Travel guide Kerala
Kerala : The best time to go
January
February
March
October
November
December
Kerala : Practical information for travel
Advertising
Get your travel guide: KERALA
15.95 €
Edition 2024/2025
Buy the guide on fnac.com
Download a free extract
Advertising
Kerala : What to see, what to do ?
Kerala : Where to go?
The most beautiful tourist sites
Kerala : Other destinations
Villes
- Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
- Munnar
- Kumarakom
- Varkala
- Alappuzha
- Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Kochi
- Chowara
- Sultan Bathery
- Marari Beach
- Thrissur
- Kalpetta
- Parur
- Neyyar Dam
- Kollam
- Kozhikode
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Thalasserry
- Kottayam
- Guruvayur
- Athirapally
- Nileshwar
- Eravikulam National Park
- Amritapuri
- Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Ambalappuzha
- Punnapra
- Pathiramanal
- Kovalam
- Cheruthuruthy
Kerala : Petit Futé's best addresses
Discover the most beautiful addresses selected by the authors of Petit Futé.
Advertising
Advertising
Kerala : Featured articles
Two weeks in Kerala: the best road trip in 2025
Published on 18/02/2025 Ideas for holidays & weekend
Two weeks in Kerala: the best road trip in 2025
What to do and visit in Kerala? The 15 most beautiful places in 2025
Published on 16/01/2025 Activities and experiences
What to do and visit in Kerala? The 15 most beautiful places in 2025
What to do and see in South India 17 places to see
Published on 21/03/2024 Activities and experiences
What to do and see in South India 17 places to see
Kerala : How do I travel?
How to go alone
To get to Kerala by your own means, the most convenient way is certainly by air. Depending on the region you wish to visit, you can fly to Thiruvananthapuram or Kochi airport. Bangalore and Bombay are also possible entry points, but it will be necessary to foresee an additional journey (train, plane or cab) to reach Kerala. As for the accommodation, in order to save money, we will take care to book well in advance.
How to go on a tour
Perhaps more than anywhere else in India, there is no shortage of travel providers to organize a stay in Kerala. Indeed, the region has a very well developed tourist infrastructure and corresponds to all budgets. You can concentrate your visit on a particular area of Kerala, but it is also possible to organize, together with the travel agency of your choice, a tailor-made tour to discover the essential of the region.
How to get around
On the air side, more than 70 cities are regularly served by the national airline Indian Airlines. Public ferries are a pleasant and cheap way to travel, although a little slow. They run on the backwaters and connect the cities of Kollam, Alleppey, Kottayam and Kumarakom. Buses are not very comfortable and are often overcrowded, while the Indian railway network is the second largest in the world and serves almost all regions of the country. Less expensive than the plane, the train is often the best solution to cover long distances. Finally, the car remains an option offering more autonomy, preferably with a driver.
Advertising
Advertising
Kerala : Organize your trip with our partners
Transportation
Book your plane tickets
Car Rental
Accommodation & stays
Find a hotel
Holiday rental
Find your campsite
Tailor-made trip
Services / On site
Activities & visits
Activate your VPN
Travel insurance
Book your next trip with Kayak
Kerala : Travel
Ideas for holidays and week-end breaks Kerala
Le Kerala est un État assez petit à l'échelle de l'Inde et il est facile d'en explorer différentes facettes au cours d'un même séjour. Kochi (Cochin) et Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) constituent les portes d’entrée les plus fréquentes du Kerala. Les deux villes possèdent un aéroport international et sont bien reliées aux grandes villes du pays (Bangalore, Madurai, Mumbai, etc.). On utilise encore couramment les noms coloniaux des villes, mais officiellement le nouveau nom s’applique, ce qui peut dérouter le visiteur de prime abord. L’aéroport de Kannur est le plus pratique pour accéder à Kasaragod, ville de départ du circuit du Nord du Kerala.
Voici quelques idées d’itinéraires qui vous permettront de découvrir le Kerala, ou de l’explorer plus en profondeur pour ceux qui connaissent déjà. Bénéficier de 1 ou 2 jours supplémentaires pour effectuer chacun des circuits proposés permet d'en profiter plus sereinement.
