Aluva Scooter Routes

All 49 places from your Kochi map, arranged into seven round trips from Aluva. Each day starts and ends in Aluva, and every stop is listed in riding order. The buttons open turn-by-turn navigation in the Google Maps app in two-wheeler mode.

10 km25 km50 kmArabian SeaDay 1: Aluva Shiva Temple & ManappuramDay 1: Paravur SynagogueDay 1: Paliam Palace & ChendamangalamDay 1: Kottappuram Fort (Muziris)Day 1: Kodungallur Bhagavathy TempleDay 1: Cheraman Juma MasjidDay 1: Munambam Harbour & BeachDay 1: Pallippuram Fort (Ayakotta)Day 1: Cherai BeachDay 1: Kuzhupilly Beach1Day 2: Athirappilly FallsDay 2: Malayattoor ChurchDay 2: Kalady (Adi Shankara's birthplace)2Day 3: Kodanad Elephant CentreDay 3: BhoothathankettuDay 3: Thattekad Bird Sanctuary3Day 4: Kadamakkudy IslandsDay 4: Vallarpadam BasilicaDay 4: Bolgatty PalaceDay 4: Mangalavanam Bird SanctuaryDay 4: Kochi Water MetroDay 4: Marine DriveDay 4: Ernakulam Shiva TempleDay 4: St. George's Church, EdappallyDay 4: Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple4Day 5: Puthuvype Beach & LighthouseDay 5: Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace)Day 5: Paradesi Synagogue & Jew TownDay 5: Thirumala Devaswom TempleDay 5: Jain Temple, MattancherryDay 5: Indo-Portuguese MuseumDay 5: Santa Cruz Cathedral BasilicaDay 5: St. Francis ChurchDay 5: Dutch CemeteryDay 5: Fort Kochi Beach & Princess StreetDay 5: Chinese Fishing NetsDay 5: Aspinwall House (Kochi-Muziris Biennale)Day 5: Kathakali & Kalaripayattu Show5Day 6: Hill Palace MuseumDay 6: Sree Poornathrayeesa TempleDay 6: Chottanikkara Bhagavathy TempleDay 6: Vaikom Mahadeva TempleDay 6: Kumarakom Backwaters6Day 7: Kerala Folklore MuseumDay 7: Kumbalangi VillageDay 7: Chellanam & Kannamaly BeachDay 7: Andhakaranazhi BeachDay 7: Arthunkal St. Andrew's BasilicaDay 7: Marari Beach7Aluva
Interactive map & photosDownload pins (KML)Download pins (CSV)

Get the pins into Google Maps on your iPhone

  1. On your Mac, open mymaps.google.com and sign in with the same Google account as your iPhone.
  2. Click Create a new map, then Import, and choose Aluva_Scooter_Routes.kml.
  3. On your iPhone, open Google Maps, tap You (or Saved), then Maps. “Aluva Scooter Routes” appears with all the pins, named D1.01, D1.02 and so on.

Pins are coloured by day. In My Maps you can choose “Style by: Day” for a cleaner look if you use the CSV file instead. Long days (6 and 7, about 150 km) are easier if you sleep near Kumarakom or Marari and ride back the next morning.

Day 1

Muziris coast & Cherai

10 stops · about 75 km round trip from Aluva

Ancient port towns, India's oldest mosque and church sites, then beaches up Vypin island. End with sunset at Kuzhupilly.

