Unleashing the Ultimate Adventure: Top 13 Places To Visit In Fort Kochi In 2 Days
There are many beautiful and exciting places to visit in Fort Kochi. Fort Kochi is a great vacation and holiday spot for family, kids, friends, and couples.
It is a beautiful waterfront seaside area in Kochi/Cochin in the state of Kerala bordering the Arabian Sea in India. The topography of Kochi is very unique which in itself is a tourist attraction. There are many water-surrounded islands and tiny islets connected by bridges located beside mainland Kochi.
How Fort Kochi Got Its Name
Fort Cochin in Kerala gets its name from Fort Manuel which was controlled by the Portuguese and was the first European fort on Indian soil. Kochi was originally a fishing village during pre-colonial times. Fort Kochi was given to the Portuguese in 1503 by the Rajah of Kochi, in return for helping him fight the forces of Saamoothiri of Kozhikode. Later Fort Emanuel was built by the Portuguese near the waterfront to protect their commercial interests.
Heritage Places To Visit In Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi is known for its Dutch, Portuguese, and British colonial architecture, Heritage buildings housing contemporary art galleries, the Chinese fishing nets, and St. Francis Church. St. Francis church was the original burial site of the explorer Vasco da Gama.
Ways To Reach Kochi
Fort Kochi can be accessed from Ernakulam through roadways and waterways. Private and government buses connect different parts of the city with Fort Kochi. There is a huge inflow of tourists visiting Fort Kochi these days as there are many interesting places to visit in Fort Kochi.
| By Air | Fort Kochi is connected by air to all major cities, and Fort Kochi is 45 km from Kochi International Airport. Bus and taxi services are available from the airport to Fort Kochi. |
| By Rail | Kochi can be reached by taking a train to Ernakulam which is connected by rail to all parts of India and then from Ernakulam you can take a taxi or bus to Fort Kochi. |
| By Road | Kochi there is an extensive network of State Highways and National Highways connecting Fort Kochi to the other state as well as cities. Both State-operated and private bus services are available to cities in Kerala as well as to some major cities outside the state of Kerala. Alternatively, you could drive on your own or a rented vehicle by road to Ernakulam and then to Fort Kochi. |
Best Season to visit places in Fort Kochi
Autumn Season: (September to November)
This season is the best time to visit places in Fort Kochi. The climate is humid & windy during this time with frequent rains and the temperature ranges from 24°C to 32°C. This is the busiest season for tourism and the places to visit in Fort Kochi are a bit crowded and the hotels are priced high.
Winter Season (December to February)
Fort Kochi has great weather during this season as well with temperatures ranging from 23°C to 32°C with rare rains. This is the second busiest season for tourism in Fort Kochi.
Summer Season (March to June)
Summers are off-season as it is quite hot and humid in Fort Kochi with temperatures ranging from 25°C to 33°C. This isn’t really the pleasant season to visit Fort Kochi but then this is the best time for folks who like travelling when it’s not crowded. Also, you will find some amazing deals & offers during this time of the year.
Monsoon Season (July to October)
Monsoon season is a wet and humid season at Fort Kochi with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 31°C. There will be a lot of downpours and you will have to carry your umbrellas wherever you go. This season also isn’t too crowded and you get some good deals & offers during this time of the year as well.
Fort Cochin boasts of many places of historical and tour place interest. The places to visit in Fort Kochi are categorized below based on the area of interest so that you could choose places based on your interest. The compilation below limits the choice to the Top 13 places to visit in Fort Kochi as the objective is to list down places to visit in Fort Kochi in 2 days or over a weekend trip.
Beaches to Visit in Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi Beach
Fort Kochi Beach is a very beautiful and scenic beach located on the western coast of India along the Arabian Sea and is also known as the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. The trees and the greenery on the walkway to the beach add to the serene beautiful atmosphere and you can see a breathtaking view of the sunset here.
This Fort Kochi Beach is the backdrop for most of Fort Kochi’s places of historic and tourist interest. It is on these beaches that the famous Cochin Carnival is conducted on New Year’s Eve. Other main attractions along this beach are the Vasco da Gama Square, the Chinese Fishing Nets and Fort Immanuel.
