One day covers Trivandrum's highlights if you leave the station at 08:30: the Padmanabhaswamy temple in the morning darshan slot, Kuthiramalika Palace and the Attukal temple, a late morning and lunch on Kovalam's Lighthouse Beach, then the Napier Museum and the Sree Chitra Art Gallery. It is about 38 km by cab, back by about 15:40. Avoid Mondays, when the palace and the museums are closed.
6 places38 km by cabtimed against opening hours
Day 1
Old city, Kovalam and the museums
The Padmanabhaswamy temple in the 08:30 darshan slot, Kuthiramalika Palace next door and the Attukal temple, then a late morning and lunch on Kovalam's Lighthouse Beach, and the Napier Museum and the Sree Chitra Art Gallery in the afternoon. About 38 km, back at the station by about 15:40. Not on a Monday, when the palace and the museums are closed.
08:30 to 15:356 places38 km by cab
1Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
2Kuthiramalika Palace Museum
3Attukal Bhagavathy Temple
4Kovalam Lighthouse Beach
Lunch
5Napier Museum
6Sree Chitra Art Gallery
Back
★
Leave Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station
2 km · 5 min by cab
1
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
1 h here
The temple that gave Thiruvananthapuram its name, the city of Lord Anantha. Vishnu lies on the serpent Anantha in the inner shrine, so long that you see him through three doors: the face, the navel and the feet. A seven-storey gopuram rises over the temple tank at the east gate.
TemplesDarshan in short slots from 03:30 to 12:00 (06:30, 08:30 to 10:00, 10:30 to 11:10) and 17:00 to 19:20; closed to visitors 12:00 to 17:00
Tip: Only Hindus may enter, and the dress code is strict: men in a mundu or dhoti and bare-chested, women in a saree or a long skirt. Mundus can be rented at the gate. Phones and bags go in the cloakroom.
0.6 km · 2 min by cab
2
Kuthiramalika Palace Museum
45 min here
Closed on Mondays
A palace built in the 1840s for Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, the poet-king of Travancore, right beside the temple. The name means horse mansion, after the 122 wooden horses carved under its eaves. Inside are royal thrones, Kathakali figures, musical instruments and weapons.
Palaces & museumsOpen 08:30 to 12:30 and 15:30 to 17:30; closed on Mondays
Tip: Closed on Mondays. Entry is with a guide, and photography is not allowed inside. A classical music festival is held in the courtyard each January.
2 km · 5 min by cab
3
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple
30 min here
A goddess temple about 2 km south of the Padmanabhaswamy temple, on the bank of the Killi river. It is known for the Attukal Pongala each February or March, when women cook offerings of rice in clay pots along the city's streets.
TemplesAbout 05:00 to 12:30 and 17:00 to 20:30, every day
Tip: During Pongala week the roads around the temple close; check the date before you plan a cab through the area.
12.1 km · 22 min by cab
4
Kovalam Lighthouse Beach
1 h here
The main of Kovalam's three crescent beaches, below the lighthouse, with a paved promenade of cafes and shops. Hawa Beach is just north over the rocks. It is the beach most people mean when they say Kovalam.
Beaches & backwatersOpen air, all day?
Tip: Swim only between the lifeguard flags, and not in the monsoon. The cab parks at the top of the lane; the beach is a few minutes down on foot.
Lunch, about 1 h. Your driver will know a place nearby. The times after this include it.
17 km · 33 min by cab
5
Napier Museum
45 min here
Closed on Mondays
An art and history museum from 1880 in a striking building of red, black and white brick, with Gothic roofs and Kerala gables. Inside are bronzes, temple carvings, ivory work and a temple car. It stands in the museum gardens with the art gallery and the zoo.
Palaces & museumsOpen 10:00 to 17:00; Wednesdays 13:00 to 17:00; closed on Mondays
Tip: Closed on Mondays and Wednesday mornings. One ticket counter sells entry for the museum and the art gallery; the zoo has its own.
A short walk
6
Sree Chitra Art Gallery
45 min here
Closed on Mondays
The best collection of Raja Ravi Varma's paintings, the Travancore painter who gave Indian gods and heroines their now familiar faces. There are also Nicholas Roerich's Himalayan landscapes and Mughal, Rajput and Tanjore paintings.
Palaces & museumsAbout 10:00 to 16:45; Wednesdays from 13:00; closed on Mondays?
Tip: Sources disagree on Monday and Wednesday hours; it follows the Napier Museum, so plan it for the afternoon and not on a Monday.
3.7 km · 11 min by cab back
★
Back at Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station
Drive times come from road routing without traffic. The city centre around East Fort, Thampanoor and Palayam is slow at the morning and evening rush, and the Kovalam road jams on weekend evenings, so allow extra at those times. Opening hours marked ? are not yet confirmed, so check them before you go.
Book a cab for this day
Call or message a local Trivandrum operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
1 × full day, 8 h / 80 kmSedan, SUV or InnovaPrice from the operator
The highlights, yes: the Padmanabhaswamy temple, Kuthiramalika Palace, the Attukal temple, Kovalam beach, the Napier Museum and the Sree Chitra Art Gallery. Poovar, Azhimala and the Vizhinjam lighthouse need a second day.
What time should a one-day Trivandrum tour start?+
Leave the station at about 08:30 to join the 08:30 to 10:00 darshan at the Padmanabhaswamy temple. The palace next door opens at 08:30 and closes from 12:30 to 15:30, so see it straight after.
Why is Kovalam before the museums?+
The Napier Museum and the art gallery open only at 13:00 on Wednesdays, so the plan sees them in the afternoon, which works on every day except Monday. Kovalam's beach promenade is a good place for a seafood lunch.