  1. 1
    Aluva Shiva Temple & ManappuramA Shiva temple on a sandbank of the Periyar river.
  2. 2
    Paravur SynagogueA restored 16th-century synagogue with a long gatehouse corridor, now part of the Muziris Heritage Project museums.
  3. 3
    Paliam Palace & ChendamangalamThe home of the Paliath Achans, hereditary prime ministers of Kochi, in Chendamangalam village.
  4. 4
    Kottappuram Fort (Muziris)Ruins of a 1523 Portuguese fort near the site of ancient Muziris, the great Roman-era spice port.
  5. 5
    Kodungallur Bhagavathy TempleAn ancient temple of the goddess Bhadrakali, famous for the wild Bharani festival in March–April, with oracles (velichappads) in red.
  6. 6
    Cheraman Juma MasjidTraditionally said to date from 629 AD, which would make it the oldest mosque in India.
  7. 7
    Munambam Harbour & BeachA busy fishing harbour at the tip of Vypin island with a long breakwater walk.
  8. 8
    Pallippuram Fort (Ayakotta)Built by the Portuguese in 1503, it is the oldest surviving European fort in India: a small hexagonal tower guarding the mouth of the backwaters.
  9. 9
    Cherai BeachKochi's favourite swimming beach, with backwaters just behind the sand, sometimes dolphins offshore, and shacks for fresh fish.
  10. 10
    Kuzhupilly BeachA wide, uncrowded stretch of sand between Puthuvype and Cherai.
Part 1 of 2 in Google MapsPart 2 of 2 in Google Maps
Day 2

Athirappilly & Adi Shankara

3 stops · about 80 km round trip from Aluva

Leave early for the falls while it's cool, then two hilltop and riverside pilgrim sites on the way home.

  1. 1
    Athirappilly FallsKerala's largest waterfall, about 80 m tall and full after the monsoon.
  2. 2
    Malayattoor ChurchA hilltop shrine where St.
  3. 3
    Kalady (Adi Shankara's birthplace)Birthplace of the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya on the Periyar.
Open route in Google Maps
Day 3

Periyar forests

3 stops · about 100 km round trip from Aluva

Elephants in the morning, the forest dam, and Thattekad's birds. Book a bird guide in advance for dawn.

  1. 1
    Kodanad Elephant CentreThe Abhayaranyam eco-zone on the Periyar, home to rescued elephants and a small zoo.
  2. 2
    BhoothathankettuA forested dam and picnic area on the Periyar with legend-filled rock formations, boating, and short jungle trails.
  3. 3
    Thattekad Bird SanctuaryKerala's richest bird habitat, with over 300 species including the Sri Lanka frogmouth.
Open route in Google Maps
Day 4

Backwater islands & Ernakulam

9 stops · about 50 km round trip from Aluva

Sunrise on Kadamakkudy's paddy bunds, island churches, the city waterfront, and the Onam temple on the way home.

  1. 1
    Kadamakkudy IslandsA cluster of backwater islands with paddy fields, prawn farms and toddy shops, called one of the most beautiful villages in the world.
  2. 2
    Vallarpadam BasilicaNational shrine of Our Lady of Ransom, on an island reached by bridge.
  3. 3
    Bolgatty PalaceA Dutch palace built in 1744 on Bolgatty Island, now a heritage hotel.
  4. 4
    Mangalavanam Bird SanctuaryA tiny mangrove forest in the middle of the city, called the green lung of Kochi.
  5. 5
    Kochi Water MetroQuiet, air-conditioned electric boats linking the mainland to the islands.
  6. 6
    Marine DriveErnakulam's waterfront walkway with the Rainbow and Chinese-net bridges.
  7. 7
    Ernakulam Shiva TempleThe city's presiding temple (Ernakulathappan), near the boat jetty, with a big festival in January–February.
  8. 8
    St. George's Church, EdappallyOne of Kerala's oldest churches (founded 594 AD per tradition) dedicated to St.
  9. 9
    Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy TempleThe temple at the heart of the Onam legend of King Mahabali and Vamana.
Part 1 of 2 in Google MapsPart 2 of 2 in Google Maps
Day 5

Puthuvype, Fort Kochi & Mattancherry

13 stops · about 65 km round trip from Aluva

Ride over the Goshree bridges to Puthuvype, take the Ro-Ro ferry with your scooter to Fort Kochi, then park and walk. Stay for the evening Kathakali show.