Chinese fishing nets
The Chinese Fishing Nets also popularly known as Cheena Vala in Malayalam, are believed to have been set up on the shores of Kochi by the Chinese explorer Zheng He, from the court of the Kubla Khan between 1350 and 1450 AD.
These fishing nets are iconic symbols of the culture and history of Kochi and are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Fort Kochi. This place attracts hordes of tourists every day and is one of the most photographed places in Fort Kochi.
The nets are fixed on teak and bamboo poles and they work on the principle of balance. The nets are operated by motors running on diesel. In the Olden days, each net used to be operated by at least 5 to 6 fishermen manually. Fishing is usually done in the morning and early evening.
Places To Visit In Fort Kochi For Entertainment:
LuLu Mall
LuLu Mall at Fort Kochi is one of the largest malls in India as well has it has one of the largest hypermarkets in India. This mall also features a 2,500-seater multi-cuisine food court, 11 fine-dining restaurants and 6 cafes. The mall features a gold class 9-screen multiplex, and a leisure zone including South India’s largest ice skating rink, a trampoline park, amusement rides, and a 12-lane bowling alley.
Entry Fee & Timings
Timings:- This mall opens from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Monday to Sunday).
Place Type
Shopping Malls, Shopping Places
Address:
34/1000, Old NH 47, Edappally Junction, Nethaji Nagar, Edappally, Kochi, Ernakulam, Kerala 682024
Google Map:
Cochin Carnival
The Cochin Carnival is an entertainment event held at Fort Kochi, every year during the last two weeks of December and finally culminates with a massive parade on New Year’s Day. The Cochin Carnival’s origin dates back to the period 1503 to 1663 when Portuguese ruled over this area. Fort Kochi was the capital city for the Portuguese colonists and they used to welcome the New Year with lots of gala celebrations and joyful festivities.
The whole city of Kochi is beautifully decorated and lit up with colourful lights, graffiti work, white paper buntings and Christmas decorations. It is officially inaugurated with hoisting the Indian national flag at the Vasco da Gama Square. Processions with colourful costumes, music, dance and decorated elephants bring the streets alive. The event is a combination of different cultures like Portuguese, Indian, Anglo Indian, Arab and Dutch cultures.
Events like fancy dress parades, art shows, food festivals, music concerts, colourful rallies, fairs and sports events are arranged to enhance the festive spirit of the carnival. Sports events and competitions like beach bike race, beach football, swimming, kayaking, wrestling, boxing, cycle race, bullet race and marathons are held.
The main core essence of the carnival is promoting Participation, Peace, Progress, Adventure and Environment.
Heritage Places To Visit In Fort Kochi
Fort Emmanuel
Fort Kochi is a ruined fort located at Fort Kochi beach and it gets its first part of the name because of Fort Emmanuel, also known as Fort Manuel. This was the first Portuguese fort in Asia and was named after Manuel I, the then king of Portugal.
Fort Immanuel built in 1503 was a bastion of the Portuguese in Kochi and it was a symbol of the strategic alliance between the Maharajah of Kochi and the Portuguese.
Google Map
Indo-Portuguese museum
The museum houses an invaluable collection of artefacts that stand proof to the Portuguese legacy in Fort Kochi and the surrounding areas. There are 5 main sections under which the collections are displayed – Altar, Treasure, Procession, Civil Life and Cathedral. This museum preserves and showcases the rich heritage of the Indo-Portuguese culture as well as the art and architecture of Kerala.
Visitor Information
- Famous For: History, Photography, Architecture.
- Entry Fee: No fee is required on the first Thursday of every month. On the rest of the days, the ticket price is as follows: Indian adults (10 INR), Indian children (5 INR), and Foreigners (25 INR).
- Visiting Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. Mondays and the public holidays are kept close.
- Visiting Duration: 2 to 3 hours minimum.
Google Map
Mattancherry Palace
The Mattancherry Palace is a palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace, is in Mattancherry in Kochi. Despite the name Dutch Palace, the palace was built in 1545 by the Portuguese Empire as a gift to the Kingdom of Cochin. This palace houses a good collection of murals depicting portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi.
