Fort Kochi

Kochi is a twin city. One part, the Fort Cochin is the cooler, traveler hub. The other part, the main city is full of hustle and bustle. They are interconnected by road as well as by water. The ferry charges only 4 bucks one way! And not only is it the cheapest way but the quickest as well as a more enthralling way to travel.

The Fort Kochi beach, with its clean premises and tranquil atmosphere, is frequented by tourists as well as the local people.There are many factors that differentiate the beach from the other beaches of Kerala. The presence of the Chinese fishing nets is probably the most easily identifiable one. The trees and the greenery on the walkway to the beach add to the serene atmosphere there. It is on these beaches that the famous Cochin Carvinal is conducted on New Year’s Eve.The sea food, the Vasco da Gama Square adjacent to the beach, a light house and a granite walkway are the other main attractions. The beach also gives you a breathtaking view of the sunset. If you are lucky, you may glimpse cargo ships passing through the sea. The remains of the Fort Immanuel can also be seen here. A section of the beach is not accessible to visitors as it is under the control of the Indian Navy. 

If you just wanna unwind and see all the ships sail by then head to the sea-shore in the evening. Sit on the bay and just enjoy the cool breeze flowing through your hair. Just ensure not to get in the water; its quite dirty and stinky to be honest. The govt. has put up benches and a pavement to walk making it a good spot to relax. Also, you can eat in the numerous small eateries that serve all kinds of food.

• Fort Kochi Beach: It was the solo time I needed, on the beach, by the sea. As I walked by the sea along with the wind, and as darkness fell, I took a seat on the cemented-pavement by the sea and absorbed the tranquility.

The main aim in Fort Kochi was to relieve myself, with a secondary objective of buying a phone charger. It was customary for me to forget something at home, and a charger was a reasonable offering. Since shops were yet to begin trade, I walked on the kilometre-long pathway along the ocean and then to the interiors. The ocean side was more of a promenade similar to Bombay’s Marine Drive, where I’m sure hawkers flock in large numbers looking for the day’s best catch. The architecture seemed familiar. After a whole year of describing homestays at work, I could differentiate Kochi’s tiled gable roofs from it’s cross-hipped roofs. The exteriors were mostly painted in vibrant yellow and draped with lush creepers; the buildings in general were one earthquake away from becoming derelict. I wanted my debut dump to be an elite experience, so I delayed myself to no end, smoking cigarettes and sipping on hot sugar with a hint of milk tea. After a grand wash-up in a posh hotel, I shared breakfast space with a group of Naval cadets, who were busy discussing expenses if one of them got transferred to Japan. We were all in the same boat at this particular breakfast bar.

Beautiful beach but also the busiest part of Fort Kochi. Go here for sunsets, sea food shops and Chinese fishnets.

The hostel had a seas facing view where I could see people all around the world strolling on the roads and enjoying the CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL. I had the best conversation sitting on my bed sharing the room with 14 different people all from different country. We did not share the common language but what we shared was sole passion for travel. All of us had so much to share to learn and respect for each other. I could feel that I belong with these people. People who are not judging me on roaming alone in Kerala. People who believe and respect my inclination towards travel. What else I could have wished for back then.

On one side is Fort Kochi, on the other side is Mattanchery and then close by is Kannamally, Chellanam. All these places have beautiful churches built in a different era.

Fort Kochi is one of the best places to get a rustic feel of Kerala. It is famous for the Chinese fishing nets. This place gives you some sure shot opportunities for great photographs!In the evening, you can head to Lulu Mall, Asia’s largest Mall for some window shopping. Try out some amazing delicacies at the Bloomberry’s café.Day 8:

