Cochin Tourist Attractions

Tourist Attractions in Cochin

Tourist Attraction in Cochin
The main tourist attractions in Cochin are Willingdon Island, Jewish Synagogue, St. Francis Church, Santa Cruz Cathedral, Bolghatty Palace, Chinese fishing nets, Hill Palace Museum, Mattancherry Palace.
Willingdon Island
Willingdon island is named after Lord Willingdon, a British Viceroy to India. This man-made island is surrounded by beautiful backwaters. The island houses the city’s best hotels, customs and trading centres, the port trust and the headquarters of the southern naval command
Mattancherry Palace 
Mattancherry Palace was built by the portuguese for the Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Kochi in 1555 at Mattancherry. The palace was later renovated in 1663 by the Dutch and came to be known as Dutch Palace. It has a large central courtyard and a temple. On some of the rooms are the beautiful murals which depict scenes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and old Hindu legends. The little museum at the palace has a collection of costumes, palanquins and other trappings of royalty.
Chinese fishing nets
Along the shore in the Fort Cochin area are the quaint Chinese fishing nets. These huge cantilevered fishing nets were brought here by traders from the court of Kublai Khan.
Santa Cruz Cathedral
Santa Cruz Cathedral was built in 1558. This church is another colourful church in the Fort Cochin area and has some beautiful paintings on the ceiling of the church.

Jewish Synagogue
The Jewish Synagogue is located very close to the Bolghatty Palace. This synagogue was built in 1568 and is the oldest synagogue in the subcontinent. This church was destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid in 1662, and was rebuilt two years later by the Dutch. This simple building at the end of a narrow lane has a marvelously rich interior. There are clusters of coloured glass lamps hanging from the ceiling and the floor bas blue willow patterned tiles which were brought in the 18th century from the Canton in China. No two tiles are identical. In the synagogue are carefully preserved the land deeds, inscribed on copper plates and Hebrew inscription on stone slabs. These land deeds describe the grant of the Anjuvanam village to a Jewish merchant Joseph Rabban.
Hill Palace Museum
The Hill Palace was the official residence of the Kochi royal family and built in 1865. This palace is located on the Ernakulam-Chottanikkara route. The palace complex consists of 49 buildings built in the traditional architectural style of Kerala and is surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land with a deer park and facilities for horse riding. A full-fledged Ethno-archaeological Museum and the Kerala’s first ever Heritage Museum are the main attraction of the palace. The Hill Palace museum is the largest museum of archaeological remain in Kerala. Rare coins, weapons, manuscripts, sculpture, oil paintings, 19th century paintings, murals and inscriptions of the royal Kochi family can be seen in this museum.
Cherai Beach
The Cherai beach is the lovely beach which border Vypeen island. This beach is ideal for swimming. Dolphins can be seen occasionally at this beach. A typical Kerala village with paddy fields and coconut groves nearby is an added attraction of this beach.

St. Francis Church
St. Francis Church is located at the Fort Cochin. This church is one of the oldest European church in the subcontinent. This church was established by the Portuguese Franciscan friars in 1503. This church was restored in 1779 by the Protestant Dutch and thus became a Protestant church. Later in 1795 this church was converted into an Anglican church by the British. Now this church is used by the Church of South India. In 1524, the remains of the Vasco da Gama was buried in the churchyard of this church and later moved to Lisbon, Portugal. His tombstone still remains in the church.
Bolghatty Palace
Bolghatty Island is famous for the Bolghatty palace. Bolghatty Palace is located on the tiny Bolghatty Island amidst shady flowering trees. This simple and elegant palace was built in 1744 by the Dutch, and was later taken over by the British. This palace is now converted into hotel, a marvelous place to stay with a small golf course and special honeymoon cottages.