KOCHI (Cochin) - gateway to Kerala

Kochi (Cochin) is a vibrant city,   potpourri of various Indian and international communities situated on the south-west coast of the Indian peninsula in the breathtakingly scenic state of Kerala, hailed as 'God's Own Country'. Its strategic importance over the centuries is underlined by the sobriquet Queen of the Arabian Sea. Informally, Cochin is also referred to as the Gateway to Kerala.

This lovely seaside city is flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west. Its proximity to the equator, the sea and the mountains provide a rich experience of a moderate equatorial climate
 

Kochi is the arguably the ideal starting point for exploring the unfathomable diversity and beauty of Kerala.

How to Reach Kochi (Cochin)?
 

By Train

Kochi (and Ernakulam) are connected to the rest of India by an extensive network of rails. There are three main railway stations in Cochin: Ernakulam Junction (main station), Ernakulam Town and Cochin Harbour Terminus and are connected very well with other parts of the country.

By Road

National Highway (NH 17) connects Kochi with Mumbai via most of major towns in Malabar, Mangalore and Goa.
National Highway (NH 47) connects Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum) with Kochi and continues on to Coimbatore and Salem in Tamil Nadu via Palakkad and Thrissur.
National Highway (NH 49) connects Kochi with Ramaeswaram in Tamil Nadu which passes through Madurai via Munnar.

By Waterways

Regular boat service to places like Kottayam, Kumarakom and Alleppey are available through the scenic backwaters of Kerala. The outlying islands that make up Cochin, like Vypeen, Mattancherry, Bolghatty, etc are connected to the mainland by regular public and private boats plying from the main boat jetty off Park Avenue and from the boat jetty near the High Court.

Many Luxury cruises ships also berth and the Ernakulam Wharf, which is part of the Cochin Port located on Willingdon island.
 

By Air

Cochin Airport has a direct link with the major airports in India. There are regular flights to the metro cities and other major cities in India. This is the first private Airport of the country.

Distances from Cochin

Must See in Kochi

Willingdon Island — large man-made island made from sand dredged from the backwaters to deepen the Kochi Port. Named after Long Willingdon, then-the reigning Viceroy of India, it houses the Kochi Port, Southern Naval Command Headquarters of Indian Navy and many five star hotels.

Islands of Mattencherry and Fort Kochi (Old Kochi) — Fort Kochi forms the upper part of the Island with neatly arranged colonial buildings, narrow well-paved roads, Anglo-Dutch influenced structures and large antiques shops. Mattancherry is primarily a trading city, famous for its thriving Gujarati settlement brought to the city in the 16th and 17th centuries by the spice trade.

Mattancherry Palace - It is also known as Dutch Palace, built the Portuguese and presented to the Raja Veera Varma of Kochi in 1555 AD. after he granted permission to construct Fort Immanunel. During the Dutch siege of Kochi, many parts of the original palace were destroyed. However the Dutch Governor repaired the palace and renamed as Dutch Palace. The coronations of Kochi Maharajas are always held here. A large throne and coronation costumes are on display and there is an extensive collection of royal chariots, swords and other artifacts. The most interesting part is the mural room, which has the entire Ramayana and Mahabharat depicted in a single mural.

Bolgatty Island — Bolghatty Palace is situated in Boghatty Island a narrow palmfringed Island easily accessible from the. mainland. The Palace was built by the Dutch in 1744. Later, it became the seat of the British Resident and today this has been converted into a hotel run by KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation).

Vypin Island — one of the most densely populated islands in world with numerous fishing villages, tourist villages and the popular Cherai Beach.

Thripunithara — the erstwhile capital of the Kingdom of Kochi is famous for various historical palaces, museums and temples, and as a centre of the arts.

Santacruz Basilica - The first European Church built in Asia, by the Portuguese in 1502, also the first Cathedral of Asia and seat of second Catholic Diocese in India.  Today, it serves as the primary seat of the Latin church of Kerala. Pope John Paul II declared it a Basilica in 1984. It houses several historical paintings, decors and artifacts.

St. Francis Church -  Constructed by the Portuguese in 1503 is the burial place of Vasco da Gama (his remains were later transferred to Lisbon). His tombstone can be seen inside the church. The church has a large cemetery which are resting grounds of many Portuguese army officials and soldiers.  A large war memorial can be seen on its backyard to honor the unknown soldiers who sacrificed their lives for World War-1.

