggle in Mattancherry.
Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, MG Road
Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala's branch clinic and pharmacy. The institution, founded at Kottakkal in 1902 and run by a charitable trust, sells the everyday part of its range here at fixed prices: oils, herbal powders, soaps and skincare. More on Ayurveda in Kochi.
Books and the mall
Idiom Book Sellers on Bastion Street and Kochi Books off Princess Street carry Kerala and Indian history, spirituality and travel; Kochi Books ships worldwide. Lulu Mall at Edappally, next to the metro, has a hypermarket worth a pass for packaged spices and Kerala foods, and is the fallback on a rainy day.
What to bring home
- Spices: black pepper and cardamom from Bazaar Road, packed in front of you; packaged spices from the Lulu hypermarket if you want sealed bags for the flight.
- Crafts: a Kathakali mask, a small bell-metal uruli, an Aranmula-style mirror or a piece of wood carving. Price them at Kairali first.
- Attars: alcohol-free oils from the SPR Perfume Museum, from around ₹500 a small bottle.
- Ayurvedic oils and soaps: from the Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala branch on MG Road, at fixed prices.
- Handloom: the kasavu saree and set-mundu carry a GI label at Chendamangalam, about 35 km north, where weavers' societies sell from their own outlets. See day trips from Kochi.
- Books: illustrated books on Kerala architecture, temples and mythology, from the Fort Kochi bookshops.
Before you buy
- Bargain where prices are not marked — Kairali and the Arya Vaidya Sala outlet are fixed-price; in Jew Town and on the spice street a first price leaves room. Knowing the emporium price is the best argument.
- Antiques and the law — Under India's Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, an object at least a hundred years old can be an antiquity, and antiquities may be exported only by the central government or its agencies. For objects that are not antiquities, the Archaeological Survey of India issues non-antiquity certificates for export; its procedures are on the ASI antiquity page.
- Timing — Bazaar Road's loading and wholesale trade happen on weekday mornings during working hours.
FAQ
What is the most famous market in Kochi?
The Mattancherry spice market on Bazaar Road, where the spice trade was actually run and still works on weekday mornings. For local shopping, Broadway in Ernakulam is the best known.
Where can I shop for cheap items in Kochi?
Broadway and Ernakulam Market, where the customers are locals and so are the prices: spices, textiles, bags and household goods.
What is Kochi famous for to buy?
Spices, above all pepper and cardamom, then Kathakali masks, bell-metal urulis, Aranmula-style mirrors, attars, Ayurvedic oils and Kerala handloom.
Where do I buy Ayurvedic products in Kochi?
At the Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala branch clinic and pharmacy on MG Road in Ernakulam, which sells oils, powders and soaps at fixed prices; the institution was founded in 1902.
Do I need to bargain in Kochi?
In Jew Town and on the spice street, yes; at the state Kairali emporium and the Arya Vaidya Sala outlet, no, prices are fixed.
Sources (4)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
The full catalogue, hidden spots and districts on the map, plus “nearby” mode.
Open in India GO