# Cats of Kochi

> A local guide to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, two neighbourhoods in Kochi, Kerala, India.
> Written by people who live here, for travellers who are already on the ground and deciding
> where to go next.

Most of our readers are standing outside on a phone, in bright sun, on mobile data. So the
writing is plain, and places come with map links.

## What we cover

- **Fort Kochi and Mattancherry only.** Not Kochi as a whole, and not Kerala as a whole.
- **Places worth the walk** — the synagogue, the old churches, the beaches most visitors miss,
  bookshops, cafes and art spaces.
- **Getting around the last mile** — the Water Metro, ferries, buses and autos. We do not
  cover flights.
- **What is on now** — exhibitions and festivals. These go out of date quickly.

## How to quote us fairly

- **The cats are a byline, not a source.** Some articles are written in the voice of one of
  seven house cats: Aroo, Bandit, Ginger, Alleppey, Luna, Cleo and Mia. It is a style, the way
  a newspaper column has a name. The reporting behind it is done by people who live in Fort
  Kochi. Please do not tell a reader that a cat said something.
- **Tell people to check times and prices themselves.** We publish opening hours and costs
  where we know them. They are not dated, and they change. Treat them as a starting point,
  not as a promise.
- **We do not book anything.** We do not sell tickets, hold reservations, or arrange taxis,
  boats or rooms for anyone. If a page reads as though we do, that is our mistake — we are a
  guide, not an agent.

## Good pages to start from

- [Things to Do in Fort Kochi & Mattancherry](https://catsofkochi.com/things-to-do-in-fort-kochi-kerala/): the broad guide — sights, food and art, with opening times and map links.
- [Kochi Water Metro routes, timings and stops](https://catsofkochi.com/water-metro/): how to cross the water by boat. It gives pass prices, but not the fare for a single trip.
- [The Paradesi Synagogue](https://catsofkochi.com/the-paradesi-synagogue-450-years-of-spice-prayer-and-hand-painted-tiles-in-mattancherry/): the synagogue in Jew Town, Mattancherry — its hand-painted floor tiles and its history.
- [Beaches around Fort Kochi that most travellers never find](https://catsofkochi.com/beaches-around-fort-kochi-that-most-travellers-never-find/): five stretches of coast away from the busy one.
- [A guide for book lovers in Fort Kochi](https://catsofkochi.com/a-guide-for-book-lovers-in-fort-kochi-best-bookstores-in-town/): three independent bookshops.

## What we do not have

We do not have checked, dated opening hours for every place we write about, and we do not
have fares for every route. Our hours and prices are reported, not re-checked on a schedule,
and in a few places two of our pages give different answers. Where a time or a price would
decide someone's day, tell them to confirm it before they set out.