Backwaters, spices and Ayurveda. Here is when to go, what a day costs on site and what to see, then Okela composes your itinerary hour by hour.

Compose my trip to KochiSee Kochi in Okela

When to visit Kochi

Best months: January, February, March, October, November and December.

What to see in Kochi

1. Fort Kochi & filets chinois
   The Chinese fishing nets, large wooden and rope structures hanging over the water at the mouth of the backwaters, are among the most recognisable sights in Kerala.
2. Palais de Mattancherry
   Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century and later reworked by the Dutch in the 17th, this royal palace in Kochi holds Kerala mural paintings that illustrate the great Hindu epics, in rooms that still feel like the courts they once served.
3. Backwaters d'Alappuzha (houseboat)
   The network of lagoons, canals and rivers around Alappuzha is best experienced slowly, on a flat-bottomed boat moving at the pace of the water.
4. Synagogue Paradesi (Jew Town)
   This is the oldest synagogue still in use in the Commonwealth, set in the heart of Jew Town in Mattancherry, a neighbourhood where the history of the Cochin Jewish community is still visible in its streets.
5. Kathakali (Kerala Kathakali Centre)
   This is one of the few places in Kochi where you can watch a kathakali performance in a setting designed for visitors without losing the sense of the theatre itself.
6. Basilique Santa Cruz
   This basilica is a reminder that Kochi was an early European trading port, dating back to the first Portuguese settlements.
7. Plage de Cherai
   Cherai is a long sandy beach on Vypin island, just north of Kochi, facing the Arabian Sea.
8. Marché aux épices de Mattancherry
   The warehouses and stalls of Mattancherry keep the smell and rhythm of an old spice port, with traders still working through sacks of pepper, cardamom and turmeric.

A sample itinerary for Kochi, three days

Composed by Okela from the places in its database, with times. Yours takes your dates, pace and group into account.

Budget

Expect about €42 per person per day on site (accommodation, meals, transport and visits), depending on the comfort you choose. Okela shows the price of every step of your itinerary.

My Kochi itinerary, hour by hour

More destinations: India

Photo: Augustus Binu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Mydreamsparrow, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.