Fort Kochi Local Sightseeing Tour

Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala) are a type of stationary lift net in India. They are fishing nets that are fixed land installations for fishing. While commonly known as "Chinese fishing nets" in India, the more formal name for such nets is "shore operated lift nets". Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets of 20 m or more across. Each structure is at least 10 m high and comprises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end. Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen. While such nets are used throughout coastal southern China and Indochina, in India they are mostly found in the Indian cities of Kochi and Kollam, where they have become a tourist attraction. This way of fishing is unusual in India and almost unique to the area, as it was introduced by Chinese explorers who landed there in the 14th century.

Fort Kochi beach is a beach along the Arabian Sea situated in Fort Kochi in the city of Kochi in South India, Kerala state.

The Dutch cemetery is among the visited sites in Fort Kochi, famous for its imperial inhabitants during the olden days who left their homelands centuries ago to propagate and expand their own empire. The cemetery was consecrated in 1724 and is today managed by the Church of South India and it contains some interesting stories around it.

St. Francis Church, in Fort Kochi (Fort Cochin), Kochi, originally built in 1503, is one of the oldest European churches in India and has great historical significance as a mute witness to the European colonial struggle in the subcontinent. The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India. His body was originally buried in this church, but after fourteen years his remains were removed to Lisbon.

The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica at Fort Kochi is one of the eight Basilicas in Kerala. Counted as one of the heritage edifices of Kerala, this church is one of the finest and most impressive churches in India and visited by tourists the whole year round.

The Dhoby Khana Public Laundry in Kochi India was founded in the early 1700's for purpose of cleaning laundry at a central community location. At this Laundry facility, the washing of clothes is performed in the old traditional way - manually by hand. This manual method of cleaning clothes has not changed for centuries at Dhoby Khana. The place is a coop laundry with a building set for ironing laundry, another with "cells" containing a concrete wash basin and a slab to slap the fabric during cleaning, and then a field of clothe lines. Each worker gets to set his own clothe line made of braided coir fiber. The strands are opened to set the clothes on the line without using pins. Everything is done by hand here and it is hard work. The establishment started in the 18th century during the Dutch rule for their military in order to wash military uniforms. The ancestors of the workmen belongs to Tamilnadu. Friendly community that was more than happy to let you try using their hot iron press.

The Mattancherry Palace is a Portuguese palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace, in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala which features Kerala murals depicting portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi. The palace was included in the "tentative list" of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Kochi, Kerala, in South India. Constructed in 1568, it is one of seven synagogues of the Malabar Yehudan or Yehudan Mappila people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin.

Down-to-earth shop with polished displays & a variety of exotic spices sold in bulk.

Prominent Jain place of worship, known for its pigeon show & feeding, held every day at noon.

Cochin Tirumala Devaswom, also called Gosripuram is the biggest and most important socio-religious institution of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala, India. The temple is situated at Cherlai in the heart of Mattancherry town in Cochin area which is one of the earliest settlements of GSBs in Kerala. The temple was established in the later half of the 16th century. The history of GSBs in Kerala is inter-woven with that of this temple and its Venkateswara idol.