Things to do · Kerala · India
18 best things to do in Kerala
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ranjith Siji, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Kerala are Backwater houseboat cruise, Chinese fishing nets and Kathakali performance. Of the 18 picks below, 5 are free, 5 work on a rainy day and 6 suit children. Allow about 10 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Backwater houseboat cruise
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Mattancherry Palace
- Time to see the highlights
- 10 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backwater houseboat cruise | Alappuzha | 1 night | Expensive |
| Chinese fishing nets | Fort Kochi | 45 minutes | Free |
| Kathakali performance | Fort Kochi | 2 hours including make-up | Low cost |
| Mattancherry Palace | Mattancherry | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Paradesi Synagogue and Jew Town | Mattancherry | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| St Francis Church | Fort Kochi | 30 minutes | Free |
| Eravikulam National Park | Munnar | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Munnar tea estates and Tea Museum | Munnar | Half a day | Low cost |
| Top Station | Munnar | Half a day | Free |
| Periyar Tiger Reserve | Thekkady | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Spice plantation tour | Thekkady | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary | Kumarakom | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Varkala Cliff | Varkala | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Padmanabhaswamy Temple | Thiruvananthapuram | 1 hour | Free |
| Napier Museum | Thiruvananthapuram | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Kerala Folklore Museum | Ernakulam | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Ayurveda treatment | Kovalam | 1–2 hours, or courses of 1–3 weeks | Mid-priced |
| Edakkal Caves | Wayanad | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
The 18 best things to do
Experience · Alappuzha
1.Backwater houseboat cruise
Converted kettuvallam rice barges with bedrooms, a deck and a cook sail from Alappuzha across Vembanad Lake and along the canals of Kuttanad, where paddy fields lie below water level. Overnight trips typically board around noon, anchor at sunset and return the next morning, with Kerala meals cooked on board.
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
- Book ahead
- Book a reputable operator a few weeks ahead for December, January, Christmas and Onam; avoid deals offered by touts at the jetty.
- Iconic
- Couples
- Kids
- Food
- Views
Landmark · Fort Kochi
2.Chinese fishing nets
Huge cantilevered nets on wooden frames line the shore at Fort Kochi's Vasco da Gama Square, lowered into the water by teams of fishermen using counterweights of stones. They are thought to have arrived with traders from China centuries ago. Stalls nearby will cook fish you buy from the catch.
Come at sunset when the nets are silhouetted, and ask the fishermen before you join them on the platform.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Photo spot
- Food
Experience · Fort Kochi
3.Kathakali performance
Kathakali is Kerala's classical dance-drama, telling stories from the Hindu epics through elaborate green and red make-up, huge costumes, eye movements and hand gestures, accompanied by drums and singing. Theatres in Fort Kochi and Thekkady stage shortened versions for visitors each evening, with the make-up session open to watch beforehand.
Arrive an hour early to watch the performers apply their make-up, which is as fascinating as the show.
- Time needed
- 2 hours including make-up
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
Palace · Mattancherry
4.Mattancherry Palace
Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century as a gift to the Raja of Kochi and later renovated by the Dutch, hence its nickname the Dutch Palace. Inside are some of India's finest Hindu temple murals, depicting scenes from the Ramayana, alongside royal portraits and palanquins.
Take your time in the bedchamber with the Ramayana murals; photography is not permitted inside.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Religious site · Mattancherry
5.Paradesi Synagogue and Jew Town
Built in 1568, the Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth, with hand-painted Chinese floor tiles and Belgian chandeliers. It stands at the end of Jew Town Road, a street of antique shops and spice warehouses that once belonged to Kochi's Jewish community.
Visit in the morning, then browse the antique and spice shops along Jew Town Road towards Mattancherry Palace.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Shopping
- Architecture
Religious site · Fort Kochi
6.St Francis Church
Founded by the Portuguese in 1503, this is one of the oldest European-built churches in India. Vasco da Gama was buried here in 1524 before his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539, and his gravestone is still in the floor.
Combine with the Santa Cruz Basilica and the Dutch cemetery, all within a few minutes' walk.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Architecture
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Park · Munnar
7.Eravikulam National Park
About 15 km from Munnar, the park protects high grasslands and the Nilgiri tahr, an endangered mountain goat that grazes close to the road at Rajamala. Park buses take visitors up to the tourism zone below Anamudi, the highest peak in southern India. The slopes turn blue when the neelakurinji shrub flowers, roughly once every 12 years.
Go early to beat the queue for park buses; the park usually closes for several weeks during the tahr calving season around February and March.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Views
- Outdoors
Experience · Munnar
8.Munnar tea estates and Tea Museum
Tea has been grown on Munnar's hills since the late 19th century. The Tea Museum at the Nallathanni estate explains the industry's history with old machinery and a working processing demonstration, and guided walks through the estates show how leaf is picked by hand.
Book a guided estate walk through your homestay; early morning walks often come with mist and the sound of pickers.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Viewpoint · Munnar
1.Top Station
At about 1,700 metres on the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, around 35 km from Munnar, Top Station looks down into the Tamil Nadu plains and across the Western Ghats. The road there passes Mattupetty Dam, Echo Point and Kundala Lake.
