Aura of India: Cities in Kerala: Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode to Visit

Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi against the evening sky

Photo: Challiyil Eswaramangalath Vipin from Chalakudy, India, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

The harbour mouth at Fort Kochi, early in the morning, as a ferry crosses towards Vypin.

Kerala's towns run into one another along the coast, so the real question is not which city to see but where to stop.

Kochi, the port city

Kochi is Kerala's largest urban area, with about 2.1 million people at the 2011 Census, and it is really several places joined by water. Ernakulam, on the mainland, is the modern city of shops, offices and the main railway station. Across the harbour, Fort Kochi and Mattancherry keep the old port, with Portuguese, Dutch and British buildings, spice warehouses and the synagogue. Kochi also hosts the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a contemporary art show held every two years.

The Water Metro's small electric boats are the easiest way across: from the High Court jetty in Ernakulam they run to Fort Kochi, Vypin and, since October 2025, Mattancherry. The Kochi Metro runs from Aluva in the north to Thrippunithura in the south-east, and a branch to Kakkanad is expected in 2027. The airport is at Nedumbassery, north of Aluva.

Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, the south

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital, is a city of low hills and government buildings, with about 1.7 million people in its urban area in 2011. Its old centre is the fort quarter around the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple; the Napier Museum and the zoo sit in gardens to the north, and Kovalam's beaches are about 16 km south.

Kollam, up the coast, is an old pepper port on Ashtamudi Lake, called Quilon in older books, and the southern gateway to the backwaters. The state boat service still lists an eight-hour tourist cruise from Kollam to Alappuzha, but in 2025 it said a low bridge stopped it running; check before you go.

Thrissur and Kozhikode, temple town and trading town

Thrissur takes its name from the Vadakkunnathan Shiva temple at its heart, and the town is built around it: the Swaraj Round circles the temple ground, the Thekkinkadu Maidan, where Thrissur Pooram is held each April or May. Thrissur's urban area, about 1.9 million people in 2011, is mostly a spread of small towns.

Kozhikode, the old Calicut, was the port of the Zamorin kings and a hub of the spice trade with Arabia. In 2023 UNESCO named it India's first City of Literature; it is the home of the Kerala Literature Festival. Walk SM Street, the Mittai Theruvu or sweetmeat street, for Kozhikode halwa made with coconut oil, then Kuttichira, where the Mishkal mosque, four storeys of carved wood with no minaret, is about 650 years old. Kozhikode is also the road up to Wayanad; see Kerala's hill stations.

Kannur, Kasaragod and the smaller towns

Kannur, in the north, has St Angelo Fort, a laterite fort built in 1505 by Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese viceroy, and now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. It looks over Moplah Bay. Kannur is the centre of theyyam season and has its own airport at Mattannur. Kasaragod, the last town before Karnataka, is mainly the way to Bekal, Kerala's largest fort, about 16 km south.

Alappuzha is a small canal town most visitors see from a houseboat. Palakkad sits in the Palakkad Gap, the break in the Western Ghats where the road and railway cross to Tamil Nadu, around a stone fort rebuilt by Hyder Ali in 1766. The 2011 Census counted seven urban areas of more than a million people in Kerala, including Malappuram, but most are strings of small towns rather than big cities.

Choosing a base

Because the cities are close and the trains run the length of the coast, most trips need only two or three bases. Kochi suits a first visit, with the backwaters, Munnar and Thrissur all within a few hours. Thiruvananthapuram is the base for the far south: Kovalam, Varkala and the temples. Kozhikode serves the north and Wayanad, and Kannur is best between December and March, when theyyam is performed at village shrines, often through the night.

The coastal highway runs through town after town and is slow at rush hour; for a long hop between cities, the train is usually quicker.

Cities to know

Kochi (Ernakulam): the port and the easiest first base; about 2.1 million (2011 Census, urban area).
Thiruvananthapuram (Thiruvananthapuram): the capital, the temple and Kovalam; about 1.7 million (2011 Census).
Kozhikode (Kozhikode): the City of Literature, halwa and the road to Wayanad; about 2 million (2011 Census).
Thrissur (Thrissur): Vadakkunnathan and the Pooram; about 1.9 million (2011 Census).
Kollam (Kollam): Ashtamudi Lake and the southern backwaters.
Kannur (Kannur): St Angelo Fort and theyyam.
Alappuzha (Alappuzha): canals and houseboats.
Palakkad (Palakkad): Hyder Ali's fort in the gap through the Ghats.

Along Kerala's coast one town fades into the next, and the water is never far from the end of the street.

Plan your visit

Best season	October to March, when it is drier and less humid. The south-west monsoon brings heavy rain from June to September, and the cities flood in places after a downpour.
How to reach	International airports at Kochi (Nedumbassery), Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode (Karipur) and Kannur (Mattannur). Main stations: Ernakulam Junction, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur.
Getting around	Kochi Metro and the Water Metro in Kochi; KSRTC buses, auto-rickshaws and app cabs everywhere. Trains are the easiest way between cities.
Where to stay	Fort Kochi for the old town or Ernakulam for convenience; near East Fort or Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram; near the beach or Mavoor Road in Kozhikode; around the Swaraj Round in Thrissur.
How long to spend	Two or three days in Kochi, two in Thiruvananthapuram, a day each in Thrissur and Kozhikode, more in Kannur in theyyam season. More in our Kerala guide.

Open Fort Kochi, Kerala in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Which is the most developed city in Kerala?

No official list ranks Kerala's cities by development. Kochi is the largest urban area and the main business city; Thiruvananthapuram is the capital. For a visitor, the difference is what lies around each one.

Are Kochi, Cochin and Ernakulam the same place?

Kochi is the official name of the city once called Cochin. Ernakulam is its mainland half, where the main station is, and also the name of the district; Fort Kochi and Mattancherry are the old port across the water.

When is the next Kochi-Muziris Biennale?

The seventh edition, curated by the artist Kader Attia, is planned for 2027-28. The sixth closed on 31 March 2026. Dates had not been announced in October 2026.

Is Kozhikode the same as Calicut?

Yes. Calicut is the older English name, still used by the airport and the university.

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Cities in Kerala: Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode to Visit