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Eat
23 to pick from
- B For BiriyaniChicken, beef and mutton biryani, usually sold out by mid-afternoon.
- Balan Chettan KadaMutton chops, beef roast and parottas for breakfast.
- Cafe 27Small café on Jew Town Road, by the spice market, about ₹400 for two.
- Canvas Restaurant & PizzeriaWood-fired pizzas, coffee, salads and pasta.
- Club House RestaurantFrench omelettes at breakfast, late-night food when the rest has closed.
- Fort Paragon Restaurant by Calicut ParagonAsk about the off-menu vegetarian meal with non-vegetarian sides.
- French ToastCoffee, French toast and pizzas — busiest at breakfast.
- Fusion BayFish pollichathu and karimeen mappas near Santa Cruz Basilica.
- Gelato PillaiSmall-batch gelato in flavours like tender coconut and mulberry.
- Hotel Aryaas ParkPure-vegetarian South Indian meals in Amaravathy.
- House of Commons
- Jetty RestaurantKerala, seafood and European food at Forte Kochi hotel.
- Kayees Rahmathulla CafeA biryani institution open since 1948.
- Let’s KimchiA Korean kitchen upstairs on Town Hall Road.
- Los angeles Café Fort KochiA casual café stop through Fort Kochi’s historic quarter.
- Nooriya HotelAsk for erachi choru — meat with rice, a Mattancherry lunch staple.
- Pandaris Biriyani & CaterersMild, long-grain chicken biryani at about ₹190 a plate.
- Samridhi@KochiA ₹20 Kerala lunch in the old jetty office, run by Kudumbashree.
- Scandy - Ice Candy - Fort KochiFruit and cream ice pops from a Kerala chain, at Kunnumpuram.
- Sri Krishna CaféMasala dosa and chana bhatura, served here since 1946.
- Tibet KitchenTry the laphing, a cold spicy mung-bean-starch dish.
- Tibetan Chef’s RestaurantMomos and thenthuk near Santa Cruz Basilica; opens afternoons only.
- Vijaya Lakshmi BhavanKerala meals on banana leaves, with Rawal Lassi Joint right across.
Drink
24 to pick from
- Arasta FortkochiFilter coffee and an 18-hour cold brew on Quiros Street.
- Arrow MarkAlso known as Nosh Haus, with live performances some days.
- Café Le TeOpens 7:30 AM in a 400-year-old Dutch building with a hidden garden.
- Cafe Sol e MarA garden café near the seafront, better for a later coffee than breakfast.
- Chez TeapotA 400-year-old Anglo-Indian house, with cats who live in the building.
- Coz LayoverA café in an old pepper warehouse facing the water — check it’s reopened.
- Ezekiel House Residence and CafeCochin Jewish food — Jewish cooking made with Kerala ingredients.
- FrancisCold beer and pork sausages in the historic quarter.
- Kashi Art Cafe and GalleryVegan dishes downstairs, changing art on every wall.
- Kerala Cafe (Rose Street)Simple Kerala meals and filter coffee on Rose Street.
- Kerala State Beverages Corporation OutletThe government outlet for alcohol to take away — expect a queue.
- Lassy HouseSweet and salted lassi, but shut for lunch on Sundays.
- Loafers Corner CafeThe upstairs balcony looks down on the street.
- Loving Earth CafePlant-based food and yoga in the same slow-paced space.
- Mocha Art CafeArtwork and antiques fill the room.
- Nettoor Toddy ShopFresh palm toddy and fish by the water, 9 km from Fort Kochi.
- O Porto Bar by Mai House Heritage Hotel, Fort KochiA hotel bar open 10 AM to 11:30 PM in the historic quarter.
- Pandhal Café & DeliIn the grounds of David Hall, opposite the Parade Ground.
- Ravis Coffee WorksArabica and Robusta beans, whole or ground, to take home.
- Rawal Lassi JointNo seating — drink your mango lassi standing at the counter.
- Rinoos cool barAvocado shake, about ₹60, sold all year and late into the night.
- SeagullA cold beer and harbour traffic passing right by.
- Solar CaféKerala food from 8 AM to 6:30 PM.
- TrouvailleAir conditioning and steady Wi-Fi for a cool break.
See
37 to pick from
- Althara Bhagavathy TempleA Bhagavathy temple on Amaravathi Road, Fort Kochi.
- Aspinwall HouseThe main Biennale venue, once headquarters of a British trading firm.
- Bastion BungalowLeft standing when the British destroyed the fort walls in 1806.
- Chellanam Beach KochiA wall of tetrapods shows the scale of the coastal erosion here.
- Chinese fishing nets / Vasco da Gama SquareHuge cantilevered nets, lowered and hauled by hand, worked by small teams.
- Cochin International AirportFirst airport in the world to run fully on its own solar power.
- Cochin Thirumala Devaswom TempleThe Gowda Saraswat community’s great temple, at Gosripuram.
- Customs Boat JettySix rupees to Ernakulam, about every fifteen minutes, and cash only.
- Dharmanath Jain TempleThousands of pigeons descend for grain around 12:15 daily.
- Eloor Water Metro StationFive minutes to Cheranelloor, in the industrial belt up the river.
- Fort Kochi BeachOne stretch belongs to the Navy and stays closed to walkers.
- Fort Kochi Water Metro StationA battery-powered boat jetty beside the Chinese fishing nets.
