Fort Kochi
North of the backwaters · Chinese fishing nets & colonial old town
Five centuries by the sea
2,000+ reviews
Overview
Why travellers come to Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi is where nearly every Kerala journey begins, and it rewards a night or two of its own. Portuguese, Dutch and British traders each left their mark here, and the result is a compact, endlessly walkable quarter of pastel churches, spice warehouses, antique shops and cafés along the harbour. At the water's edge, the iconic cantilevered Chinese fishing nets have been worked by hand for six hundred years. It is the cultural counterpoint to the backwaters — history, art and food on land before you slow down on the water — and its airport is the natural arrival point for the whole region.
At a glance
Fort Kochi, Kerala
- Region
- North of the backwaters
- Best time
- October – March
- From Kochi
- ≈ 45 minutes
- Known for
- History & Chinese nets
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
On film
Fort Kochi, at the pace of the water
No photograph does the backwaters justice. Press play to see how a day in Fort Kochi actually moves — shot on our own journeys through the water.
Highlights
What a day in Fort Kochi looks like
- 01The six-hundred-year-old Chinese fishing nets at sunset
- 02St. Francis Church and the colonial harbour front
- 03The spice markets and synagogue of Mattancherry
- 04The Kochi-Muziris art biennale (in season)
- 05A Kathakali performance in the old town
Plan your stay
Cruise from Fort Kochi
Browse curated houseboat packages departing near Fort Kochi, or let us build a custom itinerary around your dates.
More in Kerala
Other destinations to explore
The Venice of the East
Alleppey
The beating heart of Kerala's backwaters — a lattice of palm-lined canals, lagoons and rice fields best seen from the deck of a private houseboat.
Birdsong on the lake
Kumarakom
A cluster of little islands on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake — quieter than Alleppey, with a famous bird sanctuary and some of Kerala's finest lakeside stays.
The rice bowl of Kerala
Kuttanad
One of the few places on earth where farming happens below sea level — an endless green quilt of paddy fields, dykes and canals between Alleppey and Kollam.
