"Cochin" that is also called Kochi is one of the best tourist destinations in India. A tour of southern India cannot be complete without Cochin tour. The magnificent beaches and quiet backwaters are something that this place offers you. A quiet and carefree evening when you are stretched on recliner with your loved one is something you can look forward at this place.

The Fort Kochi was once a sleepy fishing village on the course of Arabian Sea. With the advent of European companies, Cochin became the first fort that was built by the Europeans in India. In the course of History, the Dutch and then British both constructed numerous architectures in and around this historic fort. It is a must visit destination in your Cochin/Kochi Tour.

The prosperous Jewish trading community built the Jewish Synagogue in 1568 whose links with Kerala begin in Kodungallor (Cranganore) in the north of the state. The oldest synagogue in India, it was partially destroyed in the war of 1662 and was rebuilt by the Dutch. In the mid-18th century the clock tower was added and the floors paved with exquisite hand-painted blue willow tiles from China. Two hundred years old, no two tiles are alike. The interior offers more beautiful surprises: a Belgian chandelier, the great scrolls of the Old Testament, and the copper plates on which were recorded the grants of privilege made by the Cochin rulers to the Jewish community in the 4th century. There are also five finely wrought gold and silver crowns gifted to the synagogue by various patrons.

The rabbi will normally give visitors a full account of the synagogue and the history of the Jews in Kerala. Although this ancient community of Cochin has now dwindled to a few families, strong elements of their culture and tradition as well as the Hebrew language remain in Jew Town, which is what the area surrounding the Mattancherry Synagogue has come to be called. The by-lanes that wind around Jew Town offer charming sights of houses built in Dutch, Portuguese and British styles.

Strung out along the tip of Fort Cochin, the fixed and cantilevered Chinese Fishing Nets are the icon of Cochin sea trade. The fishing nets like these are not found anywhere else in India. Some traders brought these huge cantilevered fishing nets here from the court of Kublai Khan.

Fort Cochin is believed to be the oldest European Settlement in India and St. Francis Church was the first European Church to be built in India. The history of this Church reflects the colonial struggle of European powers in India, from the 15th to 20th Centuries. The Portuguese Vasco da Gama was the first European to discover the sea route to India. In 1503 Alphonso Alburquerque was given permission by the Rajah of Cochin to build a fort at the mouth of the river. Within the Fort they erected a church of wood, which was dedicated to St. Bartholomew. A new Church was completed in 1516 and dedicated to St. Antony. The Church remained in the Order of St. Francis until the arrival of the Dutch in 1663. They demolished all the convents and churches of the place, except the Church of the Franciscans, which they reconditioned and converted into their Government Church.

The change of name of the patron saint was presumably during the time of to the Anglicans. On the northern side can be seen Portuguese gravestones. The Dutch gravestones are on the southern wall. The Vasco da Gama stone is on the ground at the southern side. The Church became a protected monument in April 1923 under the Protected Monuments Act of 1904. The Cenotaph in memory of the residents of Cochin who fell in the First Great War was erected in 1920.

Ten kms away from Kochi, Hill Palace, is the official residence of the Kochi royal family. It was built in 1865 AD. The palace complex consists of 49 buildings built in the traditional architectural style of Kerala. Surrounded by 52 acres of terraced land, the Palace also encompasses a Deer Park and horse riding facilities. A full-fledged ethno-archaeological museum and Kerala's first heritage museum are the main attractions. Displayed inside the thirteen galleries are oil paintings, 19th century paintings, Murals, sculpture in stone and plaster of paris, manuscripts, inscriptions and coins belonging to the Kochi royal family.