7 Days in Kerala — Backwaters and Beaches

Kerala's southern stretch combines three very different experiences in a manageable week: the colonial old quarter of Fort Kochi, the Alleppey backwaters (best done from a houseboat), and the long Arabian Sea beaches at Kovalam and (a quieter alternative) Varkala. The three sit roughly along Kerala's coast and the route below threads them together with a Kathakali performance and a Kerala-style ayurvedic afternoon along the way.

At a glance

• Total days: 7 (6 nights)
• Route: Kochi → Alleppey → Marari → Kovalam (or Varkala) → Trivandrum
• Distance: ~250 km along the coast
• Best season: October–March. April–May is hot and humid; June–September is heavy monsoon (also the proper Ayurveda season — Kerala's Ayurvedic calendar treats monsoon as the prime treatment time).
• Permits: none required.

Day 1 — Arrive Kochi (Fort Kochi)

Fly into Kochi (COK). Pre-book a taxi to Fort Kochi — about 1 hour from the airport. Drop bags at a heritage hotel in the old quarter (the Brunton Boatyard, Old Harbour Hotel, or one of the smaller Dutch-period homestays).

Walk the old town in the afternoon — the Chinese fishing nets at the waterfront (most photogenic at sunset), the St. Francis Church (1503, where Vasco da Gama was originally buried), the Santa Cruz Basilica, the cobbled lanes around Princess Street.

Evening: Kathakali performance at the Kerala Kathakali Centre or similar — arrive an hour before the show starts to watch the make-up application, which is a performance in itself.

Stay: Fort Kochi.

Day 2 — Mattancherry, Jew Town, Synagogue

A morning in the old quarter, an afternoon at leisure.

• Morning: ferry across to Mattancherry. Visit the Dutch Palace (1555, with Hindu murals) and the Pardesi Synagogue in Jew Town (1568, one of the oldest active synagogues in the Commonwealth, with hand-painted Chinese floor tiles). Walk the Jew Town antique shops.
• Lunch: a Kerala thali at Kashi Art Café or one of the Fort Kochi seafood restaurants.
• Afternoon: visit the Kerala Folklore Museum (Thevara), then back to Fort Kochi for a slow walk.
• Evening: sunset at the Chinese fishing nets, dinner.

Day 3 — Kochi to Alleppey houseboat

A short transfer to the backwaters.

• Morning: drive to Alleppey (Alappuzha) — 53 km / 1.5 hours. Most houseboat charters run from the Punnamada Lake jetty.
• Lunch: board your houseboat (kettuvallam) by midday. Lunch is served on board as you start to cruise.
• Afternoon: drift through the backwater channels — narrow canals, paddy fields below water level, fishing villages, coir-making, water-lily ponds. Stops are made along the way.
• Sunset: mooring on a canal bank for the night. Most kettuvallams have one or two air-conditioned bedrooms with private bath.
• Evening: dinner of fresh karimeen (pearl spot fish) cooked on board, served on the deck.

Day 4 — Backwater morning, Marari beach afternoon

A slow morning on the boat, an afternoon transfer.

• Morning: breakfast on the boat. Final cruise back to the Alleppey jetty (most charters end mid-morning).
• Late morning: drive to Mararikulam (Marari) — 15 km north of Alleppey, a quiet stretch of fishing-village beach with several boutique resorts (the Marari Beach Resort is the established option). A perfect rest stop after the houseboat.
• Afternoon: beach time, swimming, walking the village.
• Evening: seafood dinner at the resort or a beach café.

Stay: Marari Beach.

Day 5 — Marari to Kovalam (or Varkala)

The drive south to the famous beaches.

• Morning: drive to Kovalam (165 km, ~4 hours). Or pick Varkala instead (175 km, similar drive time) — Varkala is a clifftop beach with a long backpacker-and-yoga vibe and considerably more atmosphere than Kovalam, in our view.
• Afternoon: check in at your beach hotel. Walk the beach.
• Evening: Lighthouse Beach in Kovalam (or Papanasam Beach in Varkala) for sunset and dinner. Both have rows of seafood shacks where you pick your fish from the day's catch and they cook it in front of you.

Stay: Kovalam or Varkala.

Day 6 — Beach day, Padmanabhaswamy temple

One full day at the beach with an optional afternoon visit to Trivandrum.

• Morning and midday: beach. Many travellers also book a half-day Ayurvedic massage for this stretch — Kerala is the home of authentic Ayurveda, and Kovalam/Varkala have many properly accredited centres. Stay away from the touts on the beach.
• Afternoon (optional): drive into Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) — 16 km from Kovalam — to visit the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, one of the richest temples in India. Hindu visitors only, with a strict dress code (men: dhoti, no shirt; women: sari or long skirt). Even the exterior view is impressive.
• Evening: back to the beach for sunset.

Stay: Kovalam or Varkala.

Day 7 — Final morning, then home

Slow morning before departure.

• Morning: beach, swimming, breakfast.
• Late morning: drive to Trivandrum International Airport (TRV) — 16 km from Kovalam, 50 km from Varkala. Allow 1 hour from Kovalam, 1.5 hours from Varkala.
• Afternoon/evening: depart.

Practical notes

• Houseboat booking: the Alleppey kettuvallam fleet ranges from basic single-bedroom to luxury four-bedroom boats. Book directly with a reputable operator or through your Fort Kochi hotel rather than via random online aggregators. Confirm: number of bedrooms, AC vs non-AC, food included, mooring point overnight (some boats are now restricted to fixed mooring zones to reduce backwater pollution).
• Beach choice — Kovalam vs Varkala: Kovalam is established, easy, with the recognisable Lighthouse silhouette; rooms book up quickly. Varkala has more character (a long red cliff with cafés along the top, beach access via steps below) and a backpacker scene. Both are good. Varkala if you want atmosphere; Kovalam if you want easy.
• Ayurveda: Kerala has hundreds of "Ayurvedic" centres aimed at tourists; quality varies hugely. Check that the practitioner is registered with the Kerala Ayurvedic Practitioners Authority, and that any oil applied is the centre's own (not yours).
• Ferry vs road: the Kerala State Water Transport service runs an inexpensive public ferry from Kottayam to Alleppey through the backwaters — slow but a glimpse of the working version of what you'll experience on a houseboat.
• Avoid touts on Kovalam beach for Ayurveda or boat trips — book through your hotel.

Variations

• 5 days: drop the Marari beach day and one Kovalam day; do Kochi 1 night, houseboat 1 night, Kovalam 2 nights.
• 10 days: add Munnar (Western Ghats hill station, 4 hours from Kochi) at the start, or Periyar (Thekkady) wildlife sanctuary (4 hours from Alleppey).
• 14 days: the full classic South India circuit — Kochi → Munnar → Periyar → Madurai → Pondicherry → Mahabalipuram → Chennai (coming as a separate 14-day itinerary).

Related guides

• Kerala travel guide →
• Munnar travel guide → (for extending into the hills)
• 3 Days in Munnar → (for a Munnar-only weekend)
• 7 Days in the Southern Hills → (Munnar + Kodaikanal alternative)
• All India Travel Itineraries →