Visit Kochi Kerala

           
Kochi formerly known as Cochin, is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city is one of the principal seaports of the country and is located in the district of Ernakulam, about 220 kilometres (137 mi) north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. It has an estimated population of 600,000, with an extended metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, making it the largest urban agglomeration and the second largest city in Kerala after the capital.

In 1102 CE, Kochi became the seat of the Kingdom of Cochin, a princely state which traces its lineage to the Kulasekhara empire. Heralded as the Queen of Arabian Sea, Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the Arabian Sea coast since the 14th century. Ancient travellers and tradesmen referred to Kochi in their writings, variously alluding to it as Cocym, Cochym, Cochin, and Cochi. Occupied by the Portuguese in 1503, Kochi was the site of the first European colonial settlement in India. It remained the capital of Portuguese India until 1530, when they opted for Goa as their capital. The city was later occupied by the Dutch, the Mysore and the British.

Kochi entered a period of economic growth after 2000, leading to a spurt in the city's development. A growing centre of shipping industries, international trade, tourism and information technology, Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala, and one of the fastest growing second-tier metros in India. Like other large cities in the developing world, Kochi continues to struggle with urbanisation problems such as traffic congestion and environmental degradation.

Successive waves of migration over the course of several millennia have made Kochi a cultural melting pot. Despite the risk of overdevelopment, the city retains its distinct colonial heritage and a blend of tradition and modernity.

Getting to and from the airport

 By bus

KSRTC operates four classes of bus service from the airport: regular, fast passenger, super fast express (operate every 10-20 minutes to most of the nearby towns and places), low floor A/C Volvo service (operates every 30-40 minutes only to Kochi City via Aluva, Kalamassery, Vytilla and terminates at Fort Cochin). The charge from the airport to City Junction (Vytilla Junction) is around Rs 60, and around Rs 80 to Fort Cochin when using low floor A/C Volvo services. All the bus services stop only at the bus point located near departure gate of the international terminal (city-side).
By taxi

There are regular and prepaid white taxis with no signs. Regular taxis can be caught from the taxi stand on the right side of the departure gate of the international terminal. Pre-paid taxis need to be booked at the counter in the arrival hall of either terminal. Take a receipt and walk to the prepaid taxi stand to catch your taxi. For transfers to Kochi city or airport transfers, the standard charge is Rs 510 for non air-conditioned cab or Rs 650 for A/C Cab, with an additional premium of 15-25% as night charges (7PM-6AM), while it costs only Rs 250 for a trip to Aluva. Cochin Airport recently started pre-paid airport cab services using its own fleet of various segments for short tours, city tours and transfers to other airports which is priced at standard govt rates.
By car

Many car rental companies operates counters in the arrival area of both terminals. Many hotels and travel agents provide free pick-up/drop-off services in their cars.
By copter

Pawan Hans, located in departure gate of domestic terminal, operates a wide range of helicopter services to almost all parts of city as well as state, which requires a prior booking. K-Air also operates air-taxi and private jets.
By train

Kochi is well connected by train from all parts of India. Most Kerala-bound trains have a major stop here. There are two major rail terminals inside the city limits.

* Ernakulam Town Station (North Station), (IR Code : ERN), +91-484-2395198, is mainly for Inter City trains and a few long distance trains.

* Ernakulam Junction Station (South Station), (IR Code : ERS) +91-484-2353751 (service inquiries 131, 133, reservations 132, 1361) is a major Indian railways station. Most of the long distance trains to and from Kerala pass through here. There is a good food court, large waiting areas, book shops, a medical shop and a few retiring rooms along with a dorm. Some of the major trains that pass through this station are:
By bus

Kochi is accessible from all parts of the country as well as other parts of the state, through the extensive state run Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus service, as well as those run by other states. Most inter-state buses start and end their journey from KSRTC Central & Inter-state Bus Station (CBS), located in the heart of the city at Rajaji Rd. To reduce congestion at CBS, some KSRTC buses start/end their services at KSRTC Boat Jetty Stand located in Park Avenue.

KSRTC operates six type of service; Ordinary (no frills), Limited Ordinary (limited stop), Fast Passenger(point-to-point), Super Fast(Regular and A/C services), Deluxe(premium A/C) and Garuda (luxury Volvo). Sleeper Buses also ply overnight routes. Karnataka State buses run daily services from Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore with two type of services, the Rajahamsa (executive push-back service) and Airavat (A/c Sleeper service). Tamil Nadu SETC operates superfast and executive services to many destinations like Madurai, Palani, Ooty, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode and Trichy.

Daily services to and from other major cities in South India such as Mumbai, Bangalore(12 hrs), Mangalore (12 hrs), Coimbatore (4.5 hrs) and Chennai (14 hrs), are operated by national players mostly based in MG Road, where almost all services start and end. All these buses are executive or premium services offering air-conditioned travel with good facilities and higher prices to match.

There are also numerous private buses connecting almost every district, city and town in Kerala. All private buses start/stop their journey at the Private Bus Terminal (PBT) in Kaloor. These offer very basic comforts and are rarely air-conditioned.
By car

Kochi is well connected by road from all parts of the state as well as other major cities. Three major national highways connect Kochi with other parts of country.

* NH 17, the 7th longest highway in India, connects Kochi with Mumbai via most of major towns in Malabar, Mangalore, Goa.
* The heavily congested NH 47 connects Thiruvananthapuram with Kochi and continues on to Coimbatore and Salem in Tamil Nadu via Palakkad and Thrissur.
* NH 49 connects Kochi with Ramaeswaram in Tamil Nadu which passes through Madurai via Munnar.

Kochi is well connected to other parts of state through various state highways.

By boat

Kochi can be reached by sea in yachts or the occasional cruise ship from Goa, Mumbai, Lakshadweep, Colombo and Male. Many cruises operate to Kochi from the US and Europe, but there is no booking office or boarding point in Kochi. There is a direct ferry service between Kochi and Colombo.

Hotels, Lodge Guest Houses and Homestays in Kochi.
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Kochi / Kochin Hotels by surrounding cities, local city and area:- Fort Cochin - Mattancherry *** Willingdon Island *** Cochin area *** Nedumbassery *** Mulavukadu *** Cochin.