Ernakulam , kochi
Cochin merchants began trading in spices such as black pepper and cardamom with the Jews, Arabs, the Dutch, Phoenicians, Portuguese, Chinese more than 600 years ago.
Cochin has a lot of remnants from the past still clinging on. The famous landmark in Cochin is a row of Chinese fishing nets at the mouth of the harbor leading to the Arabian sea. It is a blend of modern India on one hand and while the old quarter -- the Fort Kochi area and Mattancherry area -- maintains a colonial air.
Now Cochin includes Ernakulam city, Willingdon Island, Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Kumbalangi and outlying islands
Cochin is comparatively cleaner and quieter than many other Indian tourist places. Having said that, Cochin is still a health and sanitation problem. Trash and rubbish litter most public areas. The infrastructure of proper sidewalks and grey water control remains a problem. Be careful walking especially at night as poorly lit areas and multi-level sidewalks are common. Often gaping holes could land you in a puddle.
This area boasts of hundreds of islands, some even uninhabited, and is part of the Backwaters of Kerala. A famous island is that of Boghatty (local name Mulavukad) where the Dutch built a palace. This palace was later used as house of the British Resident administrator. Right now the Dutch Palace is a tourist hotel, and you are welcome to live there as guest.
Rainy season is from June to September. Temperature 22-34° C depending on season. Use mosquito repellent cream while traveling during night, and consider a mosquito net for sleeping.
Get in
By plane
Cochin International Airport is located in Nedumbassery approximately 29 km from the city. There are flights to and from Colombo, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Sharjah, Jeddah, Muscat, Kuwait, Thiruvananthapuram,Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Take a pre-paid taxi to your destination.
By train
You can reach Cochin from other cities Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, Kolkata by train.
There are two major Rail station in Cochin( Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Junction, locally known as North and South railway stations). The Indian Railways [2] serves Cochin with a number of train services connecting it to other parts of the state and the country. One of the best ways to get to Cochin is to take the Konkan Railway train from Mumbai that passes through the Konkan coast. The train ride is renowned for the breathtaking scenery and the natural beauty of the terrain that the train passes through.
By bus
Cochin is accessible from all parts of the state of Kerala, through the extensive state run Kerala Road Transport Corporation (K.S.R.T.C.) bus services. These are generally cheap and reliable, but the drivers are notoriously reckless, although they have excellent control over their vehicles. There buses are classified as Ordinary Passenger, Limited Stop, Fast Passenger, Super Fast Passenger, Lightning Express and Garuda. The last is an air-conditioned service operating on the Thiruvananthapuram-Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram-Calicut routes both passing through Kochi. These are modern buses and compare with buses in Europe, with well maintained interiors and comfortable seats.
There are also numerous private buses or 'route buses' that connect pretty much every single district in Kerala to Cochin. Both the K.S.R.T.C and the private buses offer very basic comforts are rarely air conditioned.
There also exists daily services to and from other major cities in South India including Mumbai, Bangalore(12 hrs), Mangalore (12 hrs), Coimbatore (4.5 hrs) and Chennai (12 hrs). These are run by both private operators and by the respective State Transport Authorities. The private buses offer better comfort, cleaner and modern buses, though they are more expensive.
By taxi
Trivandrum to Kochi around 220 km
By boat
Cochin can be reached by sea in yachts or by occasional cruise ship from Goa or Bombay.
Get around
By bus
Cochin has an excellent and cheap local bus service system, operated by private bus operators. The numbering system is rarely used although it appears to exist. The buses are red in color, and though they may vary in appearance, they still can be distinguished as city bus services.
Destination boards display signs prominently in Malayalam and in small letters the English version. Using the local bus service is not that difficult as most bus conductors would be able to provide assistance with basic knowledge of English or Hindi or even Tamil. Remember however that peak hours on weekdays can lead to overcrowded buses. That is not the best time to use these buses, like in any busy city.
Travellers must remember that a certain number of seats are allocated for ladies in the forward portion of each bus. Unless these seats are empty, gentlemen are not expected to occupy them, and they must be vacated when a lady wishes to sit there. The standard precautions of being wary of pickpockets and other anti-social elements must be maintained.
