Chinese Fishing Nets/Vasco da Gama Square : 
These huge cantilevered fishing nets are the legacy of one of the first
visitors to the Malabar Coast. Erected here between 1350 and 1450 AD by
traders from the court of Kublai Khan, these nets are set up on teak wood
and bamboo poles. The best place to watch the nets being lowered into the
sea and catch being brought in is the Vasco da Gama Square, a narrow
promenade that runs along the beach. The Square is an ideal place to idle,
with stalls serving fresh delicious seafood, tender coconut etc.
Pierce Leslie 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.
Old Harbour House: This elegant old bungalow built in
1808 is in the possession of Carrit Moran & Co., renowned tea brokers,
who now use it as their residence. The house was once a boat club.
Koder House: This magnificent 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.
Delta Study: 
Once a warehouse, this heritage bungalow built in 1808, houses a high school
today.
St. Francis Church: Built in 1503 by
Portuguese Franciscan friars, this is India’s oldest European church.
This was initially built of timber and later reconstructed in stone masonry.
It was restored in 1779 by the Protestant Dutch, converted to an Anglican
church by the British in 1795 and is at present governed by the Church of
South India. Vasco da Gama was buried here in 1524 before his remains were
moved to Lisbon, Portugal. The tombstone still remains.
Santa
Cruz Basilica: This historic church was built by the Portuguese
and elevated to a Cathedral by Pope Paul IV in 1558. In 1795 it fell into
the hands of the British when they took over Kochi, and was demolished.
About a hundred years later Bishop Dom Gomez Ferreira commissioned a new
building at the same site in 1887. The church was proclaimed a Basilica in
1984 by Pope John Paul II.
Loafer’s Corner/Princess
Street: One of the earliest streets to be constructed in Fort
Kochi, Princess Street with its European style residences still retains its
old world charm. The best view of this quaint street can be had from Loafer’s
Corner, the traditional meeting place and hangout of the jovial funloving
people of the area.
Vasco House: 
Believed to have been the residence of Vasco da Gama, this is one of the
oldest Portuguese residences in Fort Kochi. Built in the early sixteenth
century, Vasco House sports the typical European glass paned windows and
balcony cum verandahs characteristic of the times.
VOC Gate:
The large wooden gate facing the Parade Ground, with the monogram
(VOC) of the once mighty Dutch East India Company carved on it, was built in
1740. Parade Ground: The four acre Parade Ground was where once the
Portuguese, the Dutch and the British colonists conducted their military
parades and drills. The buildings around the ground housed their defence
establishments. Today, the largest open ground in Fort Kochi, the Parade
Ground is a sports arena.
The United Club: Once
upon a time one of the four elite clubs of the British in Kochi, the United
Club today serves two roles - as class room for the nearby St. Francis
Primary School by day and as card room for the current members by evening.
Until 1907, the building housed the offices of the Fort Kochi Municipality.
The Bishop’s House: Built in 1506 as the residence of the Portuguese
Governor, the Bishop’s House stands on a little hillock near the Parade
Ground. The facade of the House is characterised by large Gothic arches, and
has a circular garden path winding up to the main entrance. The building was
acquired by Dom Jos Gomes Ferreira, the 27th Bishop of the Diocese of Kochi
whose jurisdiction extended over Burma, Malaya and Ceylon, in addition to
India.
Fort Immanuel: This bastion of the
Portuguese in Kochi was a symbol of the strategic alliance between the
Maharajah of Kochi and the Monarch of Portugal, after whom it was named.
Built in 1503, the fort was reinforced in 1538. By 1806 the Dutch, and later
the British, had destroyed most of the fort walls and its bastions. Today,
remains of this once imposing structure can be seen along the beach.
The Dutch Cemetery: The tomb stones here are the most
authentic record of the hundreds of Europeans who left their homeland on a
mission to expand their colonial empires and changed the course of history
of this land. The cemetery was consecrated in 1724 and is today managed by
the Church of South India.
Thakur House: This
graceful building holds within itself a reflection of the colonial era. The
Bungalow was built on the site of the Gelderland Bastion, one of the seven
bastions of the old Dutch fort. Earlier known as Kunal or Hill Bungalow, it
was home to the managers of the National Bank of India during the British
reign. Today, the Bungalow belongs to Ram Bahadur Thakur and Company, the
renowned tea trading firm.
