Museums in Kochi

The Indo-Portuguese Museum in the Bishop's House garden keeps silver processional crosses, altarpieces and vestments in five small sections; its basement holds surviving walls of Fort Immanuel, the first Portuguese fort. Bastion Bungalow, the Ernakulam District Heritage Museum since 2016, stands on the Stromberg bastion of the Dutch fort and tells the port's story through maps, photographs and Dutch kitchenware; entry is free.

Mattancherry Palace, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century and later reworked by the Dutch, is known for its Ramayana and Mahabharata murals, portraits of the rajas and palanquins; the ticket is nominal. Hill Palace at Tripunithura, the Cochin royal residence built in 1865, holds Kerala's largest archaeological collection across 49 buildings and 54 acres, including a crown and a deer park.

The Kerala Folklore Museum at Thevara is one collector's thirty years of work: more than 5,000 objects, Kathakali and Theyyam costumes, masks, instruments and carved wood, in a building assembled from salvaged temple and house parts, labelled in English. It funds itself, so entry costs more than at state museums. The Kerala Museum at Edappally tells Kerala's history in an hourly light-and-sound show with 87 life-size figures, and its art wing has Raja Ravi Varma, Jamini Roy and M.F. Husain.

The Indian Naval Maritime Museum near Fort Kochi beach runs from Indus Valley traders to modern naval operations, with ship models and missiles standing outdoors. It is a compact stop beside St Francis Church and the promenade; foreign nationals pay a higher ticket.

Durbar Hall Art Gallery in central Ernakulam, the old royal audience hall, runs national and international shows all year and owns works by Raja Ravi Varma. David Hall, a 17th-century Dutch bungalow on the Parade Ground, shows young Kerala artists. URU Art Harbour, an old godown compound on the Mattancherry waterfront, is the place for contemporary work between Biennales. At Castle Art Museum and Gallery OED, a small courtyard gallery, the caretaker walks you round two halls. Most shows at all four are free.