- Head Post Office, KochiPost a card from a 1928 bungalow that’s handled mail since Portuguese times.
- High Court Water Metro StationA central hub — boats reach Fort Kochi, Vypin, Mattancherry from here.
- Holy Cross Church (Coonan Kurisu Palli), MattancherryAn old stone cross hung with rosaries and pilgrims’ candles.
- Jail of Freedom Struggle, Fort KochiEight cramped cells where freedom fighters were once imprisoned.
- Keraleswaram Siva TempleA Shiva temple on Keraleswar Lane, Mattancherry.
- KumbalangiIndia’s first eco-tourism village, where the water can glow blue at night.
- Kumbalangi Bioluminescence PointWatch for kavaru — the blue glow that appears on dark, moonless nights.
- Mahadev TempleA Shiva temple in the middle of Jew Town Road.
- Mattancherry Water Metro StationTwenty-five minutes to High Court, from a jetty beside Jew Town.
- Mullakkal Vana Durga TempleA temple to Vana Durga in the Mattancherry lanes.
- Pallathu Raman Memorial HallDance and music fill it during the Cochin Carnival season.
- Palliyarakkavu TempleA neighbourhood temple open at dawn and at dusk.
- Parade Ground and the VOC GateMidnight burning of the giant straw Pappanji, right by the VOC Gate.
- Paradesi SynagogueHundreds of hand-painted blue-and-white Chinese tiles, no two alike.
- Pazhayanur Bhagavathy TempleA Bhagavathy shrine on Jew Town Road.
- Puthanthodu BeachHalf a kilometre of quiet sand, almost nobody stops here.
- Puthuvype BeachWide clean sand under Kerala’s tallest lighthouse, 46 metres high.
- Ro-Ro Ferry Jetty, Fort KochiCars and bikes cross to Vypin here; on foot, the ferry — not the Water Metro.
- Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Fort CochinA granite pillar from 1505 stands at its southeastern corner.
- Secret Routes KayakingGuided kayaking on the Kadamakkudy backwaters, 10 km north.
- Sree Veera Venkateshwara TempleA Venkateshwara temple open from morning to midnight.
- St. Francis CSI ChurchVasco da Gama was buried here for fourteen years; the empty slab remains.
- Valappu Beach (also called Falcon Beach)Quiet sand with drying fishing nets, no stalls, no gate.
- Vasco da Gama SquareThe seafront walkway beside the Chinese fishing nets, and a Cochin Carnival venue.
- Veli GroundWhere the Cochin Carnival rally starts and a second Pappanji burns at midnight.
Buy
5 to pick from
- Kaycee CorporationCeylon cinnamon and cassia on the same shelf, and cashews graded by the number.
- Kochi BooksNew books only, reached by a staircase to the second floor.
- Preethi StoresA neighbourhood store for the small things travellers forget.
- Shantilal S MithaiwalaFresh dhokla, samosas and jalebi on the Mattancherry food trail.
- Vinod SweetsA Konkani sweet shop on Town Hall Road.
Art
10 to pick from
- Archaeological Site Museum, Mattancherry PalaceActually built by the Portuguese around 1550, later renovated by the Dutch.
- Armaan Collective & CafeTalks, book launches and small exhibitions near Anand Warehouse.
- David Hall-Art Gallery & CafeAn old Dutch house with three thick-walled rooms and a garden.
- Gallery OEDPart of the small-gallery cluster around Bazaar Road.
- Great K V Kathakali CenterWatch the elaborate makeup applied live before the 6 PM show.
- Guardians of Fort Kochi (mural)Ten Fearless Ambassador artists painted this Coast Guard wall mural.
- Indo-Portuguese MuseumChurch treasures laid out across five sections at the Bishop’s House.
- Kashi Hallegua HouseContemporary art now fills a 200-year-old Jew Town house.
- Maritime MuseumThe Indian Navy’s own ships, submarines and naval history on display.
- Muziris Contemporary KochiA main gallery and a separate Viewing Room, steps from Paradesi Synagogue.
Streets
17 to pick from
- AB Salem RoadNamed for Abraham Barak Salem, a Cochin Jewish campaigner.
- Bastian StreetA historic street close to the old fort area.
- Bazaar RoadOld spice warehouses once had a private jetty at the back for pepper and grain.
- Dutch Cemetery RoadLeads past the Dutch Cemetery and other colonial landmarks.
- Gujarati RoadNamed for the Gujarati families who settled here to trade.
- Jew Town RoadAntique shops and galleries lead to the Paradesi Synagogue.
- KL Bernard Master RoadA Fort Kochi road in the old street network.
- Lilly StreetA small street in Fort Kochi’s walkable old quarter.
- Napier StreetA historic street in Fort Kochi’s old colonial quarter.
- Palace RoadLassi and sweet shops, one serving the area since 1970.
- Peter Celli StreetNamed for petercelie, Dutch for parsley — Fort Kochi’s literal old street names.
- Princess StreetOne theory: the name traces to pirate William Kidd, nicknamed Prince.
- Queiros StreetA quiet route where Portuguese and Dutch layers remain visible.
- Ridsdale RoadA connecting route between heritage streets and residential lanes.
- River RoadA quieter view of the harbour’s working water traffic.
- Rose StreetPart of the walkable network around Princess Street and the waterfront.
- Synagogue LaneAntique shops and galleries lead straight to Paradesi Synagogue.