Kochi
Kochi, formerly known as Cochin, is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea.
It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala and is the financial, industial and commercial capital of the state. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernakulam, which is its central business district. As of 2011, the Kochi Municipal Corporation had a population of 677,381 over an area of 94.88 km2, and the larger Kochi urban agglomeration had over 2.1 million inhabitants within an area of 440 km2, making it the largest and the most populous metropolitan area in Kerala. Kochi city is also part of the Greater Cochin development region and is classified as a Tier-II city by the Government of India. The civic body that governs the city is the Kochi Municipal Corporation, which was constituted in the year 1967, and the statutory bodies that oversee its development are the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA).
Getting to Kochi
As the financial capital of Kerala, Kochi is well-connected by air, road, rail and ferry from others parts of India, and to some other international destinations.
- 01Cochin International Airport
- 02Ernakulam Junction
Most of the long distance trains to and from Kerala pass through here.
- 03Ernakulam Town
Mainly for intercity trains and a few long distance trains usually travelling to or from Kottayam.
Things to do
The Cochin Carnival (Dec 20-Jan 2) is the biggest carnival festival in the city. Started in 1582 as part of Portuguese New Year's celebrations. A wonderful array of colourful rallies, fancy dress parades, regular competitions, bike races, beach games, sports, theme festivals, concerts and dances, fireworks and most important, the night beach parties, make it one of the largest celebrations in India.
Where to eat
For the past 600 years, Kochi has catered to many visitors from around the world including Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, Russians and Japanese. This has made the city a melting pot of various cultures, and this diversity is evident in the cuisine. Being a coastal city, plenty of fresh seafood is the local speciality. With the backwaters, freshwater fish is also popular here.
Getting around Kochi the local way
- Get inAs the financial capital of Kerala, Kochi is well-connected by air, road, rail and ferry from others parts of India, and to some other international destinations.
- Get inCATS also operates limo services as well as customised packages available for full/half day trips.
- Get inBy helicopter: Pawan Hans, in the departure gate of the domestic terminal, operates a wide range of helicopter services to almost all parts of city as well as state, which requires a prior booking.
- Get inCochin Airport has its own helicopter services with support of Bharat Airways.
- Get inScheduled and chartered helicopter services to pilgrimage centres like Sabarimala, Guruvayoor and major cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode are available.
- Get inOutside Ernakulam Junction, there is a pre-paid taxi stand where you can stand in line for a receipt and take an auto-rickshaw to other parts of Kochi.
- Get inA pre-paid auto rickshaw to Fort Kochi cost ₹179 as of 2014.
- Get inThere is a direct ferry service between Kochi and Lakshadweep.
From Wikivoyage: Kochi, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: António Bocarro; Pedro Barreto de Resende (Public domain), Wikimedia Commons.