Services
Find a hotel with Booking.com
Rent a car with Bsp-auto
Create a blog and travel journal
Find an agency with Quotatrip
Find unique holiday offers with our partners
Kerala : Discover
Kerala, at the south-western tip of the Indian peninsula, boasts unique landscapes, an intense cultural life and a well-educated population. Separated from the rest of the country by the Western Ghats, this small state has always been protected from the incursions of invaders from the land, and opened up to the world through maritime trade. Jews, Christians, Muslims and Hindus traded spices here for centuries, creating a cultural mix that is unique in India. Kerala is well worth spending at least two weeks in if you want to explore its many facets: sailing on a houseboat on the backwaters, discovering the colonial architecture and religious diversity of Fort Kochi, strolling along the beaches of Varkala, observing wildlife in the many sanctuaries and national parks, or enjoying a cup of tea in the middle of the plantations.
Kerala : The 12 keywords
#Ashram
A place dedicated to meditative retreat, inner search, yoga, spiritual practice and community life. It is here that the guru teaches his art and knowledge to his disciples. Most Western visitors come to ashrams to practice and learn yoga and meditation intensively.
#Ayurveda
It is an ancestral holistic medicine, gentle and intuitive, which integrates all aspects of human life, from the most abstract (energies, the relationship with the universe) to the most concrete (the functioning of the human body and its imbalances). Kerala has a large number of establishments that combine vacations and treatments.
#Chai
The national drink! Tea (chai) is grown in the highlands of the Western Ghats. It is traditionally prepared with milk, sugar and spices (ginger, cardamom, cloves, pepper... depending on the place and the recipe). The tea plantations of the Munnar region are among the most famous in the country.
#Elephant
This peaceful pachyderm is often associated with Ganesh, the elephant-headed god of Hindu tradition. You can also see wild elephants in their natural habitat in one of Kerala's many nature reserves, including the Periyar and Wayanad Wildlife Reserves.
#Spices
The specialty of Kerala! Turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger... Many spices sold in the world are produced in the state. From the Phoenicians to Vasco da Gama, all the great navigators came to Kerala to make their fortune through this trade. You will find excellent quality spices at low prices everywhere.
#Western Ghats
This green mountain range stretches from Maharashtra to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. Climatic resorts, national parks and natural reserves, rich and diverse fauna, luxuriant flora, tea plantations, spices, rubber trees... A trip to Kerala would not be complete without a stay in these magnificent mountains!
#Houseboat
Originally, these were traditional wooden boats (kettuvalam) used to transport rice. They have been converted into "floating houses" for the enjoyment of tourists who come to cruise peacefully along the brackish water channels of the backwaters. A houseboat cruise is one of Kerala's most popular attractions.
#Namaskar
You'll often hear this greeting, which is the equivalent of the North Indian namaste. It expresses a profound form of respect and politeness. In Kerala, the simple gesture of joining hands at heart level and nodding means "namaskar ". So it's not necessarily necessary to say the word as you greet.
#Coconut
Coconut, ubiquitous in Kerala culture, is used in culinary preparations (oil, milk or grated coconut), cosmetics and massage oils. Coconut water, full of electrolyte minerals, is also used as a refreshing drink. Coconut fiber is also used to make handicrafts (ropes, carpets).
#Nature reserves
Kerala's biodiversity is a big part of its wealth. The state has a multitude of national parks created to protect the flora and fauna. The most captivating are in the Nilgiris biosphere in the Western Ghats. These reserves allow to observe a multitude of animals in their natural habitat.
#Toddy
This is the local palm wine, a (very) alcoholic drink made by the natural fermentation of palm sap. Very popular in Kerala, it is most often consumed in toddy shops, accompanied by kappa (Kerala recipe based on tapioca), and a spicy red curry (fish, shrimp, beef, duck...).
#Yoga
Ancestral philosophy of life including personal hygiene, dietetics, body exercises (postures or asanas), meditation and moral asceticism, with the aim of realizing the unification of the human being in its physical, psychic and spiritual aspects. Numerous courses will allow you to initiate yourself or to perfect your skills.
You are from here, if...
You use your right hand to eat. In India, the left hand is used for functions considered impure, while the right hand is used for eating.
You remove your shoes before entering a religious place, and keep your dress code correct (shoulders and knees covered).
You nod slightly as you listen to your interlocutor. It's a little disconcerting at first, but the gracefulness of this gesture and the smile that accompanies it will soon make it familiar and understandable.
You show discretion in your displays of affection. Kissing and hugging are considered sexual gestures, so it's best to refrain from them in public!
Dress respectfully of local sensitivities on beaches, especially in the northern part of the state.
You bring sweets when invited to dinner, not flowers or alcohol.
Advertising