For couples · Kerala · India
Romantic things to do in Kerala
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
Kerala is one of India's favourite honeymoon regions: a private houseboat drifting through the backwaters, misty tea-estate cottages in Munnar and sunsets from the cliffs at Varkala. Couples tend to stay in Alappuzha.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- Alappuzha
- Best months
- November–February
Romantic ideas
1.Private houseboat night
Book a one-bedroom houseboat from Alappuzha and watch village life drift by from the deck at sunset.
2.Tea-estate cottage
Stay in a cottage on a working estate near Munnar with views over the hills and morning walks through the tea.
3.Sunset on Varkala Cliff
Watch the sun drop into the Arabian Sea from a cliff-top café, then walk the path in the evening breeze.
4.Couples' Ayurveda
Share an Ayurvedic massage and herbal bath at a resort in Kumarakom or Kovalam.
5.Fort Kochi heritage stay
Book a room in a restored colonial bungalow and wander Princess Street after dark.
Sights couples love
Experience · Alappuzha
Backwater houseboat cruise
Ask for a route that leaves the main lake for narrower canals, and check the boat's licence and safety equipment before you pay.
- Time needed
- 1 night
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Couples
- Kids
- Food
- Views
Viewpoint · Varkala
Varkala Cliff
Walk the cliff path at sunset and stay for dinner at a cliff-top restaurant; carry a torch, as the path is unfenced in places.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Free
- Couples
- After dark
- Food
Experience · Kovalam
Ayurveda treatment
Choose centres with qualified Ayurvedic doctors who consult before treatment, especially for multi-day programmes.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours, or courses of 1–3 weeks
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Rainy day
Where couples should stay
$$ · Best for first-timers, couples and budget
Alappuzha
Alappuzha (Alleppey) is a town of canals and the hub of the backwater houseboat industry, with hundreds of kettuvallam boats leaving from the Finishing Point and Punnamada jetties onto Vembanad Lake and the canals of Kuttanad. Homestays line the quieter canals, and Alappuzha Beach and Marari Beach are close by.
- Good
- Widest choice of houseboats; Canal-side homestays; Rail link to Kochi and Varkala
- Watch out
- Busy with boats around the main jetties; Touts selling houseboat trips
- Nearby
- Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha Beach, Marari Beach, Kuttanad
Romantic day trips
- Alappuzha backwater day cruise (About 1.5 hours by car or train from Kochi) — If you cannot spend a night on a houseboat, a day cruise or a smaller shikara boat ride through the canals near Alappuzha gives a good taste of backwater life, with lunch on board.
- Ponmudi (About 2 hours by car from Thiruvananthapuram) — A small hill station in the Western Ghats reached by a road of 22 hairpin bends, with tea gardens, forest streams and cool viewpoints over the plains.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Sadya, Karimeen pollichathu and Fish moilee. Drink bottled or filtered water; many restaurants serve boiled water flavoured with herbs (thilappicha vellam).
Questions travellers ask
+Is Kerala romantic?
Kerala is one of India's favourite honeymoon regions: a private houseboat drifting through the backwaters, misty tea-estate cottages in Munnar and sunsets from the cliffs at Varkala.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Kerala?
Private houseboat night: Book a one-bedroom houseboat from Alappuzha and watch village life drift by from the deck at sunset.
+Where should couples stay in Kerala?
Alappuzha: Canal town and the main departure point for houseboats.