Things to do in Kochi

Neighborhood · Fort Kochi peninsula

Portuguese, Dutch and British layers on a single sea-facing peninsula, with cantilevered shore-operated fishing nets along the beach.

Local tip: St Francis Church here is where Vasco da Gama was originally buried before the body was moved to Lisbon. The fish stalls beside the nets will cook what you buy at the shack behind — agree the price of both the fish and the cooking before handing anything over.

Culture · Mattancherry, south of Fort Kochi

The Paradesi Synagogue of 1568, the Dutch Palace murals, and a lane of spice warehouses that still smell of pepper and ginger.

Local tip: The synagogue's floor is laid with hand-painted Chinese tiles, no two identical, and it is closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Go on a weekday morning before the cruise passengers. The working spice godowns are a street back and will let you in if you ask politely.

Landmark · Vyttila, High Court and ten island terminals

India's first battery-electric ferry network, linking ten islands across the backwaters on a metro-style timetable and ticket.

Local tip: This is public transport that happens to be one of the best boat rides in India, and it costs a few rupees. Take the High Court to Vypin or the Vyttila to Kakkanad run at dusk. It is not a tourist cruise — locals commute on it, which is the point.

Culture · Ernakulam waterfront and Fort Kochi

A harbour-front promenade in the city, and the venue for South Asia's largest contemporary art exhibition every other winter.

Local tip: The Biennale takes over disused Fort Kochi warehouses from December to April in its years. Even outside the Biennale, Aspinwall House and the Pepper House café are open and worth a morning. Buy the multi-venue pass rather than paying at each site.

Nature · Vypin island, 25 km north

A long shallow beach with backwater on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other, reachable by ferry rather than by driving round.

Local tip: Take the ferry from Fort Kochi to Vypin with a scooter rather than driving the long way through Edappally. The stretch where the backwater comes within a hundred metres of the sea is the reason to go, and the toddy shops along the road are the genuine article.

Nature · 12 km north of Ernakulam

A cluster of tiny inhabited islands laced with paddy fields, prawn farms and Chinese nets, twenty minutes from the city and almost unvisited.

Local tip: Go on a scooter at sunrise and simply follow the narrow road across the causeways until it runs out. There is nothing organised here — no ticket, no guide, no café — which is exactly why it is the best thing near Kochi. Post-monsoon, when the paddy is flooded, is the moment.