Fort Kochi: Private Tuk Tuk Tour to Synagogue, Palace & Fishing Nets

4.90

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the breeze to feel so good in the back of a tuk tuk. It’s noisy, sure, but kind of perfect for weaving through Fort Kochi’s wild mix of old and new. Our driver, Shaji, grinned when he saw how wide my eyes got at the first corner—he said something in Malayalam I didn’t catch, but his laugh made it clear I wasn’t the first tourist to look surprised by the traffic. The smell of cardamom from some shop drifted in as we zipped past painted walls and kids playing cricket in alleys that looked too narrow for anything on wheels.

First stop was those Chinese fishing nets—the main keyword for any day trip in Kochi, apparently. They’re bigger than you think, creaking over the water while fishermen work quietly together. Shaji explained (with lots of hand gestures) how they balance stones to raise and lower the nets. The air tasted salty and you could hear gulls fighting over scraps. We wandered along Fort Kochi beach after that; not really a “beach day” spot, but there’s something about watching families picnic under coconut trees that makes you slow down without meaning to.

I liked Mattancherry Palace more than I thought I would—murals everywhere, faded but still wild with color. Shaji waited outside (tuk tuks can’t go everywhere), so inside it was just us and a few other visitors whispering about old kings. Jew Town was next: tiny shops selling spices and antiques, plus the Paradesi Synagogue with its blue-and-white tiles. I tried saying “shalom” to one of the shopkeepers; he smiled politely and switched right back to English before I could embarrass myself further.

By the time we reached St. Francis Church and then Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica (both grand in their own way), I was mostly just grateful for bottled water and shade. There’s a Dutch Cemetery too—quiet except for crows—and an Indo-Portuguese Museum that smells faintly like dust and wood polish. Honestly, it’s a lot for one morning or afternoon, but somehow riding between stops in that rattling little tuk tuk makes it all fit together. I still think about that breeze sometimes.