Address: Mattancherry, Kochi, Kerala 682002
Hours:
Monday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday Closed
Strings Museum
This is a must visit place for music lovers. They have an interesting collection of instruments from far and wide around the world spanning many centuries. This museum is set up from the private collection of a dedicated music connoisseur Pious Joseph who is a Kuwait based businessman. Though the museum is named ‘Strings Museum’, it displays a lot of wind, brass and percussion instruments apart from a wide variety of string instruments.
Religious Places To Visit In Fort Kochi
Cochin Thirumala Devaswom
Cochin Thirumala Devaswom, also called Gosripuram is a temple situated at Cherlai in the heart of Mattancherry town in Cochin area. This is the biggest and most important socio-religious institution of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala and was established in the later half of the 16th century.
The main idol is of Lord Venkateswara with his consorts Sreedevi and Bhoodevi on either side and is placed on the top of the Simhasan. Utsav Murti with consorts are placed in the next step, Utsav Lakshmi is placed in the next step and Saligrama on the lowest step.
The four shrines inside the temple are dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi, Hanuman, Garuda and Vigneshwara. Vrindavan of Shri Sukrathindra Thirtha Swamiji of Kashi Math Monastery is located here.
Temple Timings and Details
- Darshan Timings Opening Timing – 06:00 Am To 12:30 PmClosing Timing – 06:00 Pm To 09:00 Pm
- Dress Code Traditional and formal clothing
- Photography and Videography Not allowed
- Prasad Available
Jain Temple
The Kochi Jain temple or Dharmanath Jain temple located in Mattancherry in Kochi is one of the major Jain pilgrimage sites in India. Historically, Jains from Kutch & Saurastra used to come to Cochin, Kozhikode and Alleppey for business. Hirubhai Jivraj Dhanji built this temple in memory of her husband Jivraj Dhanji. The temple floor is beautifully tiled with white marble and adorned with sculptured pillars and artworks.
- Jain Temple Address: Jain Temple Rd, Mattancherry, Kochi, Kerala 682002, India
- Jain Temple Contact Number: +91-4842224802
- Jain Temple Timing: 05:30 am – 07:30 pm
- Best time to visit Jain Temple(preferred time): 06:00 am – 06:00 pm
- Time required to visit Jain Temple: 00:30 Mins
Google Map
Jewish Synagogue
The Jewish Synagogue is located at one end of the Jew Street in the Jew Town enclave of Mattancherry in Fort Kochi. This synagogue was constructed by the Malabar Yehudans or Cochin Jewish community in 1568. Beautiful Belgian glass chandeliers and blue willow-patterned Chinese hand-painted floor tiles adorn the synagogue. The synagogue houses the Scrolls of the Law, the brass-railed pulpit and several gold crowns.
A clock tower can also be found on this same street close to the synagogue. Among the four faces of the clock, the one facing the maharaja’s palace showed the time in Malayalam. Another face was etched with Roman numerals and was meant for the traders. Another face of the clock had writings in Hebrew while the other face remained blank.
Timing of Jewish Synagogue
The synagogue is open every day except Fridays, Saturdays, and Jewish holidays.
Timings: 10 am to 12 noon, 3 pm to 5 pm.
Google Map :
Our Lady of Hope Church
Church of Our Lady of Hope is a Latin Church and is located at Fort Vypin in the island of Vypeen, where the Vembanad Lake merges with the Arabian Sea. The church, with an area of 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi), occupies the southern end of Vypeen Island. This is one of the oldest churches in Kochi, built by the Portuguese in 1605 A.D.The church is home to the famous statue of Ecce Homo, meaning ‘Behold the man’, a statue of lord Jesus in chains and is kept for public veneration on the fourth Sunday of lent every year.
Santa Cruz Basilica
The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica also known as Kotta Palli in Malayalam is located at Fort Kochi and is one of the nine basilicas in Kerala. This Basilica is counted as one of the heritage edifices of Kerala and is one of the finest and most impressive churches in India and visited by tourists the whole year round.
This Church is endowed with architectural and artistic grandeur and coloured in Gothic style. The basilica serves as the cathedral church of the Diocese of Cochin and is a place of devotion as well as a centre of historic significance. It was built originally by the Portuguese and elevated to a cathedral by Pope Paul IV in 1558. Later the British demolished the structure and built a new building in 1887. Santa Cruz was proclaimed a basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1984.
