0:02 Hi, I am Ismile and this video is going
0:04 to be a crash course for you in visiting Kochi
0:10 Keral. Grab a pen and paper because I'm
0:12 going to answer every question a
0:14 traveler might have about visiting Kochi
0:15 like what are the best places to visit,
0:18 food and cafes that you need to try and
0:20 some FAQs like budget properties, luxury
0:22 stays, bike rentals, taxi services and
0:24 an entire budget breakdown of this trip.
0:26 Kochi often referred to as Arnakulum is
0:29 a vibrant bustling city of Kerala with a
0:31 rich history, culture and equally unique
0:33 geography. It is often ranked in one of
0:35 the best cities of the world to visit
0:37 and I truly felt that it is welld
0:38 deserved. Now there are 20 plus
0:40 interesting things to do for a traveler
0:42 just in Kochi. So I have divided these
0:44 places into three clusters based on
0:46 their locations in the city to give you
0:48 a better orientation on map when I show
0:49 you these places. So the first cluster
0:51 is the Fort Kochi and the Matan Cherry
0:53 area. Now, most of your travel favorite
0:56 spots are in this cluster. It is a tiny
0:58 part of the city right on the edge of
0:59 the Arabian Sea. It's also the part
1:01 where the old Dutch, Portuguese, and
1:04 English settlements were made about 400
1:06 years ago. It is a very small area about
1:09 1 to2 km square, which has about 11 to
1:11 12 interesting places and a lot of great
1:14 cafes, galleries, shops, and museums to
1:15 explore. With that, let me take you to
1:17 the first spot in Fort Kochi. These are
1:19 the Chinese fishing nets in Fort Kochi.
1:21 These are canty livered fishing nets on
1:23 the shoreline of Kochi. They were
1:25 introduced by Chinese traders in 14th
1:27 century. Best viewed at sunrise or
1:29 sunset. It's a great spot for photos and
1:32 local fish market experiences. For a few
1:34 rupees, you can also get a demo on how
1:36 it works. This is your next spot, the
1:38 Wasco Dagama Square and the beach
1:40 walkway. A beautiful breezy prominard
1:43 near the seaine lined with food vendors
1:45 and colonial remnants. Ideal for evening
1:47 strolls. And you can also see a lot of
1:49 ships passing right in front of you from
1:51 here. Behind me is the food Kochi beach.
1:53 One of the most popularly visited spots
1:55 in Kochi and rightly so. A small beach
1:57 with a few food stalls and a local
1:59 favorite spot. It's best enjoyed in the
2:02 early morning or evening. Swimming is
2:03 not allowed here. This is the next spot.
2:05 It's called the Princess Street and it's
2:08 one of the oldest streets of Fort Kochi.
2:10 It's full of European style buildings,
2:12 cafes, and shops with a heritage touch.
2:14 It's great for shopping and visiting art
2:16 galleries. The next spot is the St.
2:18 Francis Church which is one of the
2:20 oldest European churches across all of
2:22 India. It is also here where Vasco
2:24 Duggama was originally buried. It's a
2:26 simple structure but historically rich.
2:28 Behind me is the Santa Cruz Cathedral
2:30 Basilica, one of the oldest churches in
2:32 India. It's a stunning Gothic style
2:34 church with vibrant interiors and a lot
2:36 of historic value. Next is the
2:39 Indo-Portuguese Museum. A humble museum
2:41 showcasing the Portuguese influence on
2:43 Kerala's art, architecture and culture.
2:45 It has artifacts and history of the war
2:47 which is documented well here. Right now
2:49 I am in the next spot, the Naval
2:51 Maritime Museum. So Kochi is one of the
2:53 oldest ports of India and also a very
2:55 important naval base. This museum covers
2:58 India's naval history with ship models,
3:00 weapons and interactive displays. This
3:02 is the next spot, the Mutanerry Palace,
3:04 also known as the Dutch Palace. It's
3:06 included in UNESCO's world heritage site
3:08 lists. This palace was gifted by the
3:10 Portuguese to the king of Kochin. This
3:12 ancient structure has beautiful murals
3:14 of Ramayana and Hindu mythology inside
3:16 and a collection of displays from the
3:18 time of kings. The next spot is the Jew
3:20 town. This is an area with antique
3:22 shops, spice markets and a bustling vibe
3:24 with colorful architecture all around.
3:26 The next spot is the Jewish synagogue
3:28 also known as the Paresi Synagogue. It
3:30 is a place of worship for Jews and this
3:32 one is the oldest active synagogue in
3:34 the Commonwealth of Nations. It is
3:36 decorated with Belgian chandeliers and
3:38 hand painted tiles. And number 12 in
3:40 this list is the great KV Katakali
3:42 Center. You can witness cultural
3:43 performances of Katakali and Kaleri
3:45 Payetu at this center which are Kerala's
3:48 native dance and martial arts styles.
