The Dutch Palace was originally built by the Portugese. Later, in 17th century, the Dutch modified it and presented to the Raja of Kochi. Coronation of many Rajas of Kochi were held here. The place has a fine collection of mural paintings depicting the scenes from the Hindu epics Mahabharatha and Ramayana.

concidered india's oldest church. On his 3rd visit to Kerala, Vasco da Gama, the Portugese trader who reached India from Europe by sea, fell ill and died in Kochi. He was buried in the St. Francis Church. Later his remains were taken back to Portugal. In spite of that the exact place where he was buried has been marked out inside the church.

It was Built in the Indo-European style way back in 1667.The Bungalow gets its name from its location on the site of the Stromberg Bastion of the old Dutch fort. The building blends beautifully into the circular structure of the bastion, has a tiled roof and a typical first floor verandah in wood along its front portion.
 

This imposing building constructed by Samuel S. Koder of The Cochin Electric Company in 1808 is a supreme example of the transition from colonial to Indo-European architecture. Features like verandah seats at the entrance, floor tiles set in a chess board pattern, red coloured brick like facade, carved wood furniture and a wooden bridge connecting to a separate structure across the street are all unique to this bungalow.
 

This charming mansion was the office of Pierce Leslie & Co., coffee merchants, founded in 1862. A representative of the Fort Kochi colonial bungalow, this building reflects Portuguese, Dutch and local influences. Characteristic features are wood panels that form the roof of the ground floor, arched doorways, carved doors and sprawling rooms. Waterfront verandahs are an added attraction.
 

This long narrow palm-fringed island, easily accessible from the mainland, is where the Bolgatty Palace is situated amidst 15 acres of lush green lawns. Built by the Dutch in 1744, it became the seat of the British Resident later. In 1976 the palace was converted into a hotel under the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. The palace has a golf course on its grounds. The hotel has also a boat, available on request.

Cochin has a domestic airport with flights to Agatti, Bangalore, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Madras and Thiruvananthapuram. Other international airports nearby includes Mumbai, Madras, Bangalore and Trivandrum.

Kochi is well connected to the rest of India by an extensive network of rails. There are three important railway stations here namely Cochin Harbour Terminus, Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town . Many important trains start from here and many others pass through these stations.
 

Three important National Highways pass through/start from Kochi, apart from many state roads. National Highway 47 from Kanyakumari to Salem pass right through the heart of Kochi while National Highway 17 to Mumbai and National Highway 49 to Madurai(in Tamil Nadu) starts from Kochi.

The majority of the people of Cochin are Dravidians by origin. Hinduism is the principal religion with considerable percentages of Muslims and Christians. Kerala is world famous for its highly skilled craftsmenship. Kerala is known much for Kathakali, a 300-year-old dance form developed exclusively in Kerala combining the performing art forms of opera, ballet, masque, and pantomime. The dance is a beautiful blending of color, dance, music, drama, and expressions. There are also other dance forms such as Krishnanattom, Mohiniyattom, Thullal, Koodiyattom, Kolkkali, Thiruvathirakali, Kakkarishi Natakom, Oppanna, and Chavittunatakom. Panchavadyam, Nadanpattu, and Omanathinkal These dance forms have evolved over a period of few centuries in Kerala.Kerala is also noted for it's cuisines.Kerala is famous for its variety of pancakes and steamed rice cakes made from pounded rice. For the Muslims, the lightly flavoured Biryani-made of mutton, chicken, egg or fish takes pride of place. In seafood, mussels are special. For the Christians, who can be seen in large volumes in areas like Kottayam and Pala, ishtew (a derivation of the European stew), with appam is a must for every marriage reception. Kerala also has its own fermented beverages -the famous kallu (toddy) and patta charayam (arrack). Arrack is extremely intoxicating and is usually consumed with spicy pickles and boiled eggs (patta and mutta).
 

Cochin is situated in the  state of Kerla, which is a warm, tropical state in the far south of India. Kerala has two monsoons a year (the main one in June/July and another in October) which is why it is so amazingly green and lush. Kerala is an agricultural state and there is virtually no industry. Coconuts are the main crop but rice, tea, coffee, sandalwood, sago, rubber and spices are also grown.The best time to visit is October to April, when there is less rainfall. However, tourists hould bear in mind that Kerala is within the tropics and so rain can be experienced any time.