Fort Kochi has a special place in our hearts. It is one place we keep going back to and if we had the money, it is where we would buy a retirement home xD. Every time we go back, we find new, unexplored places and tons of food to try from our own list and otherwise. Located in the Ernakulam District, it is a quick drive from our place. The beauty of the town can be felt by simply taking a stroll, walking down narrow alleys and roads aimlessly or even by spending a day by the seashore and taking in the sun with a book and some good food. You can walk around without a plan even and the town will welcome you with wide, open arms to plenty of experiences. The best way to go about the different spots would be either to walk on foot(maybe one of the heritage walks) or to rent a bicycle. Consider this as the first of many more to come in our ‘Guide to Fort Kochi’ series.
Few of the exhibitions from the Biennale - slideshow
If you are in town during the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, then you have nothing to worry about. Your schedule is set for at least two days in which you can leisurely see all the ticketed venues on the first day and the non-ticketed ones on the second day. The venues are spread across Fort Kochi and are all listed out every year on their website. We had gone for the 5th edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale which was held between December 2022 and April 2023 and spent a whole day seeing the ticketed venues and some of the non-ticketed ones as well. Our visit was a little rushed however, so if you want to take your time and see all the exhibits then 2 to 3 days would suffice.
Now, if you are visiting this town otherwise, then there are a lot of popular ‘Fort Kochi places’ to explore. So here we compile all the places and food spots we have been to, loved and keep going back to.
Jew Street and the Paradesi Synagogue
Famous for its antique shops, this street is located between the Mattancherry Palace and the Paradesi synagogue. This synagogue was built by the Jew community of Kochi in 1568 and is a popular tourist attraction of Fort Kochi. Right beside the church is the famous Clock Tower which has numerals inscribed in Malayalam, Latin and Hebrew on each side. This was uniquely built for the Maharaja, the Jews and the common folk of Fort Kochi.
Mattancherry Palace
Also known as the Dutch palace, it housed the royals of Kochi back in the 16th century. At present, it is a museum of sorts with murals of royals and various exhibits that gives a glimpse into the lives of the Royals and to how Fort Kochi was centuries ago.
St. Francis Church
One amongst the oldest churches built in India, this church is particularly famous for the fact that the remains of Vasco Da Gama rested here for 14 years after his death in 1524. His body was taken back to Portugal, however the burial spot is still present. There is a lot of history to the place and it has beautiful old-school architecture.
Santa Cruz Basilica
This church is 1 of the 8 basilicas in India built in 1505 making it over 500 years old. It has stood through the test of many wars over the years and is adorned with beautiful art on its walls by an Italian painter Moscheni and his disciple De Gama.
Princess Street
This street is lined with numerous European style residences and you can do a bit of shopping as well.
Big B Shooting location
This is a huge attraction and is always crowded with youth posing for selfies and group pictures. The movie ‘Big B’ was shot here back in 2007 and even now this spot has numerous visitors all year round. It's currently a homestay.
Chinese Fishing Nets
Also called Cheenavala in Malayalam, the fishing nets are a very popular tourist attraction and are a quintessential ‘Fort Kochi' feature that shouldn’t be missed . These nets were first introduced to Kerala back in the 15th century and are located by the beach at Vasco Da Gama square.
Now that we have covered a good part of sightseeing the regular, touristy spots at Fort Kochi, let’s go to the best part of our travels - the food. Some of the following spots were also non-ticketed venues for the Biennale.
If you arrive in time for breakfast, Achukka's Tea shop, which is a small ‘thattukada’, sells amazing mutton chaaps and noolappam in the morning itself. There were other small snacks as well and good chaya. The people were also super friendly.
Tibet Kitchen
When we travelled to Varkala, there was a lovely Tibetan restaurant called ‘Little Tibet’ which had amazing food. With this in mind, we popped in at the Tibet Kitchen. And it did not disappoint! The thukpa, thenthuk and momos were delicious and light on the stomach. The portions were huge and we didn’t feel like we stuffed ourselves.
David Hall Art Café/ Pandhal Cafe and Deli
Previously a Dutch bungalow, it was restored to be an art café with exhibits put up regularly and now the Pandhal Café operates right within it. The food is great and there are good options for small bites and desserts. The ambience is perfect as well as it opens out to a lawn with trees in the back. Prices might be on the higher side.
Mocha Art Café
If you find yourself at Jew Town and hungry, then drop by this café for some beautiful interiors and good food. We first came here during the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, so the place was filled with art installations and beautiful photographs by the renowned photographer Shahidul Alam.
Kashi Art Café is also another place to drop by that would be reminiscent of DYU Art Café to Bengaluru folks. It's got books, art, ambience and good food.
If you are in the mood for something small and not like a meal to feel energised, Rinoos Cool bar, while not a bar, serves a delicious Avocado Shake. I like to have it with a little less sugar and this really highlights the buttery goodness of the avocado. The streets are narrow here, so park your car or bike elsewhere and walk on over. There are also a few snack shops nearby with naadan bites like vada, pazhampori etc. You can walk this street and easily find them.
Here you can get a variety of snacks and mains as well. The lahori is recommended however it’s availability depends on the timing.
This place was initially a cloud kitchen and then they got a space at Fort Kochi. They didn’t have all the items in the menu and the service was slow which was a downer. However, the food was good - we had Kimbap, Bibimbap, and Seafood broth noodles. I would recommend trying the delicious Yu Chan drinks, both hot and cold. However our expectation of the food didn’t match with the Korean food we had at Meghalaya, which was super delicious, cheap and they had a cat too ;) A little further away, another Korean place you can try is Mukbhang near Eroor.
Hotel Seagull
For a lovely dinner by the sea, this place is perfect. They serve local, naadan food and beer plus the sea view as you enjoy the breeze, making it a good ending for your day at Fort Kochi. The food is average, however the view makes up for it.
We have put up almost all the places we have tried, but there is so much more to explore in this beautiful town. Some of the places on our ‘to-visit’ list has the following:
Francis - For their beer, wines and food
Kerala Kathakali centre - For live performances of Kathakali and Kalaripayattu
Quality Bakery - For the Breudher bread (aka Dutch bread).
Lila - From the reviews, we hear they have an amazing ambience with classic kerala style dishes
East India Street Cafe - Tomato and goat cheese soup
Nooriya Hotel - Irachi choru, biriyani
Hotel City Star - Mutton chaps, porotta even for breakfast
Hotel Arafa - Beef fry, biriyani, BDF etc
Fort Kochi is a town that keeps on giving. Every nook and cranny is filled with history, beauty, food and cats and you will never get tired of it.
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