Kochi Travel Guide: Fort Kochi, Mattancherry Palace, Festivals and Flights
Kochi, also called Cochin, is a port city in Ernakulam district of Keralam (Kerala). Kerala Tourism, the state tourism body, calls it the state's commercial capital, and both Kerala Tourism and Incredible India, the Ministry of Tourism's website, use its nickname, the Queen of the Arabian Sea. Incredible India says Kochi has been a port for ships from across Asia and Europe since the 14th century.
Kerala Tourism sends visitors to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry for the city's monuments, and Incredible India says Munnar, Alappuzha (Alleppey) and Thekkady are within easy reach from Kochi. Flights land at Cochin International Airport (COK), at Nedumbassery, and the main direct routes recorded from there are named below. The India travel guide covers the rest of the country.
What to see in Kochi
Fort Kochi
Kerala Tourism describes Fort Kochi as the first European township in India, and Kochi Water Metro says it is about 12 km from Ernakulam town. Kerala Tourism's list of Fort Kochi sights takes in the Chinese fishing nets along Vasco da Gama Square, the Santa Cruz Basilica, St. Francis Church and Bastion Bungalow, and Fort Kochi Beach is on its wider list of Kochi sights.
Incredible India describes the fishing nets as large cantilevered structures that jut into the water, and names a Kathakali performance in Fort Kochi among the things to see. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) lists St. Francis Church among its centrally protected monuments.
Mattancherry Palace
Kerala Tourism says the Mattancherry Palace was built around 1545 by the Portuguese as a present to King Veera Kerala Verma of the Kochi dynasty. It is also called the Dutch Palace, because the Dutch later renovated it, and it is around 12 km from Ernakulam city.
Murals in the royal bedchamber portray the story of the Ramayana, according to Kerala Tourism, and the ASI lists the mural paintings on the palace walls among its centrally protected monuments. Confirm the opening hours with the palace before you go.
The Hill Palace Museum at Thripunithura
The Hill Palace at Thripunithura was built in 1865 and was once the residence of the rulers of Kochi, according to Kerala Tourism, and it lies around 10 km from Kochi. It is now an ethno-archaeological museum, with galleries of portraits, porcelain, manuscripts, coins, weapons, sculpture and wood carvings, and the grounds hold a deer park, a children's park and a prehistoric park.
Kerala Tourism lists an entrance fee. Confirm the opening hours with the museum before you go.
Other sights in Kochi
Jew Street and David Hall are on Kerala Tourism's list of Kochi sights, and Incredible India names Jew Town and its synagogue. It also names Cherai Beach, the islands of Bolgatty, Vypin and Gundu, the village of Kumbalangi, the Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary, and backwater cruising on Vembanad Lake.
Food in Kochi
Incredible India lists Avial, Puttu Kadala, Idiyappam, Nadan Kozhi Varuthathu, Fish Molly and Kulukki Sarbath among the dishes to try in Kochi.
When to go to Kochi
Weather and seasons
Incredible India says Kochi welcomes visitors all year, and that the months between October and March offer the most pleasant weather for exploring the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) calls October to December the north-east monsoon and describes it as a rainfall season over the south peninsula that takes in Keralam. It counts June to September as the south-west monsoon season.
Kerala Tourism promotes the south-west monsoon across the state as a time to visit, and names boat races and Ayurveda practices among its reasons.
Festivals and events in Kochi
The Cochin Carnival in Fort Kochi is held during the last two weeks of December, according to Kerala Tourism, and is organised by the District Tourism Promotion Council, Ernakulam. Kerala Tourism says the festival closes on New Year's Day with the Carnival Rally. It also says its festival dates are approximate and should be confirmed with the local authorities.
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, founded in 2010 by the Kochi Biennale Foundation, is held every two years in Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. The foundation's home page is headed "Seventh Edition 2027 - 2028", with Kader Attia as curator, so check the Kochi Biennale Foundation's site for dates.
Incredible India names Onam, a harvest celebration, and Vishu, a New Year celebration, among the festivals in Kochi.
Flying to Kochi
Kochi's airport is Cochin International Airport, at Nedumbassery, owned and operated by Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). CIAL says it is 28 km from Ernakulam Junction railway station, which Incredible India gives as the nearest railway station to Kochi. The airport page covers its terminals and the taxi and bus links into the city.
Main routes recorded from Kochi
The site's schedule data records direct domestic flights between Kochi and New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, and also Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa (Dabolim), Navi Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. Each name links to its route page.
The airlines recorded on these routes include IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air.
Getting around Kochi
Kochi Metro
As of October 2026, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) lists the metro's stations from Aluva to Thrippunithura, by way of Edapally, Kaloor, Ernakulam South and Vyttila. The list has no station at the airport.
Kochi Water Metro
Kochi Water Metro is a boat service operated with KMRL. As of October 2026, its site lists terminals including Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Vypin, Willingdon Island, Kakkanad and Eloor. Search your journey on its boat schedule page before you plan a day around a boat.
Side trips from Kochi
Munnar
Kerala Tourism gives the distance from the airport at Nedumbassery to Munnar as approximately 67 miles, about three hours' drive.
Alappuzha and Kumarakom
Incredible India gives Cochin International Airport as the nearest airport for Alappuzha, and names backwater and houseboat cruises, Alappuzha Beach and its lighthouse, and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary among the things to do there. It says the best time to visit Alappuzha is the winter season, between October and February.
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Alappuzha is usually held on the second Saturday of August, according to Incredible India. For Kumarakom, the same site's houseboat page picks November to February for houseboat cruises and birdwatching at the bird sanctuary.
Questions about visiting Kochi
When is the best time to visit Kochi?
Incredible India says the months between October and March offer the most pleasant weather for exploring Kochi. The IMD calls October to December the north-east monsoon and describes it as a rainfall season over the south peninsula that takes in Keralam.
When is the Cochin Carnival in Fort Kochi?
Kerala Tourism says the Cochin Carnival is held during the last two weeks of December and closes on New Year's Day with the Carnival Rally. It describes its festival dates as approximate, to be confirmed with the local authorities.
Does the Kochi Metro go to Cochin International Airport?
Not on KMRL's list of metro stations, which as of October 2026 runs from Aluva to Thrippunithura and has no station at the airport. CIAL says the airport is 28 km from Ernakulam Junction railway station, and the airport page covers the taxi and bus links.
How far is Fort Kochi from Ernakulam?
Kochi Water Metro says Fort Kochi is about 12 km from Ernakulam town. Kerala Tourism gives the Mattancherry Palace as around 12 km from Ernakulam city.
How far is Munnar from Kochi airport?
Kerala Tourism gives the distance from the airport at Nedumbassery to Munnar as approximately 67 miles, about three hours' drive.