VOC Gate, Fort Kochi -  The only remains of the Dutch East Indian Company is this large wooden gate with a monogram (VOC, the emblem of the Verenigde Oostindische Companie (The Dutch East India Company).

David Hall - This 315 years old Dutch bungalow was the official residence of the Dutch Army commanders. Currently the complex belongs to Netherlands Govt agency CNO which recently renovated to open a large art gallery, a traditional Dutch performing arts center.  The building is a classic specimen of colonial Dutch architecture with elobrate dutch gardens.
 

Bastion Bungalow, Fort Kochi -  Typical Indo-Dutch architecture, this bungalow was built on the site of the erstwhile Stromsburg Fort, which was demolished during the Arab raids. Currently, it serves as the official residence of the Cochin Sub-Collector.

Jew Street and Paradesi Synagogue, Jew Town - The synagogue was constructed in 1568 after allowing Jewish refugees from Jerusalem to settle here during the Crusades making this the Commonwealth's oldest Synagogue. This is one of the very few functional synagogues in India.  Jew Street is a heritage zone with several antique/handicraft shops.

Princess Street, Fort Kochi -  The most famous street of Fort Kochi which gives you every single slice of authentic colonial European architecture. One of the best places to walk the city with numerous of western styled cafes, souvenir shops, art galleries and heritage complexes.

Chendamangalam Palace Fort - Historically the seat of Paliath Achan, the Prime Minister of Kochi Kingdom. Here the plans were forged for revolt against the British in the 1820s.

Pallipuram Fort-  Built by the Portuguese in 1503, this is the oldest existing European fortification in India which was later handed over to the Travancore Army, to become a major army base till 1903, when it was converted into a heritage museum. It has a small museum and good views of the lagoon on one side and the sea on the other

International Pepper Exchange-  This is the world's only pepper exchange. Its worth to visit to see the wide range of pepper varieties as well as some of trading practices.

Kumbalangi Integrated Tourism Village -  Kumbalangi island is India's first  eco-tourist village. Tourists to this island village have chances to explore rural work styles, a specialized local paddy cultivation, canoeing in country boat in a maze of mangrove forests or enjoying fishing or partying in rural style with locals. In order to maintain best eco-protection practices, several restrictions are placed on use of plastics, smoking etc.

Mastyafed Milky-way Aqua-Tourist Village - A unique concept, where a large shrimp farm of state run Mastyafed organization is converted into an Aqua-tourist village with wide options of fishing fresh prawns, crabs and shrimps of the farm.

Cherai Beach, North of Vypin Island -  Beautiful Golden beaches with coconut palm corridors, backwaters, and historical monuments. . A very large beautiful backwaters is just 250 meters from beach famous for its scenic beauty and boating.

Kodanadu Elephant Training College -  Lies on the southern bank of the Periyar amongst the scenic beauty of the high ranges, Kodanadu is extremely famous for its unique elephant training college, elephant orphanage and a mini zoo.  Wild elephants are first tamed in special cradles and then taken to the nearby training college, where they are trained. The elephant orphanage rears baby elephants until they are ready for training college.       more..

Fort Kochi Beach, Fort Kochi -  A historic beach where 1st Portuguese-Dutch war broke out in the 17th century.  One can find remnants of Old Portuguese Immanuel Fort along with parts of Dutch Stormberg Fort with some canons still kept intact.

Cochin Carnival

Cochin Carnival (Dec 20-Jan 2) is the biggest carnival festival in the city,  started in 1582 as part of Portuguese New Year's celebrations. A wonderful array of colourful rallies, fancy dress parade, races, beach games, sports, theme festivals, concerts and dances, fireworks and beach parties.  The New Year's Eve party is the highlight of this festival, when a large parade carrying a huge statute of Papanai (a Santa Claus-like image) is taken to the beach, where it is set on fire on the stroke of midnight. This is followed by a grand party. The carnival ends with the Grand Parade on the afternoon of January 1st.

Rajasthan Holiday Packages

Royal Rajasthan (14 days)	Forts and Palaces tour (21 days)
Rajasthan with Golden triangle (16 days)	Rajasthan Cultural Tours (16 days)
Pushkar Fair Tours (19 days)	Rural Rajasthan Tour (12 days)