COK
Cochin International
Kerala's busiest airport and the main gateway to the backwaters and central Kerala — famously the world's first fully solar-powered airport.
Getting around
How to travel Kerala
Kerala is compact and well-connected — four airports, a coastal railway, the country's most extensive state bus network, a modern metro in Kochi and, of course, boats on the backwaters.
Kerala has four international airports — no major destination is far from a runway.
TRV
Trivandrum International
The state capital's airport in the far south — handy for Kovalam, Varkala and Kanyakumari, and one of India's oldest airports.
CCJ
Calicut International
The Malabar gateway, serving Kozhikode, Wayanad and northern Kerala, with heavy Gulf connectivity.
CNN
Kannur International
Kerala's newest airport (opened 2018), opening up Kannur, Kasaragod and the Theyyam country of the north.
A single coastal railway threads the state, and KSRTC reaches almost everywhere a road goes.
Indian Railways
The coastal main line links Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam (Kochi), Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur up to Kasaragod. Trains are scenic, cheap and the easiest way to hop between cities — book early on IRCTC for long routes.
KSRTC buses
The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation runs everything from local ordinary buses to long-distance and interstate services, including AC "SWIFT" coaches. The reliable backbone for towns the train doesn't reach.
Roads, taxis & autos
NH 66 runs the length of the coast. In towns, autorickshaws and app cabs (Uber/Ola in cities) are easy; for hills and multi-stop days, a hired car with driver is the comfortable choice.
Kochi is the only Kerala city with a metro — and it pairs a conventional line with a world-first electric ferry network.
Kochi Metro
A modern elevated metro running broadly north–south from Aluva through the city to Tripunithura, with interchange to the Water Metro at Vyttila. Clean, quick and a scenic way to cross Kochi above the traffic.
Kochi Water Metro
A first-of-its-kind integrated electric boat network linking the islands around Kochi — terminals like Vyttila, Kakkanad and High Court connect commuters (and curious travellers) across the harbour quietly and emission-free.
The backwaters are a way to travel, not just a sight — from overnight houseboats to humble public ferries.
Houseboats (kettuvallam)
Converted rice barges with bedrooms, a deck and a cook — booked for overnight or day cruises mainly from Alappuzha and Kumarakom, and also Kollam. The classic Kerala experience.
State ferries & shikara
Cheap public ferries are everyday transport — for example across the harbour between Ernakulam, Fort Kochi and Vypin. Small shikara canoes take you into the narrow canals the big boats can't reach.
Kollam–Alappuzha cruise
The long day cruise between Kollam and Alappuzha (around eight hours) is one of the most beautiful — and affordable — ways to see the open backwaters and village life along the way.
