The tropical, laid back, luscious state of Kerala, known as ‘God’s own country’ in the far South of India is one of the best places to visit in India because it offers a more relaxing experience and there are so many beautiful places to visit in Kerala.
Kerala is famous for it’s gorgeous, languid backwaters and no visit to Kerala is complete without taking a cruise along the backwaters in a traditional rice barge, known as a kettuvallam, that have been converted into a luxurious house boats.
Watching the local life carry on as has done for centuries along the river side under the gently swaying palm trees while eating a fragrant fish curry is just pure bliss.
But there is so much more to Kerala than just backwater bliss. Kerala also offers tropical jungles, wildlife sanctuaries, spice plantations, rolling tea plantations and gorgeous beaches and a chance to experience a much more relaxed pace of life.
Here are the 8 best places to visit in Kerala to add to your India bucket list.
The Best Places to Visit in Kerala
Fort Cochin (Kochi)
Chinese fishing nets in Fort Cochin
Fort Cochin is one of the most popular places to visit in Kerala. For most travellers the historic, atmospheric and multicultural port of Fort Cochin is the gateway to Kerala and the colourful, old streets of Fort Cochin and Jew Town are a delight to explore.
Fort Cochin is also home to the famous Chinese Fishing Nets, a 400 year old Jewish Synagogue, Mattancherry Palace (also known as the Dutch Palace), the fantastic Kerala Folklore Museum and several Portuguese Churches.
Fort Cochin also has many great restaurants, nice hostels and heritage hotels, chances to try Ayurveda, cooking classes, watch Kathakali dance shows and shop for souvenirs as well as chill out on nearby Cherai Beach.
Sure, it’s pretty touristy but there’s plenty to explore in Fort Cochin and it’s easy to arrange onward travel around to all the other places to visit Kerala from here too.
Read more: Travel Guide to Fort Cochin
Alleppey (Alappuzha) and The Kerala Backwaters
Cruising the backwaters of Kerala is one of the most serene, beautiful and peaceful things you can experience in India and something not to be missed while in India.
Alleppey is about 2 hours from Cochin and is the gateway to the famous Kerala backwaters – Alleppey has been called the Venice of the East but in truth it doesn’t have that much to offer but is a good place to arrange a houseboat to take you on the backwaters. You can also board a houseboat at Kollam (Quilon) and Kottayam.
The Kerala backwaters are on of the most famous places to visit in Kerala. The backwaters are a system of canals stretching 900 km across Kerala lined by palm tress of a thousand shades of green, paddy fields and colorful houses and a way of life that seems romantically unchanged for centuries.
Originally the backwaters were busy as thatched barges called kettuvallams carried spices towards ports on the Arabian sea, but nowadays most of the kettuvallams have been transformed into house boats that carry tourists as they softly traverse these languid and beautiful backwaters.
Read more Kerala blogs:
Munnar
Stunning views over the tea plantations of Munnar
Hill stations and tea plantations are more of the top places to visit in Kerala and Munnar is one of the most popular. Munnar is a hill station and tea plantation famous for it’s fresh, cool air and stunning views.
The dusty town of Munnar holds few attractions and, as the highlight of a visit to Munnar is the mesmering views over the rolling hills that are blanketed in a million shades of green, it’s better to stay outside the main town.
Soak up the views, go trekking, take a jeep tour through the countryside and make sure to visit the Tata Tea Museum to find out how tea has been made here since colonial times and of course, you need to indulge in a cup or 2 while in Munnar.
Thekkady and The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Taking a boat through Periyar Wildlife Reserve
Thekkady, up in the luscious Western Ghats, is the base for exploring Periyar – South India’s most popular wildlife sanctuary. Periyar is over 777 sq km and is home to bison, elephants, tigers, sambar, wild boar and many other animals.
Thekkady is quite a touristy place and one of the most popular places to visit in Kerala with it’s strip of hotels and spice shops. There are also numerous options for organising trekking, bamboo rafting, boat trips jungle safaris, cooking classes, spice plantation walks and other activities.
One of the most popular things to do in Periyar is taking a boat trip along the huge, scenic man made lake to spot wildlife but the KTDC boats are pretty packed and not great for spotting wildlife but if you take a smaller boat, or even better a bamboo raft, you may be lucky and spot some wild elephants.
Varkala Beach
Looking down from the cliff to the Janardhana Temple on the Varkala beach.
The coastal town of Varkala is perhaps the best backpacker hangout and place to chill for travellers in Kerala. Varkala is essentially a temple town, the Janardhana Temple, popular with Indian pilgrims, dominates one end of the beach, but not far away the whole scene changes as the sandy strip of beach becomes popular with travellers while the towering red cliffs offer stunning ocean views, restaurants, shops and a real traveller scene.
Read More: Travel Guide to Varkala.
Trivandrum (Thiruvanathapuram)
The golden temple in Trivandrum
Trivadrum is the capital city of Kerala and, although the nearby beach resort of Kovalam is a more popular place to visit in Kerala, Trivandrum is quite a pleasant city that offers some interesting sights that are worth a look.
When in Trivandrum don’t miss seeing the impressive golden Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, believed to be the richest temple in the world (non hindus are not allowed to enter but it’s still a spectacular sight from the outside) and nearby the historic wooden Puthe Maliga Palace.
There is also a large zoo and gardens complex that also houses the Napier Museum, Natural History Museum and art gallery.
Kovalam Beach
The beach and lighthouse at Kovalam
A stones throw away from Trivandrum is Kovalam, once a calm fishing village and now Kerala’s most popular beach resort with a beautiful bay overlooked by the famous lighthouse and many touristy options for accommodation, eating and shopping.
Wayanad
Spotting an elephant in the wild at Wayanad
Tucked away up in the Western Ghats in the North of Kerala lies Wayanad, not so many tourists make it up here as its a good 8 hour journey from Kochi but those who do are rewarded with possibly the prettiest part of Kerala.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best places to see elephants in the wild, you can organise trekking, rafting and jeep tours and explore caves, temples and lakes. Wayanad is also still home to some fascinating tribal people and you can organise a tour to take you to meet them or just relax and enjoy the unspoilt nature and stunning views.
Wayanad is one of the more offbeat places to visit in Kerala where you can enjoy an authentic homestay experience in nature away from the crowds.
I hope you’ve this list of the best places to visit in Kerala inspires you to visit more of this spectacular state. Don’t forget to check out my other India travel blogs too.
Pin Me
6 comments
Nice read. I m thinking of visiting Kerala again and explore more of Cochin and Thekkady
Thanks, glad you liked it! There’s lots of explore in Kerala – I’ve been 3 times now 🙂
What r the best places to visit in Kerala in 3 days
You could visit Fort Cochin and take a trip along the backwaters from there if you only have 3 days. I’m not one to rush around cramming too much in. Quality over quantity – hope you have a good trip
I have 5 days in Kerala which places are a must do? Munnar is already on the list.
Is allepy okay to miss out on? Again quality over quantity.
Hi Sonam. I would not miss Kochi or the backwaters – you don’t have to spend much time in Allepey but I wouldn’t miss out on a backwaters cruise. Munnar and Varkala are my other favourite places.