Kerala—long called God’s Own Country—has lured traders and travelers for millennia. Romans, Arabs, Chinese, and the Portuguese sailed here for “black gold” pepper, and you still feel that cosmopolitan past on Kochi’s waterfront. Inland, misty tea hills roll out in Munnar, while the Alleppey backwaters drift past coconut palms, churches, and rice paddies stitched together by quiet canals.

Across these 15 days you’ll sample Kerala’s greatest hits: spice-scented bazaars, synagogue lanes and Chinese fishing nets in Fort Kochi; hill-station trails, tea tastings, and wildlife in Munnar; and a private houseboat cruise in Alleppey. Expect soulful cuisine—flaky appam with stew, karimeen (pearl spot) baked in banana leaf, and biryani that sells out by noon.

Practical notes: The best weather is generally October–March. Carry a light rain jacket if visiting in monsoon (June–September). Dress modestly for temples and churches. Digital payments (UPI) and ATMs are common in cities, and trains are useful along the coast; for hill travel, private cars save time.

Kochi (Cochin)

Start where Kerala’s spice story meets the sea. Fort Kochi and Mattancherry are a tapestry of Portuguese basilicas, Dutch palaces, a 16th-century synagogue, and bustling spice godowns perfuming the air with cardamom and clove. Sunset silhouettes the Chinese fishing nets while ferries stitch the harbor together.

Base yourself in Fort Kochi for walkability and heritage stays, or across the water near Marine Drive for city buzz. Evenings are for Kathakali and kalaripayattu shows, waterfront dinners, and quiet strolls down Princess Street’s galleries and cafés.

Days 1–5: Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Harbor Ferries, and Waterfall Day Trip

• Arrival and transport: Fly into Cochin International Airport (COK). Search flights on Trip.com or Kiwi.com. From the airport, a taxi/ride-hail to Fort Kochi takes ~1–1.5 hours (approx $16–25).
• Orientation wander (Fort Kochi): See the Chinese fishing nets, St. Francis Church (Vasco da Gama’s first burial), Santa Cruz Basilica, and pastel lanes of Princess Street. Duck into the Kerala Kathakali Centre for a pre-show makeup demo and performance.
• Mattancherry heritage loop: Visit the Paradesi Synagogue (1568) with its blue-and-white Chinese tiles, Dutch Palace murals of the Ramayana, and spice warehouses stacked with pepper. Pause at Jew Town’s antique shops.
• Local ferries: Ride the inexpensive passenger ferry between Fort Kochi and Ernakulam for skyline views, or out to Vypin Island for quiet beaches.
• Day trip: Athirappilly & Vazhachal Waterfalls (2.5–3 hours each way). Forested cascades made famous by Indian cinema—best in/after monsoon but striking year-round.
  Book: Athirappilly & Vazhachal Waterfalls Private Day Tour from Kochi

  

• Insider tour (highly recommended): Cover more ground—with context—on a local-led cultural deep dive of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.
  Book: Best of Kochi! A private tour in Kochi with a local guide

  

Where to eat and drink:

• Breakfast/coffee: Kashi Art Café (legendary French toast, cold coffee in a leafy courtyard), Qissa Café (eggs, shakshuka, and strong espresso), and Pepper House Café (quiet harbor-side reading nook).
• Lunch: Kayees Rahmathulla Café (mutton biryani—arrive early), Seagull (waterfront Syrian Christian fish curry, seafood fry), or Fort House Restaurant (appam with duck mappas).
• Dinner: Ginger House (museum-restaurant; ginger lassi, tiger prawns; sunset tables), Malabar Junction at Malabar House (refined Kerala tasting plates), or Dhe Puttu (modern takes on puttu with veg and seafood sides).
• Local tip: Try a traditional “kallu shaap” (toddy shop) lunch—mildly fermented coconut toddy with spicy fish—ask your driver for Mullapanthal Toddy Shop near Udayamperoor; go for noon meals and return to town before dusk.

Where to stay: Browse heritage homes and hotels near Fort Kochi or Marine Drive: Search VRBO Kochi | Search Hotels.com Kochi.

Trains/buses: For intercity rail to/from Kochi (Ernakulam Jn), check schedules on Trip.com Trains. Overnight trains arrive from Chennai, Bangalore, and beyond (typical fares $6–20 in AC classes).

Munnar

Kerala’s tea capital is all sloping gardens, eucalyptus scent, and cool nights. British-era bungalows dot ridgelines, and the KDHP Tea Museum unpacks how this remote plateau became a global tea name. Above the town, Eravikulam National Park shelters the sure-footed Nilgiri tahr and views across the Western Ghats.

Days start early for sunrise ridges and end with hot chai, banana fritters, and cardamom in the air. Roads are winding—leave time between points and keep your camera handy for every curve.

Travel to Munnar (Morning of Day 6)

Depart Kochi after breakfast. Private car to Munnar takes ~4–5 hours (130 km; approx $35–60 depending on vehicle). State buses run 5–6 hours via Aluva/Adimali (budget $3–6). There’s no train to Munnar; the nearest major railhead is Ernakulam.