3:50 They also host yoga and culinary
3:52 workshops. Now every 2 years in the
3:54 winters around December to Feb. This
3:56 area of Kochi hosts the largest
3:59 contemporary art festival across Asia.
4:01 It's called the Kochi Merus Banal and
4:03 the upcoming one is set to be in
4:05 December 2025. Now the next few spots
4:07 that I will show you are all the places
4:09 that you can visit in the Arnakulum
4:10 town. This next spot is called the
4:12 Marine Drive. A beautiful walkway right
4:14 by the waterfront with a great cityscape
4:16 views and snack stalls. You can also go
4:18 on boat rides and sunset cruises from
4:20 here. You will find tons of vendors
4:22 offering these at the walkway. The
4:24 famous water metro of Kochi also has a
4:25 station here. You can take the boat to
4:27 reach Fort Kochi, but I will tell you
4:29 more about the water metro and commuting
4:31 inside Kochi later in the video. The
4:32 next spot is the Mangalwanam bird
4:34 sanctuary. A small protected area right
4:36 near the backwaters of the city. It
4:38 attracts migratory birds and you can
4:39 take a stroll in this area on a
4:41 designated trail. If you're lucky, you
4:43 may spot some birds on your walk. I'm
4:44 now at the next spot which is called the
4:46 Kerala Folklore Museum. It's an
4:48 impressive private collection of
4:50 traditional arts, masks, architectural
4:53 pieces from across Kerala's regions and
4:55 eras. A very unique museum and a great
4:58 experience navigating this structure.
4:59 This is the next spot, the Hill Palace
5:02 Museum. It is the largest archaeological
5:04 museum across Kerala. It is built in the
5:06 former royal residence and now turned
5:08 into a museum with artifacts, paintings
5:10 and multiple displays about history and
5:13 culture. Number 17 is the Lulu mall. It
5:15 is one of the largest malls across
5:17 India. It has global brands, eeries and
5:19 entertainment zones. And number 18 on
5:22 this list is Wonderam, a major amusement
5:24 and water park with thrill rides, water
5:26 slides and kid-friendly zones. You at
5:28 least need a full day to enjoy this
5:30 place. Now before I show you more places
5:32 from around Kochi, if you're feeling
5:33 that you should have noted all this
5:35 information down, don't worry. We have
5:37 made your job easier, we have created an
5:39 offline digital ebook of this entire
5:41 video in which we have mentioned all
5:43 these places, descriptions, timing,
5:45 contact details and additional sections
5:47 like custom maps and pre-built day wise
5:49 itinaries that you could follow directly
5:51 on your trip. You can buy this from our
5:52 website. The link is right here or in
5:54 the description. So now some spots from
5:56 the third cluster which are places
5:57 around the Kochi. The next spot is the
5:59 Cherai Beach. A local favorite spot to
6:01 enjoy the sand, the shore, and the
6:03 ocean. A beautiful beach right between
6:05 the ocean and the backwaters. The road
6:07 to reach this beach is also quite
6:08 scenic. The beach has a lot of food
6:10 vendors and is a favorite spot of locals
6:12 for a weekend picnic. It's not very safe
6:14 for swimming and there are lifeguards on
6:16 duty. Next is the Kuzipuli beach. Just a
6:18 few kilometers from Chai Beach, this is
6:20 a less crowded alternative to it. Ideal
6:23 for peaceful beach time and sunsets. It
6:24 also has this floating walkway that you
6:26 can try as an activity here. This spot
6:28 is the Kumbalangi model village which is
6:31 India's first model tourism village. It
6:33 offers a glimpse into rural life,
6:35 fishing and local cuisine of Kerala.
