Unique Things to do in Alappuzha, Kerala

Rent or hire a House boat, ride/cruise through the backwaters in Alappuzha (Venice of the East) and kumarakom a once in a life time experience

Spend your Honeymoon in a houseboat in the backwaters of Alappuzha

Ride in a country boat (vanji) in the canals of the Venice of the East .

See the largest mural painting in Kerala

Venice of the East

Taste the local delicacy Karimeen (pearl spot ) fish

What's On Now!!

Festival season in the temples of kerala (event repeats every year)

Kavalam Narayana Panikkar,malayalam dramatist and poet turns 80

Annual festival of the historic St. George Church, Edathua April 27 to May 14 (event repeats every year)

What's coming up!!!

Tamil superstar Rajanikanth to visit Alappuzha

Vishu the Kerala New Year - April 14th (event repeats every year)

Join the harvest festival , Onam celebrations (event repeats every year)

Snake Boat racing season (event repeats every year)

Pilgrimage to Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Swami Temple (event repeats every year)

A view of backwaters in Alappuzha, kerala Photo: Cherian M T

Tourist Spots in Alappuzha

Alappuzha Town: Also called the 'Venice of the East', famous for amazing back waters , boat races, house boats, beaches,Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple, marineproducts and coir industry.

Alappuzha Beach: Very attractive beach with vijay beach park and seaview park.

Nehru Trophy Boat Race: It is held annually on the second Saturday of the month of August at the Vembanad lake and is the most inportant tourist event of Alappuzha. The highlight of the event is the "Chundan Vallam" the130 feet long snake boats with over 100 rowers, 4 helmsmen and 25 cheerleaders decorated with colourful silk umbrellas.

Alappuzha- Kollam backwater trip: One of the best backwater experiences. An 8 hour boat trip through canals and lakes like Asthamudi, Kayakulam and Vembanad lake.

Krishnapuram palace: Museum famous for mural paintings and architecture. The largest mural in kerala is in this palace.

Kuttanad region : Land of lush paddy fields perhaps the only region in the world where farming is done below sea level.

QST and R block kayal: These regions are famous for farming over reclaimed land from the backwaters.

Pathiramannal: An island in Vembanad Lake.

  Want to enjoy a houseboat ride in the backwaters of alappuzha check the 'houseboats' link | Alappuzha district celebrates Golden Jubilee of its formation | August is the month of the harvest festival -Onam

Religious centers

Amabalapuzha Sree Krishna Temple: also called Dwaraka of the South, famous for its architecture and Palapayasam, a sweet milk porridge.

Chettikulangara bhagavathy temple: Famous for kettukazha festival

Sree Subramanyaswami Temple: located at Haripad

Mannarshala : Ancient temple dedicated to Sree Nagaraja the , king of serpents.

Arthunkal palli (Church): St Andrews Church built by the portugese.Annual festival in the name of St.Sebastian during January every year.

Chambakulam church: Church dedicatd to St.Mary established by St Thomas.
Chavara Bhavan: Ancestral home of the blessed Kurikose Elias Chavara

Edathua church : Dedicated to St.George established in 1810.

Karumadi : Famous for 9th or 10 century black granite idol of Lord Buddha known as Karumadikuttan.

Pandavan Parra (Rock): The Pandavas of the Mahabarata are said to have stayed in a cave here.

Cultural Spots

Punnapra Vayalar: A monument in memory of cummunist martyrs in kerala.

Alappuzha a district in the southern most state of kerala in India is a sandy strip of land with Arabian Sea to its west has a number of lagoons and an array of rivers , canals ,backwaters and lakes which is ideal for a boat cruise. Alappuzha district was formed on 17 th August 1957. The local language spoken here is Malayalam the mother tongue of the people of Kerala known as keralites or Malayalees
The vembanad lake covering an area of 204 sq kms stretches from Alappuzha to kochi and the Kayamkulam lake covers an area of 59.57 sq kms and extends into Alappuzha and Kollam. The backwater country has been an important trading and commercial center since time immemorial. Today Alappuzha is well known for its boat races, beaches, marine products,coir, backwaters, house boats and coir and carpet industry.

Alappuzha district is surrounded by Ernakulam district towards the north, Kollam district towards the south and Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts towards the east.