Best Places to Visit in Kochi
Best Places to Visit in Kochi: Kochi or Cochin, a beautiful city of Southwest Kerela state. The Kochi has many sightseeings, beaches, temples and tourist attractions. These tourist attractions are very captivating and influence the tourists. They also help the tourists to know about the history of the city. So here is the list of best places to visit in Kochi.
Indo-Portuguese Museum: Indo-Portuguese Museum located in premises of the Fort Kochi. This museum was established by the late Dr. Joseph Kureethra, Bishop of Kochi. He made this museum for protecting and showcasing of the heritage culture, art, and architecture of Portuguese. The gallery is distributed into five wings displaying Altar of Furniture, Treasure, Procession, Civil Life and Cathedral. The entry charge for this museum is INR 10 for Indians and INR 25 for Foreigners. The timing for the museum is 10 am to 5 pm and closed on every Monday and Public holidays. The museum is one of the best places to visit in Kochi.
Santa Cruz Basilica: Santa Cruz Basilica is one the oldest church in India and comes among the 8 Basilicas. The church is around 500 years old. The church is a magnificent and famous for its Glorith architecture and the historical paintings inside the church walls. It is the best place to visit in Kochi. People from all around the word come here for prayers. The opening hours are 7 am to 6.30 pm from Monday to Saturday, and on Sunday it is 8 am to 6.30 pm.
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary: Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary situated in the center of Kochi and also ‘green lung of Kochi.’ this sanctuary is home to a shallow lake encompassed by thick mangrove vegetation that draws an assortment of transitory and resident birds each year. This sanctuary is one of the best places to visit in Kochi.
Mattancherry Palace: Dutch Palaces is an another name of Mattancherry Palace. This palace was made by Portugues in 1555 and gifted to Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Cochin. It situated at Palace Road. The structure today houses some extremely excellent wall paintings portraying Hindu sanctuary artistry, shows of the Kochi lords and their representations, which makes it one of the best places to visit in Kochi. The Palace has a courtyard in the center and has a beautiful temple of Bhagavati, a protective god of Kochi community. Two more temples are there one of Lord Shiva and another of Lord Krishna. From outside also palace looks beautiful with having lavish green gardens and lawns.
St. Francis Church: St Francis Church is one of the most traditional houses of worship in India constructed by the Europeans. The church is accessible for its remarkable design. It has awesome chronicled centrality as it is the quiet observer of the Europeans struggle. The famous Portuguese adventurer, Vasco da Gama’s body, was first covered in this church and was, later on, moved to some other place. It was devoted to St. Anthony.
Paradesi Synagogue: Constructed in 1568, and also known as Jewish Synagogue. It is one of the oldest places among all the Commonwealth countries. Jewish synagogue is situated in Jew Town territory of Cochin and was constructed by Cochin Jewish people or Malabar Yehudan individuals. In this place, there are many beautiful old things you can witness like chandeliers made up of Belgian glass, silver and gold crowns, clock tower, old carpets and much more. It is one of the best places to visit in Kochi. Timing hours 10 am to noon and 3 pm to 5 pm whole week.
Fort Kochi: Fort Kochi one the famous and most visited tourist place in Kochi. It is also named as Old Kochi or West Kochi. The design here is intensely impacted by European engineering and comprises of elegant houses worked by wealthy merchants from the British period. The Dutch houses are an incredible sight. Must-visit these beautiful places here – the great Saint Francis Church, The Chinese Fishing Nets, and Mattancherry Palace.
Cherai Beach: Cherai Beach situated at the north end of the Vypeen Island. Lush green coconut plantation surrounds the beach. The beauty of beach enhanced with golden sand and various sea shells. It is the best tourist spot. People also come here to enjoy a picnic, swimming, relaxing with their family and friends. You can see beautiful sunset and sunrise from this place, and also spot beautiful dolphins in the water.
Chinese Fishing Net: Chinese Fishing Net is the great witness of having a good relation between Chineses Emperors and Cochin Kings in ancient time. Legends tell that these nets were an endowment of the famous Chinese King, Kublai Khan. Fishermen even use these nets in today time for catching fishes. The uniqueness of these fishing nets that they are fixed to the place. This place is also one of the best places to visit in Kochi.
Hill Palace: Hill Palace is one of the biggest archeological museums in Kerela. The palace was constructed in 1865 and spreads crosswise over 54 acres of land. There are around 49 buildings that present the traditional building style of Kerala. The castle consists of a deer park, a pre-historic park, a children’s park and an archeological museum. The palace also exhibits paintings, arts, sculptures, stones, crowns, ornaments and other belongings of Royal family of Kochi. It is also one of the best places to visit in Kochi.
You can also visit our other blogs if planning a trip to any other place in India – Top Places to Visit in Jaisalmer, Best Tours of India, Places to Visit Near Pune in Monsoon, Top 10 Homestays in India and Famous Places to Visit in Varanasi.