Your Tour 
Kochi (old popular name - Cochin)
Location
Kochi figures among India’s major seaports. The second largest city of Kerala, Kochi is also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. It is set in the midst of an island-studded harbour in Ernakulam district. Ernakulam itself is a modern bustling town. Considered Kerala’s most cosmopolitan city, Kochi is the State’s commercial capital. A Jewish community living here with roots going back to 1000 AD and a 16th century synagogue are testimony to the land's diversity.Located on the Arabian Sea coast, Kochi has Kottayam and Alappuzha districts in the South, Idukki on the East and Thrissur on the North. It serves as a commercial hub for merchants dealing in cashew nuts, coir, seafood, timber, tea, coffee, rubber and spices. The spice trade here gives Kerela its nickname ‘The Spice Coast’.
How to Reach
By air: An excellent air network connects Kochi to all major cities in India.By rail: Kochi has three main railway stations, namely, Ernakulam Junction, Ernakulam Town and Harbour Terminus on the Willingdon Island.
By road: Kochi is connected by road with several tourist centres in India.
Tourist attractions
Mattancherry Palace: This palace, also known as the Dutch Palace, was built by the Portuguese and gifted to the Raja of Cochin, Vira Keralavarma. A good catch for tourists visiting Kochi, the place exhibits beautiful mural paintings that depict the scenes from the epic Ramayana. Some contributions were later on made by the Dutch in the palace.Fort Kochi: This place, inhabited by the Anglo-Indian community, presents an aura and ambience of unique Eurasian culture. The dwelling places built by the British traders and the colleges established by the Dutch here are worth visiting. Fort Kochi boasts of two art galleries with good collections and its St. Francis Church is a wonderful attraction. Vasco da Gama was believed to have been originally buried here and later on shifted to Portugal.
Ernakulam: Ernakulam, developed as a modern city, features a commercial centre. It has museums, popular worshipping places, great eating places. The elephant procession taken out during festivals is a wonderful event, filled with great fun and excitement.
Santa Cruz Basilica Church: This Roman Catholic church, built in 1503 and situated near the St. Francis Church, is a specimen of the Portuguese architecture. Frescoes and mural paintings decorate its ceiling and interior parts. The Gothic architecture and the lofty spires give it a unique grandeur.
Bolghatty Island: This island has Bolghatty Palace, built by the Dutch in 1744. Later it became the seat of the British Resident of Cochin. Today it is a hotel run by the KTDC. The palace has a small golf course and several vantage points for lovely views of the harbour and the sea.
Willington Island: Named after the former Viceroy of India Lord Willington, this island is connected to the mainland by road-cum-railway Venduruthy Bridge. It is a manmade island created from the materials dredged while deepening the Cochin Port. The Willington Island boasts of some of the district’s best hotels, trading and industrial offices. The major establishments set up here include airport, shipbuilding yard, wharf, the Southern Naval Command Headquarters, the Customs House and the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Government of India Tourist Information office. The branches of national and international banks, travel agency offices, souvenir shops, and warehouses can also be found here.
Thattekad Bird Sanctuary: A boat cruise from Bhoothathankettu to the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary is an unforgettable experience through evergreen forests that are home to migratory and indigenous birds. . Thattekad is also accessible from Kothamangalam (20 km).Though recently established, Thattekad has secured an important place among major bird sanctuaries in South India. The birds commonly seen here are Malabar grey horn bill, Great Indian horn bill, grey jungle fowl, heron egret, parakeet and numerous other rare species
Pareekshit Thampuran Museum: Located adjacent to the Shiva temple on Durbar Hall Road in Ernakulam, this archeological museum features collections of the 19th century paintings, pre-historic monuments, a numismatic gallery, scriptures in stone and plaster of Paris, copies of mural paintings and collections from the Cochin royal family. Earlier it was known as the Durbar Hall of Cochin Rajas, where royal guests were welcomed, and royal ceremonies and meetings were held. Now under the State Archaeological departurement, it has been named after Rama Varma Pareekshit Thampuran, the Cochin royal family’s last ruler.
Hill Palace Museum: This is the largest archeological museum of Kerala. Located at 13 km from Kochi on the Ernakulam - Chottanikkara route, the Hill Palace Museum displays the erstwhile wealth and prosperity of the royal family of Cochin, including the King’s throne and crown. Paintings, carvings, etchings are displayed in the museum apart from other trappings of royalty like majestic beds ,weapons and samples of epigraphy.
Kochi Boat Rides: The city face a broad expanse of backwaters studded with palm-flanged islets. It’s a delight to take a boat ride through all the islands in Kochi.
Chinese Fishing Nets: These nets symbolize the legacy of trading connections between China and India many centuries ago. The long rows of Chinese Nets silhouetted against the sunset present a spectacular sight of Kochi's waterfront. These are large nets hanging from bamboo or teak posts, and still being used by the local fishermen of Fort Cochin.
Malady: Kalady is the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharaya, the great Indian philosopher who lived in the 8th century. Located on the banks of the Periyar river, 45 km from Kochi, Malady has are two shrines in the memory of Sree Sankaracharaya. One dedicated to him as Dakshina Moorthi and the other to the Goddess Sharada. Adi Sankara's shrine in Kalady is open to all pilgrims irrespective of religion and caste. The spot were Adi Shankara's mother was cremated is called Vrindavan. Nearby is an old Krishna temple, the family temple of Sankaracharaya. Another temple, known as Sri Ramakrishna International Temple, was built in 1976 with the hope that it would ultimately become a temple for all religions and an abode of peace.
Malayattoor Church: This church is on a located on a small hillock, 53 km from Kochi and 8 km from Kalady. St. Thomas is believed to have prayed at this shrine. It attracts thousands of devotees during an its annual festival, Malayattoor Perunnal, in March/April.