Kochi Information

Getting Around

Kochi is actually a municipality situated on various islands and parts of the mainland. It does not have an international airport, so it is better to enter India at one of the larger destinations and then take a domestic flight in to Kochi. If you prefer, you can also take a bus from Bangalore, Coimbatore or Trivandrum.

Once in the city you can use a taxi into town from the airport or buses can drop you off at the Karnataka State Road Transportation Corporation (KSTC) bus stand in Ernakulam. If you are looking to go to Fort Cochin from the mainland take a ferry. You can buy the tickets for the ferry onboard and they are very cheap. Bus services within the city are poor however there are some auto rickshaws available and these are quite affordable.

Weather

Kochi is blessed with temperate climate most of the year. One can visit any time, but as with other parts of India try and avoid both the summers and the monsoons if you can. Remember that the returning monsoons hit Kochi in the month of October. Other than that it is a beautiful place to visit.

Good to know

Kochi was one of the most frequented trading ports in ancient India. Influences of its trading past can be seen in the giant fishing nets that the locals use which are of the typical Chinese design of a couple of centuries ago. The ferries have special names for their stops. The east stop of Willindon Island is called Embarkation. The west stop is Terminus while the main stop at Fort Cochin is Customs.