Several important points serviced by Cochin's city bus service include Fort Kochi, Thoppumpady, Edakochi, Mattancherry, Island (Willingdon Island), Thevara, Kaloor, Palarivattom, Kakkanad, Kalamassery, Edapalli,North Paravur, Alwaye, Tripunithura, and Vytilla Jn.
By autorickshaw
This is a cheap way of transport between attractions. You can find an auto stand at almost every bus stop. This is the ideal way to cover short distances. Make sure you agree on a fare with the driver before the journey because almost none of the autorickshaws have working meters. Beware of autorickshaw drivers who charge extra if they know you are tourists.
By taxi
The taxis in Cochin are very convenient and comfortable. Most of the vehicles are Tata Indica cars or Ambassador cars, which are much safer than Auto rickshaws, and the drivers are polite. If you are alone or going to an unknown destination, you are strongly advised to choose this option, even though the rates will be double that of an auto.
Unlike most Western countries, taxis are not usually marked with 'TAXI' signs on the top. In fact, you must call for a taxi, as it is nearly impossible to hail one unless you are at a major point like the airport. When you call, you should negotiate a fare (or agree on using the meter) and get the taxi's 'number'. The taxi will come pick you up, and call you when they are close. When you go out on the street, look at the license plate for the number they gave you -- it will be the last four digits of the license plate. Taxis are generally white in color and have yellow license plates with black letters.
Although it can be hard for Westerners to realise at first, this process is very effective. If in doubt, ask a member of your hotel staff to help you, and when your taxi comes be sure to tip the helpful staff member Rs. 10 or 15 for the assistance.
By private car
Most taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers will be more than happy to offer you either a daily rate or an hourly rate, and take you around wherever you need to go. Alternately, your hotel or a travel company can arrange a private car.
If you find a good taxi or auto driver, this can be a great way to go for a foreigner. You'll certainly pay a lot more than if you bought individual rides, but you'll always have a driver waiting for you, and he can help with recommending local tourist sites, finding a good restaurant to eat at, and otherwise coping with day-to-day life. This can take a lot of the stress out of traveling.
Rates are generally something like Rs. 50 to 100 per hour for an auto-rickshaw, and Rs 150 to 250 per hour for a taxi. Rates for a private car booked via the hotel will probably be more. Like everything else in India, rates are very fluid.
By ferry
There are also good ferry services between islands.
A useful service is the 'Junkar' between Fort Kochi and Vypeen.There regular boat services from Ernakulam to Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Vypeen and Willington Island which are much cheeper than bus. These ferry service is faster also for many cases because bus or taxi has to travel longer & through crowded route. eg. If your some where near M.G. Road and travelling to Willington Island or Mattancheri will be cheap & fast if you catch ferry from Ernakulam Main boat jetty.
See
• Hill Palace Museum - The King Palace now converted to Museum along with a small zoo is 12 Km south-east of Ernakulam at Tripunithura have Painting, Epigraphy, the collections from Travancore & Cochin Royal families.
• Museum of Kerala History - at Edappally
• Parikshith Thampuran Museum contains Oil paintings, old coins, sculptures and Mughal paintings, Interesting temple models and traditional style Kerala buildings.
• Fort Kochi
• Mattancherry There is beautiful Jain temple here. It is great to visit at about 12:15hrs when the pigeons are feed by Jain mandir people last 17 years. A huge number of pigeons first take three circle of the temple and listen to mantra and before eating.
• Willington Island - An large artificial island made out of sand removed in order to deepen the Kochi Port.
• Vypeen and Gundu Islands - The Island toasts a lighthouse at Ochenthuruthu, beaches and the early 16th century
• Bolgatty - built in 1744 as Dutch Palace; one of the KTDC Hotels with green lawns and Golf Course.
• Chinese fishing Nets - at Fort Kochi.
• Dutch Palace - constructed by Portuguese in 1568 for Maharaja of Kochi Veera Kerala Varma. Later rebuilt by Dutch.
• St. Francis Church, Fort Kochi - constructed by the Portuguese[1503]. Vasco da Gama was buried here [1524] and later his remains were transferred to Libson, Portugal. His tombstone can be seen inside the church.