The next day morning, we got up early to see the Sunrise at the Fort Kochi beach, but the weather wasn't favourable. It was raining there, so ended up sleeping for another 2 hours. The beach is just 900 mtrs from our homestay, so we thought to walk down the streets. How could we miss the Cocunut water on the land of coconut trees. We headed towards the beach after having cocunut water. The beach is peaceful and calm, you can see the Chinese fishing net from there and the wall on the street is full of graffitti work. We had our breakfast over there. Spent around 30 mins at the beach. The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica church is just 500 mtrs from the beach, originally built by Portuguese. It has the Gothic architectural style. 12 PM was our check-out time, so we returned to our Nest, freshened up, packed our bags and left for Mattencherry Palace. This palace is popularly known as Dutch palace as Dutch carried out some extension in 17th century and originally built by Portuguese in 16th century. The main attraction of the palace are the paintings of Ramayana and Hindu epics. Apart from that, how the city was originated, who ruled when were all described. People spend 1-2 hours here. The ticket fare is 5INR per person. Please note here, this place is open everyday from 10am to 5 pm except on Fridays. Our train was at night for Bangalore, and it was around 1 pm then. We both were hungry, our plan was to have dinner in Kaise biriyani. One of our colleague from Kochi recommended us this place. We took ferry from materncherry to Marine drive road of Ernakulam. The restaurant is near Lakshmi hospital, exactly 900 mtrs from Marine drive jetty point. We had Malabar fish biriyani there. Next destination was India's largest shopping mall. We booked Ola share from the restaurant, the fare was 66 INR, which is very affordable. The driver we met was from Kannur, I had been there before few months ago so mostly we were talking about beaches and cuisines of Kannur. He gave me his number and said, "next time whenever you plan for Munnar, I will help you out". Travel to a new place, meet new people, explore yourself and have a story worth telling !

Trip BeginsSo very early in the morning around 5.30AM, we started our journey from Kochi . Escaping the scorching heat later the day was one of the reasons to start so early.

Next day we somehow freed ourselves by 5 o’clock and went for sightseeing. I was damn curious to witness fishermen using fascinating ‘Chinese fishing nets’; so we headed straight towards 'Fort Kochi'. We reached there before sunset. The place had numerous street restaurants offering fresh seafood. It was truly a seafood lover’s paradise where fishermen caught fishes & crabs right in front of you. We enjoyed at beach for a while and saw sunset.

After roaring and wild Athirapally waterfall, my next destination was Fort Kochi. Its small water bound region towards south-west of mainland Kochi (Cochin) facing Arabian sea. Fort Kochi is now kind of laid-back destination away from city.Fort Kochi as a mute witness to the European colonial struggle in the subcontinent, has great historical significance. A mix of old houses built by the Portuguese, Dutch and British during colonial periods can be still seen here.I was there only for one day and trust me one day is not good enough to experience the laid-back destination like Fort Kochi. But I can certainly talk about my one day experience over there, the places to see, eat and things to do.

Located 12 kms away from Kumbalangi is the ancient trade hub of Fort Kochi. It is that part of Kochi where a vibrant city has peacefully parted ways to allow ancient charm to overtake. Marked by narrow alleys and timeworn houses, Fort Kochi is the pride of Kerala. Tourists who venture into Fort Kochi are greeted by the remnants of British, Portuguese and Dutch eras. The fort built by the Portuguese rulers from which the place got its name has long been destroyed, but the name carries on. St. Francis church in Fort Kochi is one of the earliest European churches in India. Greatly revered by Christians, this church is also the final resting place of Vasco Da Gama, the Portuguese explorer who set foot in India centuries back. There is so much of history in the story of Fort Kochi!Mattancherry, far from madding crowd

The Fort Kochi area is a must visit place. It has several cafes, shopping place, boutique hotels and an experience to witness Chinese fishing nets in operation.

After landing in airport from Hyderabad, I took bus to Fort Kochi, as I have already spent a bomb on flights. This place has the Portuguese vibe to it and reminds you of Goa and Pondicherry. Everything makes you want to just roam around the streets for endless hours observing paintings and art on the streets, the art galleries, huge hundreds of year old trees in between the houses, amazing Kashi art Café and food and ultimate design of the place. We ate breakfast at Kashi Art Cafe and literally anything on the menu was fresh, perfect and amazing.

After the long Kodai - Munnar trek, we learn about this small Jew town called fort Cochin. Buses from Munnar are available for Cochin. From Cochin one can board a local bus to Fort Cochin. We were lucky to find a hostel (Hostel by the Sea) at INR 500 per bed during the new years weekend. Walking down the lanes, one can see a lot of spice shops and traders whose origin may be traced down to the history of Malabari Jews being very prosperous in the spice trade. There is a functional synagogue in the Jew town which was shut by the time we reached. Please check the timings before going. Needless to describe Allepppey which is all so popular for its beautiful backwaters. Do not get looted by the shikara rides which costs around INR 800- 1000. Instead there is a Kerala state transport ferry office just where the boat rides start. I managed to get a 2 hrs long backwater ride just for INR 18. The still backwaters boat ride is something all should experience if in Kerala. 5. Ginjee Fort - Alamparai Fort

The hotel provided me with car rental service for going towards Fort Kochi, the next day. It is around 55-60 kms from Cochin airport to Fort Kochi and the drive is soothing too. I have opted for local coconut water while going towards Fort Kochi and trust me when you are at Cochin or should I say Kerala... you should never miss out on coconut water. After reaching at fort kochi, I shifted to Hotel Eighth Bastion- A CGH Earth Property. 

