Kerala and its fascinating cities with the unique mingle-mangle of colors, cultures, religions, people and awe-inspiring natural landscapes, is truly the abode of God. Kerala cities have distinct characteristics that distinguish them from the cities of other states of the country. You are bound to have a different feeling when you step in God's own country. The cities, though well developed, are devoid of the flashy glitz and glamour of other metropolitan cities; they have a serene ambience that touches your soul.


Blessed by bounteous nature, the cities of Kerala offer a peaceful stay to its residents and an ideal getaway for exhausted travelers. The cities reflect the culture and the life-styles of the Keralites.Its amazing to note how the Keralites have still adhered to their age-old culture and values without compromising with the modern developments.

You are bound to have a different feeling when you step in God's own country. The cities, though well developed, are devoid of the flashy glitz and glamour of other metropolitan cities; they have a serene ambience that touches your soul. Blessed by bounteous nature, the cities of Kerala offer a peaceful stay to its residents and an ideal getaway for exhausted travelers. The cities reflect the culture and the life-styles of the Keralites.Its amazing to note how the Keralites have still adhered to their age-old culture and values without compromising with the modern developments. You would love to feel the difference once you visit these cities of Kerala that speaks about their glorious past and interesting present.

• Major Cities : Kochi , Kozhikode , Palakkad
• Capital City : Thiruvananthapuram , (Trivandrum)
• Backwater Destinations : Alappuzha , Kollam , Kottayam
• Hill Station : Munnar

All Cities of Kerala

• Alappuzha (Alleppey)
  Imagine you are looking at the greens stretched bountifully in front of your eyes. You close your eyes and let your mind walk over the lush corridors to reach the solitary coconut tree, heeling just over the setting sun. Suddenly, you hear people yelling at something. Impetuously, you open your eyes only to find a wooden boat (perhaps, because it looks like one you have seen earlier), sailing over the green gardens with an ebony coloured man standing on the aft. Is it a boat? Is it a car? You ponder upon this question until you realize the magic of Alappuzha backwaters. Enjoy Alleppey tourism in Kerala to enjoy the famous backwater tours of Alleppey.
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• Ernakulam (Cochin)
  One of the most famous tourist attraction in Cochin is the natural harbour on the Arabian Sea coast, which Kochi likes to show off in the evenings. That is when the lights around the harbour and the seafront start twinkling and ferry you to an almost fairytale like atmosphere. The fairytale milieu suits Kochi impeccably since it is one of the most laid-back of Kerala cities. A city that despite being the commercial hub - handling spices, rubber, coir and fish products - is a self-assured juxtaposition of both the past and the present. Till recently, Kochi was Cochin, and only half as frenetic. It was a lagoon that made Kochi a cherished tourist destination as far back as the early 16th century and it is the same lagoon that makes Kochi one of the nation's busiest ports now. It was an eponymous flood that transformed Kochi's destiny by turning it into a natural harbour. Beside that, it also added gems of islands to the pendant of Ernakulam, thus gifting it an anodyne aroma of sea-air, an idiosyncratic charm of her own. With this beautiful necklace around her neck, this ancient port, eventually, came to be known as the Queen of Arabian Sea.
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• Idukki
  THEUNSPOILT NATURE Located in the southern part of Kerala, Idukki is a landlocked district spread over an area of 5019 sq. kms. Blessed generously by Mother Nature, Idukki offers diverse attractions like wild life sanctuaries, hill stations, spice plantation centres and mountain treks.
  
