AIR
Air India, Indian Airlines (operates from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore; Tel: 353 826), Jet Airways (operates from Mumbai; Tel: 369 423). International airlines like Air Maldives, Swissair and British Airways also fly in and out of Delhi.

Airport
The local airport is at Willingdon Island. The International airport is at Nedumbassery (Tel: 610 038), 20 km away from the town and 7 km from Ernakulam. It is comparable to the best in the country.

RAIL
There are several trains that run between Delhi and Kochi. The Kerala Express, the Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Express and the Trivandrum Rajdhani Express come in from Delhi. The Himsagar Express plies between Jammu and Kerala. You also have the Trivandrum Chennai Mail that runs from Chennai to Kochi.

Railway station
Kochi has three railway stations - Ernakulam Junction (Tel: 131), Ernakulam Town (Tel: 390 920) and Kochi Harbour Terminus (Tel: 666 050).

ROAD
KSRTC luxury coaches run from Chennai, Bangalore, Salem, Coimbatore, Madurai and Pondicherry to Kochi. Bus terminus: The KSRTC Central Bus Station (Tel: 372 033) is near the Junction Railway Station about half a kilometre away. Private buses ply from High Court, Junction Railway Station and Kaloor Junction.

Bolgatty Palace
Once a mansion of a British resident, the magnificent Bolgatty Palace is now a heritage hotel run by the KTDC. The palace has a small golf course and enchanting honeymoon cottages.

Mattancherry Palace
The Portuguese built the Mattancherry Palace - an example of exquisite architecture - in 1557, and presented it to the Cochin Raja, Veera Kerala Varma. It is open to tourists from 10 am to 5 pm everyday except Fridays. On display are beautiful murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and some of the Puranic Hindu legends connected with Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Kumara and Goddess Durga. The palace also houses ancient Dutch maps of old Kochi along with palanquins and coronation robes of the former maharajas of Kochi. The ancient Shiva temple in Ettumanur near Kottayam has similar murals.

Jewish Synagogue
Constructed in 1568, this is the oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth, with exquisitely hand-painted willow pattern floor tiles brought all the way from China. The Synagogue is open daily from 10 am to 12 pm, and 3 pm to 5 pm, except Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Unfortunately, the original building was destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid in 1662, and was rebuilt two years later by the Dutch. Of exceptional interest is the Clock Tower, Hebrew inscriptions on stone slabs and ancient scripts on copper plates, along with other ancient artefacts.

Fort Kochi
Accessed by the backwater ferry, bus and autorickshaw. A leisurely walk through the city is the best way to discover the historic Fort Kochi. From an obscure fishing village that became the first European township in India, Kochi has an eventful and colourful history. Its reputation as a seafaring commercial town was such that Nicolas Conti, an Italian traveller of the Middle Ages remarked, If China is where you make your money, then Kochi surely is the place to spend it.

St Francis Church
Built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, this is India s oldest European church. The original structure was made of wood, but was rebuilt in stone in the mid-16th century. Vasco da Gama, the first European to reach India, died in Cochin in 1524. He was buried here for 14 years after which his remains were transferred to Portugal.

Chinese Fishing Nets
Randomly dotting the entire stretch of the coast, these fishing nets exhibit a mechanical method of catching fish introduced to India by Chinese traders who came from the court of Kublai Khan. Mainly used at high tide, these fishing nets make a rather romantic sight on the sands at sunset.

Parishath Thampuran Museum
This traditional Kerala-style building was once the main Durbar Hall. The museum contains collections of 19th century oil paintings, old coins, sculptures and Mughal paintings and exhibits from the Kochi royal family.

Pareekshith Thampuran Museum
Built in 1865, this magnificent structure was the official palace of the erstwhile royal family of Kochi. The complex consists of 49 buildings in the traditional architectural style of Kerala, surrounded by 52- acres of terraced land with a Deer Park and facilities for horse riding. A full-fledged ethno-archaeological museum and Kerala s first-ever heritage museum are the main attractions. Oil paintings, murals, sculptures in stone and plaster of Paris, manuscripts and coins belonging to the Kochi royal family are all housed here. Located 10 km from the Kochi Hill Palace, it is open from 9 am to 12:30 pm and 2 pm to 4:30 pm. It is closed on Mondays.

Jew Town
The area around the Synagogue is a centre of spice trade and curio shops. For antique shoppers this is paradise? furniture, objets d art dating back centuries can be found here as well as rare glass and beads.

Cherai Beach
Bordering the Vypeen Island, Cherai Beach is one of the most alluring places for a cool water splash under the sun. If you re lucky enough, you might even spot a dolphin while lazing on the beach. A typical Kerala village with paddy fields and coconut groves nearby add to the scenic beauty.

Vamanamoorthy Temple
This ancient temple in Thrikkakara near Ernakulam has inscriptions dating back as far as the 10th to the 13th century.

Santhanagopala-Krishnaswamy Temple
About 8 km away from Ernakulam, this museum temple showcases history from the Neolithic Age to the modern era through intriguing life-size figures. One can also catch the sound and light shows, which have commentaries in English and Malayalam.

Willingdon Island
Named after Lord Willingdon, a British Viceroy to India, this man-made island is surrounded by beautiful backwaters. The island houses some of the city s best hotels, customs and trading centres, the port trust and the headquarters of the southern naval command.

Pazhassiraja Museum and Art Gallery
Get a first-hand view of Kerala s historic heritage at this museum, which houses a collection of bronze icons, coins, copies of murals and stone megaliths of Kerala.

Kaladi
Kaladi is the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya, the great 8th century Advaita philosopher. Located about 10 km away from Aluva, Kaladi is dotted with ancient temples dedicated to Sri Sankara, Sarada Devi, Sri Krishna and Sri Ramakrishna Deva. Sri Sankara took his vows of renunciation at the legendary Crocodile Ghat.

The main shopping stores are on M G Road on the mainland, including emporia and private showrooms. There s the huge GCDA shopping complex on Marine Drive, which should be explored at leisure. Items worth taking home include rosewood artefacts, coir floor coverings and tablemats, old dowry boxes from Travancore, gold jewellery exclusive to the South, cotton saris, traditional khadi attire and antiques from Jewtown.