Go early in the day; clouds often roll in and hide the view by late morning.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Free
- Photo spot
- Nature
Park · Thekkady
2.Periyar Tiger Reserve
A forest reserve of about 925 sq km around an artificial lake created in 1895. Boat rides on Periyar Lake often see elephants, gaur and sambar at the water's edge, while guided nature walks, bamboo rafting and border-hiking trips run by the forest department give a closer look. Tigers are present but rarely seen.
Take the first boat of the day for the best chance of animals at the shore, and book guided walks with the forest department rather than private operators.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Boat and activity places are limited each day; book through the official Periyar eco-tourism channels in advance in peak season.
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Active
Experience · Thekkady
3.Spice plantation tour
Plantations around Kumily grow cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and vanilla, and guided walks show how each is grown and processed. Most tours end with a tasting and a shop selling spices by weight.
Buy whole spices on the tour or at Kumily market rather than pre-packed blends; they keep better.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Kids
- Nature
- Shopping
Nature · Kumarakom
4.Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
A 14-acre sanctuary on the shore of Vembanad Lake with walking paths through mangrove and woodland where egrets, darters, herons and kingfishers nest. Migratory birds arrive in the cooler months.
Go at dawn, when birds are most active, or see it from the water on a canoe ride.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Viewpoint · Varkala
5.Varkala Cliff
Red laterite cliffs rise above Papanasam beach, with a path along the North Cliff edge linking cafés, guesthouses and yoga studios. Steps lead down to the beach, where pilgrims perform rites for ancestors near the Janardhana Swamy Temple.
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
Religious site · Thiruvananthapuram
6.Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The great temple of Vishnu in Thiruvananthapuram's East Fort area has a seven-tiered gopuram tower overlooking a tank and is one of India's most important Vaishnava shrines. Entry is restricted to Hindus and follows a strict dress code, but the exterior, tank and surrounding fort streets can be seen by all.
Non-Hindu visitors can see the gopuram from the tank and walk the old fort streets; Hindus must wear the traditional dress required at the gate.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Free
Museum · Thiruvananthapuram
7.Napier Museum
A 19th-century museum in Kerala's Indo-Saracenic style, with a striped brick façade, holding bronzes, temple carvings, jewellery and a temple chariot. It stands in landscaped grounds with the Sree Chitra Art Gallery and the city zoo.
Combine it with the Sree Chitra Art Gallery next door for paintings by Raja Ravi Varma.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Rainy day
- Art
- Architecture
- Kids
Museum · Ernakulam
8.Kerala Folklore Museum
A private museum in a building assembled from traditional wooden architecture, holding masks, costumes, carvings and musical instruments from Kerala's performing arts, including Theyyam and Kathakali, with a small theatre on the top floor.
It is in Thevara, south of central Ernakulam; combine it with a ferry ride to Fort Kochi.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Experience · Kovalam
9.Ayurveda treatment
Kerala is the heartland of Ayurveda, India's traditional medicine, with oil massages such as abhyanga and shirodhara and longer residential treatment programmes. Kovalam, Varkala and Kumarakom have the largest number of resorts and clinics.
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
Historic site · Wayanad
10.Edakkal Caves
Two natural rock shelters high on Ambukuthi Mala in Wayanad carry carvings of human figures, animals and symbols believed to date back thousands of years. The final section of the climb is steep, with ladders and narrow rock passages.
Start early, wear shoes with grip and carry water; visitor numbers are capped each day.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Active
- Outdoors
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Kathakali performance, Mattancherry Palace, Napier Museum and Kerala Folklore Museum |
| History | Mattancherry Palace, Paradesi Synagogue and Jew Town, St Francis Church and Munnar tea estates and Tea Museum |
| Views | Backwater houseboat cruise, Eravikulam National Park, Munnar tea estates and Tea Museum and Top Station |
| Outdoors and nature | Eravikulam National Park, Munnar tea estates and Tea Museum, Top Station and Periyar Tiger Reserve |
| Food and markets | Backwater houseboat cruise, Chinese fishing nets, Spice plantation tour and Varkala Cliff |
| After dark | Kathakali performance and Varkala Cliff |
| With children | Backwater houseboat cruise, Kathakali performance, Eravikulam National Park and Periyar Tiger Reserve |
| On a rainy day | Mattancherry Palace, Kathakali performance, Napier Museum and Kerala Folklore Museum |
What to book ahead
- Backwater houseboat cruise: Book a reputable operator a few weeks ahead for December, January, Christmas and Onam; avoid deals offered by touts at the jetty.
- Periyar Tiger Reserve: Boat and activity places are limited each day; book through the official Periyar eco-tourism channels in advance in peak season.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Kerala?
Backwater houseboat cruise. Converted kettuvallam rice barges with bedrooms, a deck and a cook sail from Alappuzha across Vembanad Lake and along the canals of Kuttanad, where paddy fields lie below water level.
+What can you do for free in Kerala?
Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, Top Station, Varkala Cliff and Padmanabhaswamy Temple. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Kerala when it rains?
Head indoors to Mattancherry Palace, Kathakali performance, Napier Museum and Kerala Folklore Museum.
+What is there to do in Kerala at night?
Kathakali performance and Varkala Cliff are best after dark.