Must-see attractions in Kochi (Cochin)

  • Synagogue, Jewtown, Cochin, India

    Pardesi Synagogue

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Originally built in 1568, Mattancherry's synagogue was partially destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662, and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took…

  • Also known as Dutch Palace, the Mattancherry palace with its medieval charm is situated at Palace Road, Mattancherry, 10km from Ernakulam city, Kochi, Kerala, India. (Photo by: MyLoupe/UIG via Getty Images)

    Mattancherry Palace

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Mattancherry Palace was a generous gift presented to the Raja of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), as a gesture of goodwill by the Portuguese in 1555…

  • Chinese Fishing Nets

    Kochi (Cochin)

    The unofficial emblems of Kerala’s backwaters, and perhaps the most photographed, are the half-dozen giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on Fort…

  • Kerala Folklore Museum

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Created in Kerala style from ancient temples and beautiful old houses collected by its owner, an antique dealer, the family-run folklore museum houses a…

  • Ernakulam, Kerala, India, Indian Sub-Continent, Asia

    Hill Palace Museum

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Around 13km east of Ernakulam, this impressive 49-building palace complex was formerly the residence of the Kochi royal family. It now houses the…

  • Indo Portuguese Museum

    Indo-Portuguese Museum

    Kochi (Cochin)

    The heritage of one of India’s earliest Catholic communities – including vestments, silver processional crosses, altarpieces from the Kochi diocese and…

  • St Francis Church

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Constructed in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, this is believed to be India’s oldest European-built church. The faded-yellow edifice that stands…

  • David Hall

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Opposite the parade ground, this beautiful restored bungalow is all that remains of three 17th-century Dutch-era houses built using materials from…

  • Kashi Art Gallery

    Kochi (Cochin)

    The pioneer of Fort Cochin’s art revival, Kashi displays changing exhibitions of local artists in a creatively restored Dutch heritage house, attached to…

  • Indian Naval Maritime Museum

    Kochi (Cochin)

    In a pair of former bomb shelters, this museum traces the history of the Indian navy, as well as maritime trade dating back to the Portuguese and Dutch…

  • Santa Cruz Basilica

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Built on the site of an early-16th-century Portuguese church (demolished during the British Raj), Fort Cochin's imposing neoclassical Catholic basilica…

  • Dutch Cemetery

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Consecrated in 1724, this cemetery near Kochi's beach contains the worn and dilapidated graves of Dutch traders and soldiers. Its gates are normally…

  • Bastion Bungalow

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Though the interior of this 1667 Indo-European bungalow was being renovated into a museum at research time, you can admire its fine whitewashed, tiled…

  • Jewish Cemetery

    Kochi (Cochin)

    Just southwest of Mattancherry's synagogue, the undisturbed Jewish Cemetery contains ancient tombstones marked with Hebrew script.