  Idukki district was formed on January 26, 1972 carving out Devikulam, Peerumedu and Udumbanchola taluks from the erstwhile Kottayam district and Thodupuzha taluk from the erstwhile Ernakulam district. The name 'Idukki' is supposed to be derived from the Malayalam word `idukku', which means a narrow gorge.
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• Kannur
  Nothingcan prepare you for Kannur tourism in Kerala. Neither a thousand words nor a picture can capture its magnitude. For Kannur, it is not just the moment of truth, it is Truth itself. Truth that is nature, truth that is a way to cure. Yes, Kannur is a place which flaunts of a power to heal from the days of yore. History treads softly in this idyllic, quite town of Malabar, with its beautiful women, its lovely weaves and pristine beaches. Plan a visit to its villages and you can hear many hoary chronicles of the past that only nestle above the palm fringed streets of Kannur. It is a land that was identified as Naura in the famous 1st century Greek travelogue, 'The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'. It is a land that once lent timber to King Solomon, and today we can see the great temple of Jerusalem. It is a place where you can feel an air of enceinte, a placard of 1000 year old tradition, that still pulsates in the hearts of the locales. It is here, that you can have the pleasure to meet 'Theyyam', a unique, ancient ritualistic folk art idiosyncratic to the North malabar region. A visit to this lovely part of Kerala proves an experience that exceeds the sum of its parts. And the best way to find out how, is to plan a holiday in Kannur. Enjoy holidays in Kannur in Kerala.
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• Kasaragod
  Colourful and unforgettable. Serene and mesmerising. Unbelievable. Enticing. Wow! What else can you say? You have already ran off adjectives. Hereafter you will realise that it is better to enjoy the scenic beauty with your mouth closed. It is a quiet place of bloom; sea-kissed forts, wind-caressed palms and embracing beaches. In this mosaic - painted finely by God - grey rocks and red earth amidst dense vegetation as well as calm lagoons visible through the coconut palms along the coastal belt, makes for a truly colourful holiday. Man's emerald green rice fields together with women spinning coir in their rustic courtyards, only add to the bounteous contrasts. Welcome to the Land of Coir, where forts are the only videos you can see, where legends shower soliloquies in your ears.
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• Kollam
  There is a unmistakable fragrance of spices in her name, a hint of pride in a legacy that she flaunts ever so graciously. Kollam, Quilon, Desinganadu..call her what you will, and she will answer in the only way she knows; with a appealing wave of coconut palms, the mesmerizing sound of backwaters setting a soothing background score. People come, people see and eventually people fall in love with the lustre of her historic tapestry. Situated to the north of Thiruvananthapuram, between the eight-cornered Ashtamudi Lake and the Lakshadweep Sea, this district takes the credit for being the hub of the country's cashew trading and processing industry. And though the cashewnut trade traces a different graph, Kollam rewards you in more ways than one. The sight of white egrets dipping into the clear waters of the Ashtamudi Lake on a moonlit night, is simply stunning. At the many temples, mosques and churches of this trivial town, you will meet people eager to share their stories and monuments. The tsunami of December 2004 did affect Kollam, and the indignant waters snatched 131 lives, but it is a measure of the town's resilence that it is already looking ahead. With so much to do, feel and taste in Kollam, one surely cannot forget the undeniable charm of this town throughout his life.
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• Kottayam (Kumarakom)
  Flanked by the lofty Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west, Kottayam is a land of inaugrations. When the sun languidly steps out of the clouds on a monsoon day, an enigmatic glow envelops the rain-kissed fields of Kottayam. Parched rocks pray for a few more drops and coconut palms sway in the soft breeze, a silent gesture of disavowal. Blue waters cut across this swathe of emerald green, and the colours make you wonder if Mother Earth has snatched a fistful of rainbow from the horizon. It is a land that bleeds latex, it is a land that creates poetry in its palm-fringed backwaters. Perhaps Kottayam prefers its hard-earned credentials a bit more than the natural radiance it's been bestowed with. It cherishes the rubber and spice plantations that have made it a commercial centre. It is piously proud of the fact that it was the the first town in India to achieve 100 percent literacy (a remarkable feat achieved as early as in 1989). And more, here came up the first college and printing press in Kerala, as well as the first daily newspaper in Malayalam. Well, it is the first town in India selected by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India to be transformed as an Eco City.