I was back from Cherthala by 3.00 in the evening and had to catch a train by 8.00 from Ernakulam to my hometown. It’s not the first time I was visiting to Fort Cochin but somehow felt it different; I was all alone this time and had troubled mind.

Taking a photo walk through the streets of Fort Kochi is like traveling in a time machine back to the vintage era. Kashi Art Cafe A must visit place if you are a coffee lover and a cafe explorer.

We started from Bangalore on 7th Feb 2016 at around 8:45 am and landed at Cochin international airport by 9:45 am. As we were hungry we had our breakfast at Airport Food Court. The lady serving the dishes welcomed us by realizing we were tourist and new to the city and served the food with smile and warmth which i have never seen in any other city. We finished our food and went to airport bus stop. It was decided that we will not spent more on transportation and thus took bus to Fort Kochi (Runs every hour or half from International airport) Our Travel Cost Details are as mentioned belowTransportation Cost:Home to Bangalore Airport-Rs870/-Bangalore to kochi- Rs 1400 per person( We took flight because bus would cost us near about same and will consume more time. Trains were not an option for non availability and time consumed)Kochi airport to Fort Kochi –Rs 84Two wheeler (Access) Hire cost for three day-Rs 1050Petrol Cost-Rs400 (for approx. 270km)Fort Kochi to airport-84Cochin Airport to Bangalore-Rs 1400Bangalore airport to home- Rs 720Total Cost incurred on transportation=5058 per person+ 1 extra person(2960)We reached Fort Cochin at 12:30 pm and were heading towards the much talked tourist attraction of Fort Kochi " The Chinese Fishing Net" The sight of the Chinese nets, suspended in mid air and standing in line on the beaches,is breathtakingly beautiful. It is, undoubtedly, one of the most photographed sights in Kochi. Best time to visit is during sunset.

My friend had planned the entire trip, and my first destination from the airport was Fort Kochi. It has a lingering effect of the European culture, with huge mansions, and small cafes, and mostly foreigners chilling at the beach. For a foodie like me, it seemed paradise. We had lunch in one of the cafes, which served delicious grilled fish cooked with coconut sauce, and Malabari style prawns. After a sumptuous lunch, we headed for the Kochi-Biennale, that was taking place at that time. I guess I was lucky enough to experience such a rich tradition of art and culture. Biennale is held every year, from December to March.The next part was one of the best parts of the entire trip~ a drive from Cochin to Kottyam.

Day 3 :- Fort KochiEither the route to Kochi isn’t great or there was a problem with the bus we were travelling the bus journey wasn’t very comfortable. It was delayed by more than 4 hours and the only respite was that we had a sleeper seat. The journey also made it very difficult to natures call. The construction going on in Kochi for metro rail made the last lap of the journey even slower. Even after reaching Kochi the destination was far. We took a local bus to Fort Kochi since I wasn’t aware of the jetty point.To point Kochi is made of 3 major islands and besides being connected by road they have boats which can ferry you around cutting the travel time dramatically.1.5 hours to 20 minutes.Inspite of all this we were in Fort Kochi by 12 .We kept our luggage at one of the homestays we have booked and headed immediately for lunch. We had already fixed a scooty for us for a day. After the lunch we roamed around in the small town which might not be more than 4 kilometres. Had awesome evening snacks in one of the cafes that lined the streets near synagogue.

After an amazing relaxed day in Alapuzzha, We left for Kochi. Kochi was like any other city, We went to Fort Kochi to chill. And no, Fort Kochi doesnt have a fort. The place is called Fort Kochi. We couldnt stay there for longer, We had to get back to Kidaganoor since our journey was to come to an end and we had to return the car. We reached Kidaganoor, returned the car and took the bus to Mepaddi, Wayanad.