• Jew Street and Synagogue - at Mattancherry, it constructed in 1568 and rebuild in 1662.
• Santacruz Cathedral- at Fort Kochi
• Art Complex - Madhavan Nayar Foundation - Gallery of Paintings and Sculptures at Edappally, 10 km. north of city. (There is the Kerala History Museum, history students take note!)
• Thirumala Devoswam Temple, Mattancherry - Gowda Sarawatha Brahmins temple for Lord Venkatesha, its famous for second largest brass Bell in Asia.The North Gopuram is fully roofed with copper.
• Ernakulam Siva Temple - situated at the centre of the town, near the Durbar Hall Ground.
• Durbar Hall Ground - venue of many fair during festivals
• Kalady - is the birth place of Sri Shankaracharya [786-820], the Great Indian Philosopher, who is the founder of advatic philosophy, shrines of Shankaracharya here are open to all pilgrim's irrespective of religion or caste, its 48km north of City.
• Kanjiramattam Mosque - Muslim pilgrim center, venue of Kudikkuthu Festival, 30km east of City
• Chenamangalam - Historically the seat of Paliath Achan, the Prime Minister of Kochi Kingdom, old Oriental Jewish synagogue and colony. Now center for handloom weaving and coir manufacturing, view of annual fair "Mattachanda" (Barter Systems). It is 42km north-west of city near North Paravur .
• Pallipuram Fort - built by the Portuguese in 1503, one of the oldest existing European monument in India. Situated in Vypeen island at Pallipuram.
• Aluva also spelled "Alwaye" few years ago, is a town on the way from airport to Kochi has some place of attraction
• Aluva Manalpuram - is famous for the Shivarathri festival on the Sand Beach on the banks of Periyar river.
• Malayattoor Mount - A Christian Pilgrimage Centre supposed to be a place visited by St. Thomas. (St. Thomas visited Kerala in AD 52. Don't forget Christianity reached the stores of India, much before it did Europe!
• Cherai Beach - near North Paravur is a new generation tourist hot spot with Golden beaches, (sand grains are big and looks like river sand used in construction, probably deposited by Periyar at some point of time) coconut palms corridors, backwaters, historical monuments.
Cochin has a lot of remnants from the past still clinging on. The famous landmark in Cochin is a row of Chinese fishing nets at the mouth of the harbor leading to the Arabian sea. It is a blend of modern India on one hand and while the old quarter -- the Fort Kochi area and Mattancherry area -- maintains a colonial air.
Now Cochin includes Ernakulam city, Willingdon Island, Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Kumbalangi and outlying islands
Cochin is comparatively cleaner and quieter than many other Indian tourist places. Having said that, Cochin is still a health and sanitation problem. Trash and rubbish litter most public areas. The infrastructure of proper sidewalks and grey water control remains a problem. Be careful walking especially at night as poorly lit areas and multi-level sidewalks are common. Often gaping holes could land you in a puddle.
This area boasts of hundreds of islands, some even uninhabited, and is part of the Backwaters of Kerala. A famous island is that of Boghatty (local name Mulavukad) where the Dutch built a palace. This palace was later used as house of the British Resident administrator. Right now the Dutch Palace is a tourist hotel, and you are welcome to live there as guest.
Rainy season is from June to September. Temperature 22-34° C depending on season. Use mosquito repellent cream while traveling during night, and consider a mosquito net for sleeping.
Get in
By plane
Cochin International Airport is located in Nedumbassery approximately 29 km from the city. There are flights to and from Colombo, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Sharjah, Jeddah, Muscat, Kuwait, Thiruvananthapuram,Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Take a pre-paid taxi to your destination.
By train
You can reach Cochin from other cities Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi, Kolkata by train.
There are two major Rail station in Cochin( Ernakulam Town and Ernakulam Junction, locally known as North and South railway stations). The Indian Railways [2] serves Cochin with a number of train services connecting it to other parts of the state and the country. One of the best ways to get to Cochin is to take the Konkan Railway train from Mumbai that passes through the Konkan coast. The train ride is renowned for the breathtaking scenery and the natural beauty of the terrain that the train passes through.