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• Kozhikode (Calicut)
  Every traveller who visits Kozhikode has something to say about this town nestled on the shores of Arabian sea. Even you can't resist yourself to put some beautiful quotes. It is well said, "when you are in Kozhikode, you can't keep your mouth shut". It is a land where the whiff of history is too powerul to ignore, and in fact, it would be rather unwise to discount it. After all, it's only in Kozhikode that the beach will pull back to reveal a tale about Vasco da Gama's famous voyage from Lisbon, who anchored here in Kappad beach in 1498. It is only in Kozhikode that two Arab princes from Muskeeyat left behind three jars of gold coins hidden in date pickles, and found the same intact and untouched on return. It is only in Kozhikode that women continue to live in their ancestral house, while their husbands, visit them in the evening only to leave again next morning. It is here only where you will find a colourful crossboard of facts and myths.
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• Malappuram
  Nestling at the edge of the Nilgiris and rinsed by the Arabian Sea, Malappuram is a place where you will love to spend some days of your holiday vacation. Not only because it is embellished with rich and evergreen forests, serene rivers and chanting creeks, proud hills and prostrate dales, but also because it is a land that is untouched by the hands of modernity, and hence, tourists. In many ways Malappuram is reassuringly committed to not changing, to a way of life that some would describe as dated or conservative. Albeit its neighbours have opened hearts and hearths to tourists who come looking for ayurvedic massages and backwaters, but Malappuram prefers to be enigmatic about its distinctive way of living. Down a narrow road that never seems to end, you might chance upon a small temple, a million legends drifting in the river next to it. In a 'kovilakam' that's all but falling apart, you will find a green pond filled with lotus flowers, hiding behind a dissipating roof. In a boat ride that costs only a few rupees, you can get the gift of time. In a small glass of hot tea from a dim-lighted stall, you can savour the taste of life. Taste the leaves of the nux-vomica tree which are not bitter, as is the norm. One could scarcely ask for anything more.
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• Munnar
  A trip to Munnar is a journey through the most picturesque turfs of Kerala. Set at an altitude of 1600 metres in the lap of the Western Ghats, Munnar was the favored summer capital of the south during the colonial British days. The breath-takingly beautiful Munnar is not only just South India's most sought-after hill station, but also a centre of Kerala's premier tea-growing district, aptly known as the High Range. The idea is not abstract, and one can feel it in the unbelievably pure air of the estates. In Tamil, 'moon aar' literally means 'three rivers', a reference to the mountain streams around whose confluence the town grew; Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. Unending expanse of tea plantations - pristine valleys and mountains- exotic species of flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests - aroma of spice scented cool air - yes! Munnar has all these and more. There are wild animals to spot, golf to be played, some trout fishing to be done..the list is endless. But if lazing around is all you want to do on your holiday, Munnar's idyllic landscape let you do that too. It is a place you would love to visit. It is a place you would wish never to leave! Beware, Munnar is addictive!
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• Palakkad
  You can hear many stories, floating like forgotten feathers above the streets of Palakkad, nudging solitary memories on a rain-washed afternoon. Many a conversations with the grandfathers consist of once-upon-a-time narratives, which usually end up with "what we had than and what we have now" exhalations. Sometimes, when the power disappears in a lonely evening, these stories glow in the light of the lanterns, their radiance overshadowing the debates on the weepy TV soaps, if only for a moment. It's difficult to nail these stories to the crossbar of history, to give them a date or year, for Palakkad is a town where the lines between the past and the present have long been washed away by the tears of memory.
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• Thekkady(Periyar)
  Thekkady is all about Periyar. And visiting Periyar is like looking at the vast green patches of Kerala wildlife through a pair of binoculars! Aptly located in the most dramatic of settings - amidst soul-soothing mountain ranges, lush valleys, picture book lakes and shimmering rivers - the tropical rainforests affords one of the world's most ancient and complex enviornments. The definition is transparent. Say Thekkady and the whole of Kerala will cheer up to playful herds of elephants wandering in the unending chains of hills. However, if you visit Thekkady (named after 'thekku', or teak trees), you will find that it is not as simple as it seems. For time immeorial, Kerala is known for its spices and traders crowd here for commercial gains. So how these slanting hills of Western Ghats cannot encourage, but sit idle to the ambrosial aroma of the Indian spices? It is a country that exudes the spirit and ethos of nature. Plan a holiday tour to the place where you can feel nature at every twists and turns. Stay in one of those raw cottages modelled after the jungle dwellings of the local tribal inhabitants. And a trip to Thekkady will make you articulate enough to describe your experiences in God's own country so vividly, that many people will soon be eager to follow your itinerary in India.