David Hall: Though
built around 1695 by the Dutch East India Company, David Hall gets its name
from one of its later occupants, David Koder, a Jewish businessman. The Hall
was originally associated with Hendrik Adriaan van Reed tot Drakestein,
renowned Dutch commander better known for his Hortus Malabaricus, a
pioneering compilation of the flora of the Malabar Coast.
The
Cochin Club: The club, with its impressive library and collection
of sporting trophies, is housed in a beautifully landscaped park. In the
early 1900s, when the club had just become operational, admission was
restricted to the British and to men only. Today, though the club retains
its traditional English ambience, its rules are more liberal and the
membership of 250 includes women as well. Strangely enough, alcohol is not
served on the premises.
Bastion Bungalow: 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. Though it has been said that a network of secret tunnels runs
beneath the bungalow, none have been found. Today, the Bungalow is the
official residence of the Sub Collector.
Mattancherry Palace
(Dutch Palace) (Open 1000 - 1700 hrs. Closed on Fridays): Built by
the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Kochi,
the palace was renovated in 1663 by the Dutch. On display here are beautiful
murals depicting scenes from the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, and some
of the Puranic Hindu legends. The palace also houses Dutch maps of old
Kochi, royal palanquins, coronation robes of former maharajas of Kochi as
well as period furniture.
Synagogue (Open 1000 - 1200 hrs;
1500 -1700 hrs. Closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays):
Constructed in 1568, this is the oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth.
Destroyed in a shelling during the Portuguese raid in 1662, it was rebuilt
two years later by the Dutch. Known for mid 18th century hand painted,
willow patterned floor tiles from Canton in China, a clock tower, Hebrew
inscriptions on stone slabs, great scrolls of the Old Testament, ancient
scripts on copper plates etc.
Jew Town: The area
around the Synagogue is a centre of spice trade and curio shops.
Cherai Beach: This lovely beach bordering Vypeen island is
ideal for swimming. Dolphins are occasionally seen here. A typical Kerala
village with paddy fields and coconut groves nearby is an added attraction.
Bolghatty Island: This island is famous for its
palace of the same name. The Bolghatty Palace was built in 1744 by the Dutch
and later taken over by the British. Today it is a hotel run by the Kerala
Tourism Development Corporation, with a small golf course and special
honeymoon cottages.
Willingdon Island: Named after
Lord Willingdon, a former British Viceroy of India, this man-made island is
surrounded by beautiful backwaters. The island is the site of the city's
best hotels and trading centres, the Port Trust and the headquarters of the
southern naval command.
The Hill Palace Museum,
Thripunithura (Open 0900 -1230 hrs; 1400 - 1630 hrs. Closed on Mondays):
10 km from Kochi, Hill Palace, the official residence of the
erstwhile Kochi royal family, was built in 1865. The palace complex consists
of 49 buildings 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 Kerala's first
ever heritage museum are the main attractions. Displayed inside the thirteen
galleries are oil paintings, 19th century paintings, murals, sculptures in
stone and plaster of Paris, manuscripts, inscriptions and coins belonging to
the royal family.
Parikshith Thampuran Museum:
This museum houses a collection of coins, bronzes, copies of murals and
megalithic relics of Kerala.
Madhavan Nayar Foundation (Open
1000 - 1700 hrs; Closed on Mondays): Just 8 km from Ernakulam, at
Edappally, the Foundation houses the Museum of Kerala History and its
Makers. The museum showcases historical episodes from the neolithic to the
modern era through life size figures. Light 'n sound shows are regularly
organised with commentaries in English and Malayalam. There is also a
gallery of paintings and sculptures, displaying over 200 original works by
contemporary Indian artists. The Centre for Visual Arts has a collection of
the authentic reproduction of selected world masters and larger-than-life
mural reproductions of Indian art.
Vamanamoorthy Temple:
Inscriptions from the 10th to the 13th century are found in this
temple in Thrikakkara, near Ernakulam.
Santhanagopala-Krishnaswamy
Temple: The original foundation of this temple was laid in 947 AD
according to the inscriptions found here.
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