6:36 Several operators offer village tours
6:38 that take you through a guided
6:40 experience here. Contact details of one
6:41 such operator are on the screen. It's a
6:43 beautiful spot for kayaking and in
6:45 months of March and April you can also
6:47 witness bioluminescence in the
6:48 backwaters here. The next spot is the
6:50 Kadamkuri Islands. A cluster of islands
6:52 in the backwaters near Kochi with
6:54 mangroves and patty fields. You can
6:56 experience canoe boat rides and kayaking
6:58 here to explore these parts. There are
7:00 also a lot of yoga and massage centers
7:02 in Kochi and a lot of the properties
7:04 that you might be staying at will offer
7:06 that. And the Ford Kochi area is full of
7:08 art galleries and most of them will have
7:10 a cafe with the gallery. So I will list
7:11 down all that in the food section in
7:13 this video. For now, let me recommend
7:15 some hotels, home stays, host and
7:17 resorts in Kochi. I have picked options
7:19 which are in or around Fort Kochi area
7:21 itself. And then I have divided these
7:23 into four buckets. budget stays, luxury
7:25 stays, comfort stays, which are between
7:27 luxury and budget, and some very cool
7:29 and unique Airbnbs. I will quickly show
7:31 you pictures of these stays as I list
7:32 them all down. But to make your job
7:33 easier, I have left a link in the
7:35 description or from this box where you
7:37 will find this entire list with direct
7:38 booking links to all of these
7:40 properties. And there is a custom Google
7:42 map of this entire video with all the
7:43 places to visit along with the
7:45 properties which I mentioned and the
7:47 food places that I will recommend all
7:49 pinned particularly on a map. And that
7:50 should help you chart your travel plan
7:52 of Kochi. And on that note, if you're
7:53 feeling lazy in making your own travel
7:55 plan, just get our guide book. It has
7:57 three custom itenaries that you can
7:58 choose from with all the relevant
8:00 details, pictures, custom maps, and the
8:02 contact details you need to sort your
8:04 travels. So, let's get started with the
8:06 budget options to stay in Kochi. On this
8:08 list in no particular order we have
8:11 Bastion homeay, Saj home Fort Kochi,
8:14 Annie's in homeay, Seahut homeay, I1's
8:16 homeay, coconut grove for bridge view,
8:19 Calvin, good karma in Pakriti homeay,
8:22 Gerard's homeay, ghosttops hostel, the
8:25 hosteller, zostel, tamara wellness stay.
8:27 Next is the luxury stays and resorts of
8:29 Kochi. Here we have Old Harbor Hotel,
8:32 Nimrana's Towerhouse, Brentton Boatyard,
8:35 Amritara, the Puad Beachfront Heritage,
8:38 Lake Colonial 1506, 8th Bastion Fort
8:41 Kochi, The Old Courthouse by Abad, My
8:44 House Heritage Hotel, 976 Panang. Now
8:46 the comfort stays which are between
8:47 budget and luxury. In no particular
8:50 order, we have the Fern Presidency Art
8:52 Hotel, the Lily Stories, Walton's
8:55 Homeay, the Sunset Bay, Hotel Arches,
8:57 Rosita Wood Castle, The Killian's
8:59 Boutique Hotel, Sarada Mandaram, Nati
9:01 Boutique, and lastly, some very cool and
9:03 unique Airbnbs that you can check out.
9:06 The Lake Manor, Seab Breeze, Peel Home,
9:08 Living Waters. Now, with your food and
9:10 travel plans sorted, the next section is
9:12 about food, restaurants, and cafes that
9:13 you should definitely experience and
9:15 enjoy when in Kochi. First on this list
9:17 is Pandal Cafe. Check out Pandal Cafe
9:19 for amazing pizzas and coffees. They
9:22 also have beautiful bakery and an art
9:24 gallery too with beautiful ambience.
9:25 Then we have Leela Cafe which is great
9:28 with a boutique and art gallery in a
9:30 heritage building. Then Kashi Art Cafe
9:31 which is a very popular cafe for its
9:33 brunch and breakfast menu and the
9:35 gallery displays. Fourth is Seagull
9:36 Restaurant which is a great spot to
9:39 enjoy delicious seafood and local meals
9:40 sitting right by the water. Next is
9:42 Tibetan Kitchen, a tiny spot to try
9:45 authentic Tibetan and Nepalese dishes.
9:47 Sixth is Two Wheel Cafe. Great coffees,
9:49 sandwiches, bakery items with great
9:51 ambience. Then Los Angeles Cafe, which
9:53 is a small spot with nice views in a
9:55 heritage building. Next is Ginger House,
9:58 which is a cafe inside a antique shop,
9:59 which is overlooking the backwaters.
10:01 Ninth is the Canvas restaurant, which is
10:02 a great spot to have pizzas and other
10:04 multisuine items. All these spots which
10:06 I mentioned are in the fort Kochi area.
