Kochi : The main city in Kerala with India's oldest church, 500 year old Portuguese houses, shopping malls and good hotels. Fort Cochin and Mattanchery has a blend of medieval Portugal, Holland and an English country village.

Fort Kochi : The fixed, cantilevered Chinese fishing nets (Cheenavala in Malayalam) were introduced by the traders from the court of Kublai Khan. They are used at high tide and require four men to operate their system of counterweights. One can travel to the nearby Vypin island or to Ernakulam by boat.

India's oldest European built church, the St Francis church was constructed in 1503 by Portuguese friars who accompanied the expedition led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral. Vasco da Gamma, who died in Cochin, was buried here for 14 years before his remains were taken to Lisbon. The tombstone is still in the church. The 1724 Dutch cemetery has many European graves.

The impressive Catholic Santa Cruz basilica dates from 1902. The Indo-Portuguese museum (Rs 10, Monday closed) in the garden of Bishop house exhibits vestments, statues, silver processional crosses and altar pieces from the Cochin diocese.