Kochi

Fort streets in the morning, and a backwater boat when you want the day to slow down.

Good to know

Go: Stay in Fort Kochi. The ferry is the way across, not a taxi around the harbor.
Skip: Skip a Kathakali show that starts with a hard sell at your hotel.
Eat: Fish fry or a sadhya. Eat the sadhya at lunch, not as a late dinner.
Entry: India asks a lot of passports for an e-visa before arrival. Apply before you book a stay you cannot cancel.
Timing: June and July bring heavy monsoon rain. December, January are easier.

Fort Kochi on foot
Free
Fort Kochi · morning
The fishing nets, the church, and the jetty. That is the morning.
Fish fry near the jetty
$10
Fort Kochi · afternoon
Ask the price per fish before it hits the pan.
Mattancherry lanes
Free
Mattancherry · afternoon
The synagogue and the spice streets. Go after the fort, not before.
Harbor ferry
$1
Water · morning
The public ferry, not a private speedboat.
A short backwater ride
$20
Water · morning
A half day is enough. A full-day houseboat is a different trip.
A cafe on Princess Street
$8
Fort Kochi · afternoon
One coffee. The street is the rest of the hour.
Kathakali, if you want it
$12
Fort Kochi · evening
Buy the ticket at the venue. Hotel desks add a fee.
A drink in the fort
$14
Fort Kochi · evening
The fort is quiet at night. One bar is plenty.

A typical cost in US dollars, so you can decide before you open a booking site. Not a live fare.