10:07 The next three spots I'm about to
10:09 mention are in the Arnakulum town. Here
10:11 we have the Shri Muruga Cafe which is a
10:13 old local favorite joint famous for
10:14 local cuisines like beef roast and kala
10:14 curry curry curry curry curry curry
10:15 curry curry curry curry curry and then
10:17 we have kai restaurant for some kerala
10:19 style biryani and we have gul utapura
10:21 it's great for trying out the sadya a
10:23 traditional feast of multiple items
10:25 served on a banana leaf in our guide
10:26 book all these places are plugged in the
10:28 itonary section itself it will help you
10:30 save some time in figuring out the
10:32 distances and the best choice for that
10:33 day so with that sorted what remains is
10:35 your internal commute and transfers
10:37 within kochi so for commuting within the
10:40 fort kochi and madener area walking and
10:41 auto rickshawas are the best. There are
10:43 bicycle rentals also available in Fort
10:45 Kochi which is also a great option. The
10:47 streets are narrow and parking is
10:48 limited here. Auto rickshawas will also
10:50 offer you a combined package to all the
10:53 popular spots of Fort Kochi in a day. To
10:55 commute between Arnakulum town and Fort
10:57 Kochi, you can use the water metro that
11:00 connects the marine drive and Fort Kochi
11:02 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. To commute
11:04 to all other spots in Arnakulum town and
11:07 around Kochi, you can hire a ricka or a
11:09 taxi. A few reliable cab providers are
11:11 listed here for your reference. Ola and
11:13 Uber also work in Kochi. Now the other
11:15 option is renting a two-heer or a
11:17 four-wheeler that will give you freedom
11:19 to drive to spots at your convenience.
11:21 Some providers for these services and
11:23 the rates are mentioned on the screen.
11:24 Public transport like buses and the
11:26 metro rail is available to all major
11:28 spots. However, you will need to use the
11:30 Google maps to find the exact route you
11:32 need to be on and you will have to rely
11:34 a little on local help to figure out
11:36 which buses to take exactly. Now, let's
11:37 break down the budget of this trip. An
11:39 ideal trip to Kochi could be of 3 days
11:41 covering the best of food experiences
11:43 and places. So let me give you a rough
11:45 budget breakdown for one person staying
11:48 for two nights and 3 days in Kochi. I'll
11:49 try to not compromise on any comforts
11:51 but also not go overboard. So stay for
11:54 two nights in a good host will be about
11:56 1,000 per night. Food for 3 days about
11:58 1,000 per day. Bike rental or auto
12:01 rickshas for two remaining days will be
12:03 about 700 per day. activities and
12:04 tickets and experiences like kayaking
12:06 might be about 500 and other
12:08 miscellaneous expenses like water metro
12:10 entry tickets will total up to another
12:12 300. So about 800. Now that will bring
12:15 your total to about 7,200 and let's
12:17 round it up to almost 8,000 for a 3-day
12:19 trip. Now with all of that covered, let
12:21 me quickly clear up some of the FAQs
12:23 that every traveler might have before
12:25 visiting Kochi. Like what is the best
12:27 time to visit Kochi? Ideally, November
12:29 to Feb is great. It is cooler, pleasant,
12:31 and less humid. Summers might be a
12:33 little hot and it might rain frequently
12:35 in monsoons but still you can completely
12:38 enjoy all the places of Kochi any time
12:39 of the year. Next question. Best way to
12:41 reach Kochi. Kochi has an international
12:43 airport and fun fact it is completely
12:46 run by solar power. Kochi also has a
12:48 major railway station and all buses are
12:50 connected well from major cities from
12:53 South India to Kochi. Next question can
12:55 be how safe is Kochi? Overall tourism is
12:57 very well organized and structured. Lot
12:59 of international and domestic travelers
13:01 come here. So people are friendly, warm
13:03 and welcoming. Infrastructure like host
13:05 exist making it safe even for solo
13:07 female travelers because you can find
13:09 good company of like-minded people to
13:11 share some activities with or make plans
13:13 together. Now when you go to Kochi,
13:14 please don't litter anywhere, throw
13:17 plastics or do any stupid irresponsible
13:19 behavior that ruins the place. Respect
13:21 the locals and say none to say thank you
13:23 in Malalum. You can also buy our cool
13:25 minimal t-shirts from our website and
13:26 join our community of responsible
13:28 travelers. And reminding you again if
13:30 you forgot to note down all these
13:32 details, our travel guide book is
13:33 available on the website. It has custom
13:35 maps, lists, booking links, phone
13:37 numbers, itinaries, and all the info
13:39 that a traveler might need in just 10 to
13:41 12 pages. If you have queries about
13:43 visiting Kochi, join our Discord server
13:45 where I will answer all your questions.
13:47 And you can also talk to others in the
13:49 community to join groups traveling to
13:51 Kochi on your dates. Follow Explore the
13:52 Earth on Instagram to see live updates
13:55 and stories from all these places. Do
13:56 subscribe and like this video. It helps
13:58 a lot in growing this channel and I will
