Places to visit in Kochi, and the order to see them

A palace the Portuguese built for the Raja of Kochi around 1555, later repaired by the Dutch, which gave it its other name. Inside are some of the finest temple murals in Kerala, scenes from the Ramayana and the Puranas, along with royal palanquins, costumes and portraits of the Kochi rajas.

Built in 1568, it is the oldest working synagogue in the Commonwealth. The floor is laid with hand-painted blue and white Chinese tiles, no two alike, and Belgian glass lamps hang from the ceiling. A clock tower stands beside it at the end of Jew Town.

The lane that runs from the synagogue towards the old spice warehouses, lined with antique shops, spice traders and small cafes. The godowns behind it still sort and pack ginger, pepper and cardamom.

Built by the Portuguese in 1503, it is one of the oldest European churches in India. Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524 and was buried here before his remains went back to Portugal; his gravestone is still in the floor. The punkahs, cloth fans pulled by rope, still hang over the pews.

A white Gothic cathedral, rebuilt in 1905 on the site of a Portuguese church from 1505. The inside is bright with painted ceilings, stained glass and murals of the Passion.

A museum in the Bishop's House compound that keeps church treasures from the Portuguese era: altar pieces, processional crosses, vestments and silver. The basement shows a section of the old Portuguese Fort Emmanuel wall.

The Navy's museum inside the INS Dronacharya base on the Fort Kochi shore, with ship models, guns and uniforms, and two old bunkers given over to Indian naval history from the early sea traders to the modern fleet.

Huge cantilevered nets on teak frames along the Fort Kochi shore, lowered into the water and lifted by a team of fishermen pulling on ropes and stone weights. They have stood here for centuries and are the picture most people take home from Kochi.

A narrow beach along the harbour mouth, with a promenade shaded by old rain trees and views of ships coming into Kochi port. It is more for walking than swimming.

A small theatre on Princess Street that stages a short Kathakali every evening: the dance drama of Kerala, with green-painted faces, huge skirts and stories told through hand gestures and eye movement. The show opens with a talk that explains the gestures.

A long walkway along the Ernakulam backwater, facing Willingdon Island and Bolgatty, with the Rainbow Bridge and the Chinese net bridge along it. Boats leave from the jetty here for harbour rides at sunset.

One of Kerala's best-known temples, about 17 km south-east of Ernakulam, dedicated to the goddess Bhagavathy, worshipped as Saraswati in the morning, Lakshmi at midday and Durga in the evening.

The former palace of the Kochi royal family in Tripunithura, built in 1865: 49 buildings on a hill in wide grounds. It is now Kerala's largest archaeological museum, with the royal crown and thrones, oil paintings, weapons and old coins, and a deer park in the grounds.

A private museum in Thevara, built in old Kerala styles from timber and parts of old houses. Its three floors hold masks, costumes, carvings, instruments and puppets from the dance and ritual traditions of Kerala and South India.

One of India's largest malls, in Edappally in the north of the city, with shops, a big food court and a cinema.

A small mangrove patch in the middle of the city, behind the High Court, where herons, cormorants and egrets nest. It is often called the green lung of Kochi.

A long, gentle beach on Vypin Island about 29 km north of Ernakulam by road, with the sea on one side and backwaters and paddy fields a few hundred metres inland. It is calmer and cleaner than the city beaches.