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• Thiruvananthapuram
  Centuries down the line, Thiruvananthapuram, the most important gateway to the palm-fringed land of Kerala, continues to wear its princely statehood on its sleeves. Once the capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, the city now boasts of colossal buidings and palaces, wide, open avenues, lush green gardens and undulating countryside. Visit the Padmanabha Swamy Temple, located in the heart of this old city portraying an impeccable blend of Kerala and the Dravidian styles in numerous beautiful carvings and murals. Said to be one among the 108 ancient Vishnu temples in India, the presiding deity here is Lord Vishnu reclining on Anantha, the sacred serpent. Refresh yourself with medicated baths, rejuvenate yourself with herbal diets, and revitalise yourself with meditation at the numerous ayurvedic resorts in Thiruvananthapuram. Run on the pristine sands of the numerous beaches that share their aura with this handsome city. Surely, the political capital of God's own Country is indeed a place to start your holiday vacation in Kerala.
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• Thrissur
  No other place in India, perhaps stands by its name so emphatically as Thrissur does. Presumably because nowhere will you find miracles strewn away on the streets as it happens in this inaudible town of South India. An abbreviation of 'Thiru-Siva-Peruru' (the town with the name of Holy Shiva), Thrissur has been referred to as the cultural capital of Kerala since the days of yore. A town whose heart is stuffed with tradition, a vibrant school of literature and arts, Trichur, is a town so content with its past that modernity is still something to be gaped at. As you will walk along the slender lanes of this quiet little town, you will find an inescapable magnetism in every corner, in the stories of rulers whose gravity was matched only by their sense of justice, in the hypnotic notes of the Thrissur Pooram that resound long after the last firework has added a bright star in the night sky. So, don't forget to add Thrissur in your holiday itinerary because it is only here that you will find the golden 'nendrakai' chips, it is here that you will see 'kodakallu' (umbrella stones) and it is only here that you will pray in a historic church that still follows old rites and have no images of Christ, only the cross.
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• Wayanad
  They say you should not climb high during the rains. But what they don't know is that the beauty augments tremendously. And undoubtedly, Kerala holds some surprises up her green sleeves, surprises that can even get under the skin of a beauty-hardened identity. Almost every conceivable inch of the mist wrapped undulating hills of Wayanad - that lie embracing both the Western Ghats and the Nilgiris - have coffee, pepper, cinnamon and cardamom growing on them, all of it camouflaged by lush rainforest that bemuses the eye and overwhelms the soul with its varied characters of green. It is a place which turns blue in every 12 years. It is place that brings home the forests of Wayanad literally to the doorstep of your bedroom, for there are hotels that have built their rooms not on Earth but up, up and up to the green tree tops. It is a land that affords some of the much-talked wildlife species of the world, who roam freely amidst stunning orchids and tall bamboo plantations. And if you're sick of sham creature comforts, head for some of the jewels, which radiate despite being tucked into the wild beauty of Wayanad. Wayanad truly portrays a pristine environment unblemished by the excesses of civilisations.
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• Varkala
  Varkala is a favorite seaside tourist resort and is located 55km north ofThiruvananthapuram. It is also an important religious site for the Hindus. A long stretch of sand with lofty red laterite cliffs and healing mineral springs rank Varkala as the sought after tourist destinations. The Papanasam Beach at Varkala is an isolated beach known for its silvery sand and springs.
  
  Legends say, that a king of the Pandyan dynasty was instructed by the Lord Brahma to construct the Janardhana Temple to relieve the king of his sins. The idol's location was prophesied to the king in his dream, it is believed. Thus for ages Varkala has been a pilgrimage destination and is in recent years a favored tourist getaway.
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