Your most convenient gateway to the backwaters of Kerala. A slow-boat ride along the coconut tree laden canals offers a holiday with a difference. Chinese fishing nets backlit by the setting sun or the very animated houseboats of the fisherfolk are the stuff of an explorer's dreams.

Peel off the commercial facade of the town and dig out its colonial past preserved in the richly frescoed and glass painted churches, the fort, the Mattanchery (Dutch) Palace, the Jewish synagogue. The upmarket settlement in Bolghatty Island, its palace-hotel and shops are also interesting. The Cochin Museum displays old coins, sculptures, royal parapharnelia. The Edapally Museum of Kerala's History has a light and sound show.

BASICS

STD Code No. 0484

Airport: Cochin

Rail: Ernakulam Junction and Town stations. The Junction station is located in the heart of the city.

Road: Major distances: Aleppey- 63 km
Kottayam- 76 km
Tiruvananthapuram- 220 km
Madurai- 324 km
Chennai- 694 km
Bangalore- 505 km

Best time: December to February.

Accommodation: Plenty of hotels from budget to star category.
Basoto lodge (Tel: 352140), Hotel Hakoba (Tel: 369839), Maple Tourist Home (Tel: 355156), Queen's Residency (Tel: 365775), Hotel Sangeetha (Tel: 368487), Woodlands Hotel (Tel: 368900), Hotel Excellency (Tel: 374001), Bolgatty Palace Hotel (Tel: 355003), Casion Hotel (Tel: 668421), Taj Malabar (Tel: 666811), Taj Residency (Tel: 371471).

Local Transport: Bus, autorickshaws, boats.

Shopping: Spices, coir and copra wares, paintings.

Contact: Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.