  1. 1
    Puthuvype Beach & LighthouseA clean, quiet beach on Vypin island with one of the tallest lighthouses in Kerala.
  2. 2
    Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace)Built by the Portuguese around 1555 for the Raja of Kochi.
  3. 3
    Paradesi Synagogue & Jew TownBuilt in 1568, the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth, with hand-painted Chinese floor tiles and Belgian chandeliers.
  4. 4
    Thirumala Devaswom TempleThe main temple of Kochi's Konkani (Gowda Saraswat Brahmin) community in Mattancherry, known for its huge bronze bell and a lively annual festival.
  5. 5
    Jain Temple, MattancherryA serene Gujarati-built Jain temple from 1904.
  6. 6
    Indo-Portuguese MuseumChurch silver, altar pieces and processional art from Kerala's Catholic heritage, plus the excavated base of an old Portuguese fort wall in the basement.
  7. 7
    Santa Cruz Cathedral BasilicaA bright white Gothic-style basilica with painted ceilings and stained glass, rebuilt in 1905 on a Portuguese foundation from 1505.
  8. 8
    St. Francis ChurchBuilt in 1503, it is the oldest European church in India.
  9. 9
    Dutch CemeteryWeathered tombstones from 1724 onward, facing the sea.
  10. 10
    Fort Kochi Beach & Princess StreetA breezy promenade rather than a swimming beach, lined with rain trees, chai stalls and colonial bungalows.
  11. 11
    Chinese Fishing NetsGiant cantilevered nets on teak poles, likely brought by traders from the court of Kublai Khan.
  12. 12
    Aspinwall House (Kochi-Muziris Biennale)A waterfront trading compound that hosts the main venue of India's largest contemporary art festival during Biennale seasons.
  13. 13
    Kathakali & Kalaripayattu ShowEvening performances of Kerala's classical dance-drama in small Fort Kochi theatres.
Part 1 of 2 in Google MapsPart 2 of 2 in Google Maps
Day 6

Royal Tripunithura to Kumarakom

5 stops · about 150 km round trip from Aluva

Palace museum and two great temples in the morning, then down to Vembanad lake for Vaikom and the Kumarakom backwaters.

  1. 1
    Hill Palace MuseumThe former seat of the Kochi royal family: 49 buildings in a hilly park with crowns, palanquins, paintings and a small deer park.
  2. 2
    Sree Poornathrayeesa TempleTripunithura's great Vishnu temple and the royal family's temple, famous for its November Vrischikolsavam festival with caparisoned elephants and percussion ensembles.
  3. 3
    Chottanikkara Bhagavathy TempleOne of Kerala's most visited goddess temples, believed to heal mental affliction.
  4. 4
    Vaikom Mahadeva TempleOne of Kerala's oldest Shiva temples, on the Vembanad lake shore and linked to the 1924 Vaikom Satyagraha for temple-entry rights.
  5. 5
    Kumarakom BackwatersClassic Vembanad lake backwaters with houseboats, canoe rides and a bird sanctuary.
Open route in Google Maps
Day 7

South coast to Marari

6 stops · about 150 km round trip from Aluva

The Folklore Museum, Kumbalangi village, then quiet fishing beaches down to Marari for a swim and sunset.

  1. 1
    Kerala Folklore MuseumA three-storey building made from parts of old Kerala houses, holding thousands of masks, costumes, musical instruments and ritual objects.
  2. 2
    Kumbalangi VillageIndia's first model eco-tourism village on a backwater island: Chinese nets, crab farms, coir making and mangroves.
  3. 3
    Chellanam & Kannamaly BeachA long, local fishing coastline south of Fort Kochi with very few tourists.
  4. 4
    Andhakaranazhi BeachA quiet beach where a backwater estuary meets the sea, with a small lighthouse and swaying coconut palms.
  5. 5
    Arthunkal St. Andrew's BasilicaA seaside basilica founded by Portuguese missionaries, famous for its January feast of St.
  6. 6
    Marari BeachOne of Kerala's cleanest, calmest beaches: golden sand, fishing boats and palm groves.
Open route in Google Maps