By bus
Cochin is accessible from all parts of the state of Kerala, through the extensive state run Kerala Road Transport Corporation (K.S.R.T.C.) bus services. These are generally cheap and reliable, but the drivers are notoriously reckless, although they have excellent control over their vehicles. There buses are classified as Ordinary Passenger, Limited Stop, Fast Passenger, Super Fast Passenger, Lightning Express and Garuda. The last is an air-conditioned service operating on the Thiruvananthapuram-Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram-Calicut routes both passing through Kochi. These are modern buses and compare with buses in Europe, with well maintained interiors and comfortable seats.
There are also numerous private buses or 'route buses' that connect pretty much every single district in Kerala to Cochin. Both the K.S.R.T.C and the private buses offer very basic comforts are rarely air conditioned.
There also exists daily services to and from other major cities in South India including Mumbai, Bangalore(12 hrs), Mangalore (12 hrs), Coimbatore (4.5 hrs) and Chennai (12 hrs). These are run by both private operators and by the respective State Transport Authorities. The private buses offer better comfort, cleaner and modern buses, though they are more expensive.
By taxi
Trivandrum to Kochi around 220 km
By boat
Cochin can be reached by sea in yachts or by occasional cruise ship from Goa or Bombay.
Get around
By bus
Cochin has an excellent and cheap local bus service system, operated by private bus operators. The numbering system is rarely used although it appears to exist. The buses are red in color, and though they may vary in appearance, they still can be distinguished as city bus services.
Destination boards display signs prominently in Malayalam and in small letters the English version. Using the local bus service is not that difficult as most bus conductors would be able to provide assistance with basic knowledge of English or Hindi or even Tamil. Remember however that peak hours on weekdays can lead to overcrowded buses. That is not the best time to use these buses, like in any busy city.
Travellers must remember that a certain number of seats are allocated for ladies in the forward portion of each bus. Unless these seats are empty, gentlemen are not expected to occupy them, and they must be vacated when a lady wishes to sit there. The standard precautions of being wary of pickpockets and other anti-social elements must be maintained.
Several important points serviced by Cochin's city bus service include Fort Kochi, Thoppumpady, Edakochi, Mattancherry, Island (Willingdon Island), Thevara, Kaloor, Palarivattom, Kakkanad, Kalamassery, Edapalli,North Paravur, Alwaye, Tripunithura, and Vytilla Jn.
By autorickshaw
This is a cheap way of transport between attractions. You can find an auto stand at almost every bus stop. This is the ideal way to cover short distances. Make sure you agree on a fare with the driver before the journey because almost none of the autorickshaws have working meters. Beware of autorickshaw drivers who charge extra if they know you are tourists.
By taxi
The taxis in Cochin are very convenient and comfortable. Most of the vehicles are Tata Indica cars or Ambassador cars, which are much safer than Auto rickshaws, and the drivers are polite. If you are alone or going to an unknown destination, you are strongly advised to choose this option, even though the rates will be double that of an auto.
Unlike most Western countries, taxis are not usually marked with 'TAXI' signs on the top. In fact, you must call for a taxi, as it is nearly impossible to hail one unless you are at a major point like the airport. When you call, you should negotiate a fare (or agree on using the meter) and get the taxi's 'number'. The taxi will come pick you up, and call you when they are close. When you go out on the street, look at the license plate for the number they gave you -- it will be the last four digits of the license plate. Taxis are generally white in color and have yellow license plates with black letters.
Although it can be hard for Westerners to realise at first, this process is very effective. If in doubt, ask a member of your hotel staff to help you, and when your taxi comes be sure to tip the helpful staff member Rs. 10 or 15 for the assistance.
By private car
Most taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers will be more than happy to offer you either a daily rate or an hourly rate, and take you around wherever you need to go. Alternately, your hotel or a travel company can arrange a private car.
If you find a good taxi or auto driver, this can be a great way to go for a foreigner. You'll certainly pay a lot more than if you bought individual rides, but you'll always have a driver waiting for you, and he can help with recommending local tourist sites, finding a good restaurant to eat at, and otherwise coping with day-to-day life. This can take a lot of the stress out of traveling.
