Cochin is not your ordinary city. It is a city with a huge wealth historically and visit to this city makes you feel like you have stepped outside India. A walk past the lanes of some streets will take you centuries back and a visit to this city will leave you wanting to come back for more.

Known as the “Gateway to Kerala”, Kochi is a charming city that is had a mixed influence. Middle Easterners, British, Dutch, Chinese, and Portuguese have all left their imprint there. This influence can been seen in their architectural structures and localities. Cochin hotels face competition from the beautiful home stays in cottages which most people opt for. Cochin is an accumulation of islands and peninsulas stuck along the shores of serene Vembanad Lake and the Arabian Sea. Every region has a particular identity, from the pioneer exchanging post of Fort Cochin and solid towers of Ernakulam, to the sandy shorelines of Vypeen Island. A multicultural gurgling hotpot of mankind, Cochin has something in store for everyone. Explore the amazing places in and around the city and be prepared to have your mind blown!

Fort Cochin

One of the most visited and familiar places to the tourists, the Fort Cochin area has a good concentration of old European building structured in their style of architecture. A walk past this lanes will take you back to the medieval period. Its also resonates the feeling of walking by an old town in the British countryside.

Mattancherry

An old neighbourhood also full of old colonial buildings, Mattancherry is a fascinating area whose main attraction the Mattancherry Dutch Palace built by the Portuguese and gifted to the Raja of Cochin in 1555. This palace was later renovated by the Dutch in 1663. It is in areas like Mattancherry and Fort Cochin where you will find nice home stay accommodations.

Jew Town

Although it is called a Jew Town, the population of the Jews are much reduced now and have been replaced by an influx of Kashmiri shopkeepers setting up shops and hawking. The Pardesi Synagogue is one of the oldest active synagogue with a breathtaking interiors. There are various antique stores with peculiar structures and a visit to this place is a must.

St Francis Church

This is the oldest European-built church in India. This grand church is still very active even after all these years. It was also the burial site of the explorer Vasco de Gama who died in Cochin in 1524. This church is popular not only as place for worships for the catholics but also one of the major tourist sites for Cochin.

Princess Street

Your one stop go-to place, Princess Street has everything from cafes, restaurants, bookstores, art galleries, antique and souvenir stores. If you are making your stay at one of the homestay cottages you can shop all your groceries and provisions from this street.

Cochin is well connected with flights and trains going into all major cities and buses and taxis to all neighbouring cities and towns. If you arrive from overseas and land at the international airport in Delhi, you could easily book a ticket of one of the New Delhi to Cochin flights and begin your expedition of Cochin.