Days 6–10: Tea Trails, Eravikulam, Viewpoints, and Elephant Country

• Tea Museum & tastings: Start at the KDHP Tea Museum for a live demo of crush-tear-curl processing and a guided tasting to distinguish robust Assamica notes from delicate high-elevation leaves.
• Eravikulam National Park: Board park buses to the plateau boardwalks for sweeping views and a chance to spot the endemic Nilgiri tahr. Timed entries help protect the habitat—go early for clearer skies.
• Kolukkumalai sunrise (jeep ride): A pre-dawn off-road run to one of the world’s highest tea estates. Sea-of-clouds photos and a cup poured where the leaves grow—unforgettable.
• Falls & viewpoints: Attukad and Lakkam Waterfalls for short walks; Pothamedu and Lockhart viewpoints for late-afternoon light; Top Station straddles the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border with grand valley views.
• Anakulam “elephant village” safari: A day out on forest roads where wild herds often descend to mineral-rich streams—sightings aren’t guaranteed, but the landscape is gorgeous.
  Book: Anakulam Wild Elephant Village life tour (By Munnar Info)

  

Where to eat and drink:

• Breakfast/coffee: Saravana Bhavan (veg South Indian breakfast—crisp dosas, idli, vada with sambar), Tea Tales Café (pour-overs and cakes), and the KDHP Museum Café (garden-view chai).
• Lunch: Rapsy Restaurant (Kerala meals, porotta with beef/mushroom pepper fry, Middle Eastern-influenced plates), Hotel Gurubhavan (fish curry meals, thoran, pachadi), and Sree Mahaveer Bhojanalaya (simple, satisfying veg thali).
• Dinner: Copper Castle Restaurant (panoramic dining with local specials), Hill Spice at KTDC Tea County (Kerala curries and grilled fish), or Bamboo Hut (homestyle biryani and naadan dishes).

Where to stay: Pick tea-bungalow stays for misty verandas or hillside resorts close to town for easy logistics: Search VRBO Munnar | Search Hotels.com Munnar.

Alleppey & the Vembanad Backwaters

Kerala’s backwaters are a labyrinth: palm-fringed canals, mirror-calm lakes, and narrow waterways where canoes glide past toddy tappers and white-washed churches. Alleppey (Alappuzha) is the houseboat hub; Kumarakom sits opposite on Vembanad Lake with bird-filled mangroves and mellow resorts.

Slow down here. Trade schedules for sunrise teas on the deck, village walks on the canal bund, and seafood lunches wrapped in banana leaf. Beach sunsets at Alleppey and day jaunts to Marari round things out.

Travel to Alleppey (Morning of Day 11)

Drive Munnar → Alleppey ~4.5–5.5 hours (approx $50–80 by private car via Adimali/Changanassery). No rail from Munnar. If returning via Kochi first, trains from Ernakulam to Alleppey take 1.5–2 hours (from ~$1–4)—check Trip.com Trains.

Days 11–15: Houseboat Night, Village Canals, Beach Time, and Birdlife

• Private houseboat overnight: Board by noon, drift past Kuttanad’s rice paddies, moor at dusk, and wake to birdsong. Meals are cooked onboard—ask for karimeen pollichathu and chemmeen (prawn) curry.
  Book: Kochi Private Tour: Overnight Alleppey Backwaters Houseboat Cruise

  

• Village canoe morning: After your houseboat, take a hand-punted canoe into the narrowest canals to see coir rope spinning, toddy tapping, and waterfront temples. Go early for cool air and wildlife.
• Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary: Easy boardwalks through mangrove and reedbeds; look for cormorants, egrets, herons, and in season, migratory visitors. Combine with a lakeside lunch.
• Beach and Ayurveda: Laze at Alleppey Beach and climb the lighthouse (timings vary), or head 30–40 minutes north to Marari Beach for quieter sands. Treat yourself to an Ayurveda massage—most spas offer abhyanga (oil massage) and shirodhara.

Where to eat and drink:

• Breakfast/coffee: Indian Coffee House (strong filter coffee, masala dosa), Café Catamaran (oceanfront juices and omelets), and Dreamers at Alleppey Beach (airy, boho vibe).
• Lunch: Thaff Delicacy (fast, tasty Kerala meals—fish fry, porotta combos), Halais Family Restaurant (biryani, grilled seafood), and for lake views near Kumarakom, ask for a traditional “meals” with pearl spot at a waterside restaurant.
• Dinner: Harbour Restaurant (seafood grills), Cassia (Kerala curries, appam, and veg-friendly plates), or a candlelit houseboat dinner if you’re overnighting.

Where to stay: Choose a canal-side homestay in Alleppey for local life or a lakeside retreat near Kumarakom. Pair one night on a houseboat with 2–3 nights on land: Search VRBO Alleppey | Search Hotels.com Alleppey.

Optional add-ons from Alleppey: Toddy shop lunch in the villages; sunset shikara (small boat) cruise; August visitors can aim for the Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race (date varies).

Getting back out

Alleppey → Kochi Airport is ~2.5–3 hours by road. Trains from Alleppey to Ernakulam run frequently (1.5–2 hours; budget under $4). Book onward flights on Trip.com or Kiwi.com.

One more excellent experience from Kochi (if you add a spare day at either end)

If you’ve arrived early or kept a buffer day in Kochi, a guided day into the Ghats is a superb preview of the highlands before Munnar proper.

Book: Serene Munnar Retreat: Private Tour from Kochi to the Munnar Hill

Suggested 15-day flow at a glance: Days 1–5 Kochi (heritage, harbor, waterfalls day trip) → Days 6–10 Munnar (tea gardens, Eravikulam, viewpoints, Anakulam) → Days 11–15 Alleppey/Kumarakom (overnight houseboat, village canals, birding, beach). Morning departures between cities keep afternoons free.

Kerala rewards unhurried travel. By splitting time between the coast, hills, and backwaters, you’ll taste the state’s full palette—history-rich lanes, tea-scented trails, and waterbound village life—without rushing. When you leave, you’ll carry the memory of cinnamon on the breeze and sunrise steaming from a tin cup of chai.