Rates are generally something like Rs. 50 to 100 per hour for an auto-rickshaw, and Rs 150 to 250 per hour for a taxi. Rates for a private car booked via the hotel will probably be more. Like everything else in India, rates are very fluid.
By ferry
There are also good ferry services between islands.
A useful service is the 'Junkar' between Fort Kochi and Vypeen.There regular boat services from Ernakulam to Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Vypeen and Willington Island which are much cheeper than bus. These ferry service is faster also for many cases because bus or taxi has to travel longer & through crowded route. eg. If your some where near M.G. Road and travelling to Willington Island or Mattancheri will be cheap & fast if you catch ferry from Ernakulam Main boat jetty.
See
• Hill Palace Museum - The King Palace now converted to Museum along with a small zoo is 12 Km south-east of Ernakulam at Tripunithura have Painting, Epigraphy, the collections from Travancore & Cochin Royal families.
• Museum of Kerala History - at Edappally
• Parikshith Thampuran Museum contains Oil paintings, old coins, sculptures and Mughal paintings, Interesting temple models and traditional style Kerala buildings.
• Fort Kochi
• Mattancherry There is beautiful Jain temple here. It is great to visit at about 12:15hrs when the pigeons are feed by Jain mandir people last 17 years. A huge number of pigeons first take three circle of the temple and listen to mantra and before eating.
• Willington Island - An large artificial island made out of sand removed in order to deepen the Kochi Port.
• Vypeen and Gundu Islands - The Island toasts a lighthouse at Ochenthuruthu, beaches and the early 16th century
• Bolgatty - built in 1744 as Dutch Palace; one of the KTDC Hotels with green lawns and Golf Course.
• Chinese fishing Nets - at Fort Kochi.
• Dutch Palace - constructed by Portuguese in 1568 for Maharaja of Kochi Veera Kerala Varma. Later rebuilt by Dutch.
• St. Francis Church, Fort Kochi - constructed by the Portuguese[1503]. Vasco da Gama was buried here [1524] and later his remains were transferred to Libson, Portugal. His tombstone can be seen inside the church.
• Jew Street and Synagogue - at Mattancherry, it constructed in 1568 and rebuild in 1662.
• Santacruz Cathedral- at Fort Kochi
• Art Complex - Madhavan Nayar Foundation - Gallery of Paintings and Sculptures at Edappally, 10 km. north of city. (There is the Kerala History Museum, history students take note!)
• Thirumala Devoswam Temple, Mattancherry - Gowda Sarawatha Brahmins temple for Lord Venkatesha, its famous for second largest brass Bell in Asia.The North Gopuram is fully roofed with copper.
• Ernakulam Siva Temple - situated at the centre of the town, near the Durbar Hall Ground.
• Durbar Hall Ground - venue of many fair during festivals
• Kalady - is the birth place of Sri Shankaracharya [786-820], the Great Indian Philosopher, who is the founder of advatic philosophy, shrines of Shankaracharya here are open to all pilgrim's irrespective of religion or caste, its 48km north of City.
• Kanjiramattam Mosque - Muslim pilgrim center, venue of Kudikkuthu Festival, 30km east of City
• Chenamangalam - Historically the seat of Paliath Achan, the Prime Minister of Kochi Kingdom, old Oriental Jewish synagogue and colony. Now center for handloom weaving and coir manufacturing, view of annual fair "Mattachanda" (Barter Systems). It is 42km north-west of city near North Paravur .
• Pallipuram Fort - built by the Portuguese in 1503, one of the oldest existing European monument in India. Situated in Vypeen island at Pallipuram.
• Aluva also spelled "Alwaye" few years ago, is a town on the way from airport to Kochi has some place of attraction
• Aluva Manalpuram - is famous for the Shivarathri festival on the Sand Beach on the banks of Periyar river.
• Malayattoor Mount - A Christian Pilgrimage Centre supposed to be a place visited by St. Thomas. (St. Thomas visited Kerala in AD 52. Don't forget Christianity reached the stores of India, much before it did Europe!
• Cherai Beach - near North Paravur is a new generation tourist hot spot with Golden beaches, (sand grains are big and looks like river sand used in construction, probably deposited by Periyar at some point of time) coconut palms corridors, backwaters, historical monuments.
