Come here to do very little: float along the canals, watch village life and eat well. It works best for couples and families. If you're alone, a houseboat costs more per head, and if you need things to do, skip it. You only need one night, and it fits neatly between Kochi and the south.
Go in the coloured months. The black ones are best avoided.
Stay on a wooden boat with bedrooms, a cook and a driver, drifting through the canals. One source says hires run from 12 hours to several days. Book a reputable operator, not someone who approaches you in the street.
Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.
Stick to walking on the sand. One source says the beach is wide, but the water is deep with strong currents. The town is an easy place for a slow stroll and a meal.
Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.
About 16 km north of Alleppey, a quieter, less visited stretch of coast. Base yourself here if you want fewer other visitors.
Kuttanad, the rice country around Alleppey, eats from the canals: pearl spot fish, prawns and duck. Skip the multi-cuisine places on the main road and find a toddy shop, a rural place that serves palm wine with very spicy food.
Prawns tossed in coconut oil with shallots and curry leaves until crisp at the edges. A great side.
Duck in a coconut gravy, a toddy shop favourite around the backwaters. Eat it with appam, a soft rice pancake.
Boiled, mashed tapioca with a hot, tangy fish curry. Rural and filling, and the classic toddy shop plate.
Pearl spot fish baked in a spiced banana leaf parcel. This is its home water, so order it here if anywhere.
Ripe banana fritters, crisp outside and soft within, eaten with chai in the evening.
Vegetarian
Karimeen pollichathu in a cosy room.
Mid-rangeToddy, spicy tapioca and fish curry in a rustic shop. Ask your host.
Cheap eatsFilter coffee and masala dosa at a dependable chain.
Cheap eatsPlain, homely fish curry meals and biryani with locals.
Cheap eats
From Kochi, take the bus, about 1 hour 45 minutes. A Vande Bharat (a fast modern chair-car train) from Thiruvananthapuram towards Kochi stops here in the early evening, though not on Wednesdays. Check times when you book.
Alleppey town Simple guesthouses near the canals, for a cheaper night on land. You miss the night on the water.
Mararikulam A quieter coastal base about 16 km north of the town, for when you want fewer people around.
On a houseboat The classic way to stay, and the reason you're here. Prices run from mid-range to luxury.
Do not swim at Alleppey Beach, and keep to walking on the sand. One source warns of deep water and strong currents, especially around the monsoon.
Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.
Many Hindu temples in Kerala do not admit non-Hindus, and a state rule is described as a blanket bar. In January 2026 the Kerala High Court asked the state to reconsider that rule but did not strike it down. Plan to see temples from outside only. Do not plan to go inside the Guruvayur or Padmanabhaswamy temples, which are the best known. Whether you are turned away is the temple's decision, and we do not suggest any declaration of faith to get in.
Book through a reputable operator, not someone who approaches you in the street, as one source advises. We couldn't confirm how licences are checked, so ask for details before you pay.
Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.
