Have you ever been to any place that influenced the Portuguese, Dutch and Britishers? How many of you have seen a Chinese Fishing Net? Don’t worry as in this blog we will be unveiling all the aforesaid questions with a memorable trip to the beautiful city of Kochi in 2024. Till then fasten your seat belts as we explore some of the famous places of Kerala.
In case you don’t know who we are……
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
In this blog series, we will take you all on an amazing virtual trip to the Southern state of India, Kerala, especially, the key tourist attractions. We truly understood, why the state of Kerala is known as “God’s own country“. Till then be with us as it will help you plan your itinerary. Of course, we are just a click away for any help.
Before starting anything, let’s begin this blog with a common notion………
Table of Contents
1. Why Kerala is known by the tagline “God’s Own Country”?
Well, we were as curious as you were before travelling to this beautiful place. As we experienced the beautiful place, we found that the place has not only some beautiful backwaters with breathtaking lagoons but also some stunning landscapes.
The whole state of Kerala is quite renowned for being a cultural melting pot with a blend of traditions from different communities, including Hindus, Christians, and Muslims. On top of that Kerala has some of the best-known spices available across India. This resulted in the availability of some of the best-known cuisines based on coconut.
Kerala is also well known for some of the best ayurvedic medicines available. Now you can understand, that this place truly deserves the tagline “God’s Own Country“.
2. What is the best way to reach Kochi?
Kochi (previously, known as Cochin) is well connected by rail, road and air. If you are planning by air, most possibly, you will get down at the Cochin International Airport. It’s about 40-45 km away from Fort Kochi, a population and sought-after destination among fellow travellers.
Reaching the city from the airport has three options:
- Grab the government-operated orange-coloured Airport Bus available just outside the arrival terminal. If you wish to use the bus please check out the timetable and get into one of them. The AC travel fare can cost up to somewhere around 100 INR per person.
- Grab a local taxi and reach your hotel. Booking counters are available at the arrival halls that can help you reach your accommodation with ease. Additionally, you can also book from Ola or Uber-based mobile apps.
- Apart from the two options, you may also reach out to some private cabs or pre-booked cabs that you might have booked before landing in Kochi.
We reached by early morning train and got off at the Ernakulam Jn. railway station. It was the month of February. There were many three-wheeled auto-rickshaws waiting just outside the station complex. They helped us reach our accommodation with ease. Remember to negotiate with the auto-rickshaw drivers before you hop into the vehicle to avoid any last-minute issues after reaching your destination.
If you are reaching by road, you will get down at the KSRTC bus station. Nevertheless, you will find an ample amount of auto-rickshaws to reach your accommodation. Additionally, if you wish you have the privilege of the App based cabs at your disposal.
Next on our list was……
3. How was our accommodation?
We stayed close to the Ernakulam Railway Station, near the Shenoy’s Cinema on the Mahatma Gandhi Road. It was hardly a 20-minute ride. There is no dearth of accommodation options across Kochi. Most of the places are happening and you will find food options at ease.
In case you are a backpacker, you might be interested in staying in hostels. For them, we would suggest you all explore the hostels of KB Jacob Road of Fort Kochi. There are options available to choose from depending on your budget. Many hostels even provide complimentary breakfast with the stay.
Returning to our story, after reaching our accommodation, we freshened up in no time and soon we were ready to explore the city in a private bus with our Suruby Travels group. You can also check out their attractive itineraries to choose from. We only have a day in hand to explore the Kochi as we have a long trip in hand.
Without any delay, let’s take you all to some famous attractions of Kochi. The first on our list was…….
4. Fort Kochi
As we were staying in Kochi city, of course, this place has got to be on our list first. We loved taking a stroll in the streets of Fort Kochi.
We did observe some of the Portuguese Colonial Architecture and the renowned Chinese Fishing Nets. The locals welcomed us with a smiling face. As we were walking through the streets of Fort Kochi, we reached the……
5. Santa Cruz Basilica
We loved the architecture of the Church as it signified an Indo-European Style. We found a few fellow travellers curiously browsing through the history associated with the place. Surprisingly, we came to know that the Church was built by the Portuguese which was later on destroyed by the Dutch. During the British reign, the church was renovated.
Now you understand why we stated that the place has influenced the Portuguese, Dutch and Britishers.
The next stoppage from the Basilica was the………
6. Mattanchery Palace
Ironically, the place was gifted to the King of Kochi by the Portuguese, the palace was renovated by the Dutch. As a result, the Palace is also known as the Dutch Palace. There was a small minor entry fee of 5 INR for Indian Citizens and 100 INR for Non-Indian Citizens.
We fell in love with the central courtyard that was open to the sky. We saw some beautiful paintings from Ramayana and Mahabharata. After spending close to an hour, we had our packed lunch in one of the local restaurants.
It was a windy day at Kochi and we loved the weather as much as the attractions. The next on our list was the…….
7. Jew Town
The small Jew Town was one of the early settlements of the Jewish Community in Kochi. The place had some of the super antique shops and world-famous spice markets. However, we were in awe of the cosy cafes and graffiti in and around Jew Town.
Of late the town has become a cultural pot for other communities too, apart from the Jewish People. After about 30 minutes, we headed to…….
8. St. Francis Church
It was one of the oldest European Churches in India. The Church is quite famous as it is the burial site of the renowned Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.
We observed any cenotaphs within the church that were dedicated to various famous Dutch commanders and British personnel. We saw the interior walls to be quite simple with wooden pews. There were more visitors and worshippers to the Church than the Basilica visited earlier.
Now that we explored most places of Kochi, we decided to return and enjoy a sunset at the…….
9. Marine Drive
It was almost close to 6 p.m. when we reached there. We sat by the jetty to catch a good glimpse of the setting sun. There was a coconut seller on his cycle, we bought one and were mesmerised by the beauty of the place.
We took a stroll by the road before returning to our accommodation by close to 8 pm.
Now that ended our day, we would like to let know that there is a Kathakali Show that takes place in Fort Kochi at the Kerala Kathakali Center. If you are planning to stay in Fort Kochi, then do catch a glimpse of the amazing performance from the artist for a 350 INR fee.
Apart from the attractions mentioned, you can also visit
- Hill Palace Museum
- Cherai Beach
- Kerala Folklore Museum
For us, it was just the perfect start to the beautiful long trip to Kerala. We had an early morning departure to the next destination on our list. Do follow us for more exciting stories and experiences.
We are not going anywhere without this last question……
10. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of a new place. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau
One Reply to “Plan a Perfect Trip to Kochi in 2024 With These Insider Facts”