Fort Kochi and Mattancherry
Give a full day to walking these old port quarters: colonial buildings, the old spice trade, and communities that arrived from many places over the centuries.
2 to 3 daysHow long to stay
Budget to luxuryRough cost
Couples, Families, Friends, SoloWho it suits
KeralaSouth India
Is this for you?
Make this your easy first stop in Kerala. The old quarter is small enough to walk, the food is good, and Dutch, Portuguese and Jewish traces share the same few streets. Come if you like slow wandering. If you want big monuments, skip it. Many Hindu temples in Kerala don't admit non-Hindus, so you'll see most things from the street or from public places.
When to go
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Go in the coloured months. The black ones are best avoided.
What to do
Chinese fishing nets
Come in the late afternoon and stay for the sunset. One source describes huge nets on wooden frames, lowered into the water from the shore.
Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.
Kathakali evening
Kathakali is a Kerala dance-drama where actors in painted faces and tall costumes tell old stories without speaking. One source says regular evening shows run in Fort Kochi.
Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.
Jew Town and Paradesi Synagogue
Go Monday to Thursday. Jew Town is a lane of antique and spice shops beside the Paradesi Synagogue, a Jewish place of worship, closed Friday to Sunday and on Jewish holidays. Check opening hours locally.
Harbour ferries
One source says public ferries cross between Fort Kochi, Ernakulam and Vypeen island. Take a short ride for a different view of the old quarter from the water.
Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.
What to eat
Kochi's food comes from Kerala's Muslim, Christian and Hindu kitchens, all within a short ferry ride. Start with fish, coconut and spice, and don't leave without a plate of Mattancherry biryani.
Appam and stew
A soft, lacy rice pancake with a mild coconut stew. Breakfast or dinner, and a gentle start if spice worries you.
Ghee biryani
Rice and meat cooked with lots of ghee, or clarified butter. Mattancherry's lunchtime dish, and it can sell out.
Karimeen pollichathu
Pearl spot, a backwater fish, cooked in spices inside a banana leaf. Order it at lunch and open the parcel yourself.
Prawn moilee
Prawns in a mild coconut milk curry with turmeric. A good one to pair with rice or appam.
Puttu and kadala
Steamed cylinders of rice flour and coconut with black chickpea curry. Kerala's breakfast, and it's filling.
Vegetarian
Where to go
Fort House RestaurantCalvathy Road, Fort Kochi
A waterside lunch at a family-run hotel.
Mid-rangeFusion BayFort Kochi
Karimeen pollichathu and prawn moilee.
Mid-rangeKashi Art CafeBurger Street, Fort Kochi
Breakfast and cake in a gallery cafe. Service gets mixed reviews.
Mid-rangeKayees Rahmathulla CafeMattancherry
Ghee-rich biryani. It sells out, so get there for an early lunch.
Cheap eats
Getting there
Fly into Kochi's airport, 43 to 44 km from Fort Kochi, usually 60 to 100 minutes by taxi. Or take an overnight train from Chennai Central, about 11 hours, or a Vande Bharat (fast modern chair-car train) from Bengaluru, about 8 hours 40 minutes, not Wednesdays. Coimbatore is 190 to 201 km by road, about 3 to 4 hours. Check times when you book.
Where to stay
Ernakulam The modern city across the water, with the main train stations, so it's handy for early departures. You give up the old quarter's walks.
Fort Kochi The old port quarter, and the one to pick if you want to explore on foot. It has the most atmosphere, and it's 43 to 44 km from the airport.
Worth knowing
Rules
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.
Opening
Go to the Paradesi Synagogue on a Monday to Thursday, as it's closed Friday to Sunday and on Jewish holidays. Check opening hours locally, because we couldn't confirm them.
