Guide to Alleppey
Virtual tour in Alleppey
The state of Kerala is known for its lush greenery and warm hospitality, and the town of Alleppey, also known as Alappuzha, is particularly special. What sets it apart is its surroundings, which consist of hundreds of kilometers of canals, waterways, rivulets, lakes, and other water bodies known as "backwaters." While it may evoke comparisons to Venice, you won't find Venetian architecture here, but you'll encounter a multitude of boats and watercraft. Among them, the most popular are houseboats—floating homes.
Many travelers come to Alleppey, attracted by these unique accommodations that allow them to sail for miles. The area is dotted with vibrant fishing villages where you can purchase local handicrafts and souvenirs.
Water sports enthusiasts will find plenty to do here, including water festivals featuring races on long, narrow boats, such as the Nehru Trophy Boat Race held on the second Saturday in August.
For those seeking wellness or an introduction to Ayurveda, Alleppey offers numerous salons providing Ayurvedic massages and yoga. Additionally, the town hosts various workshops, from crafting bamboo products to playing traditional musical instruments.
With its beautiful lighthouse along the seashore, Hindu temples, Christian churches, winding Indian streets, and the vibrant colors of local vendors, sellers, boatmen, and residents, Alleppey paints a unique and picturesque Oriental scene.
Photos of Alleppey
Interesting places in Alleppey
Excursions in Alleppey are a major attraction, often conducted by water due to the town's unique waterways, such as canoe or houseboat rides. Most frequently, these excursions involve four-seater boats, offering the opportunity to admire the aquatic life, palm trees, birds, animals, and the daily life of people along the shores and on the water. These tours often include lunch at a restaurant and visits to nearby fishing villages. Prices for such tours start from INR 1,500 per person.
For those who prefer to explore on foot, Alleppey also offers hiking trails. Temples, statues, Christian churches, and other landmarks create a marvelous tapestry of sights that can be discovered gradually, step by step, using a map as a guide. You have the option to explore on your own or hire a knowledgeable guide. When deciding what to explore first, consider your interests and preferences, whether it's nature, culture, history, or spiritual sites, and plan your visit accordingly.
Flight ticket prices
You can fly to Trivandrum or Kochi, but with layovers. It’s closer to travel from Kochi. Most flights from Europe to Kerala transit through Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi. From Warsaw, Bucharest, and Vienna, the most convenient airlines are Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Turkish Airlines. Economy-class ticket prices start at around 460 euros from Prague and about 500 euros from Paris.
From Kochi Airport, you can reach Alleppey by train or bus in 2-3 hours, with a ticket costing approximately 5-10 euros. For added convenience, a taxi ride costs around 25 euros. This route helps save on airfare and allows for a faster journey to the resort.
The best hotels in Alleppey
Allepey has many fairly expensive four to five star hotels, with rooms starting at 90 USD and up. That's about the ones on the beach. As for houseboats, their rates are higher - from 120 USD per day per person. If you are going to swim in such hotel-on-the-water not full day, you will have to pay less. Small gesthouses, hostels, apartments can be found for 25-35 USD. For example, these are Bamboo Lagoon Backwater Front Resort and Palm Beach Resort. Four-star Ramada Alleppey will cost you 95-100 USD. Rooms in Punnamada Resort cost from 120 USD, which is comparable to staying in hotels on ships. You can find accommodation in the private sector, as in many cities in India, it may cost you 15-20 USD, but the comfort will be below average.
Travel budget
Allepey, like many cities in prosperous Kerala, is not known for being the cheapest resort in India. If you plan to enjoy activities like boating, canoeing, dining in floating restaurants, or staying in canal-floating cafes and hotels, you should budget at least 200-300 USD for these experiences. Dining in restaurants along the shores can be more affordable, and you can find reasonably priced hotels in the area as well.
Keep in mind that airfare, typically one of the more expensive components of your trip, needs to be factored in, along with the cost of an Indian visa. On average, a trip to Allepey for three or four days can cost between 1000-1300 USD. With careful budgeting, you may be able to reduce this amount to 900-1000 USD, although doing so could mean missing out on some of the unique canal and river experiences.
However, even without a houseboat tour, you can still enjoy boat rides, canoes, and small boats, which are not significantly more expensive than taking buses to get around the area.
| The budget for a trip to Alleppey | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | 120 USD | Flight | From 1100 USD |
| Accomodation | 25-90 USD. | Average check in a restaurant | 2-6 USD |
| Transportation fare | From 30-60 INR | Excursion | From 25 USD |
| Total: about 1850 USD for two people for a week | |||
Alleppey: tips for tourists
Visa to Alleppey
You don't need a Schengen visa for India. But you need to make an Indian visa. It is directly issued upon arrival at the airports of Bangalore, Goa, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Cochin (Kochi), Trivandrum, Chennai. The visa fee is 60 USD. Initially, all the necessary documents are done online, pay a few days before the trip. You will have to bring Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), it is an electronic travel authorization that will be sent to you by email. Such a visa is given for 30 days.
Airports near Allepey
The nearest airport is at Cochin and the other is at Trivandrum. It is about 50 km from Cochin to Allepi, in the second case about 145 km. Both there and there can be reached either by domestic flights or by connecting flights to cities in Asia. There are options to fly to Bangalore as well, but from there it is much farther, over 400 km.
Transfer to Allepey from the airport
You can reach Allepi by train from Cochin, Trivandrum and Bangalore. The railway station is located a few kilometers away from the beach. There are bus services from these cities, there are also from Chennai, Coimbatore. You can also get there by cab, only it will be dozens of times more expensive than by bus, itself an inexpensive option.
Car rental in Allepey
It is much easier to rent a boat than a car. However, you can also rent a car here. Traffic in India is left-handed, the average price of a car per day - from 50 USD for quality models. Bikes and scooters are much cheaper. The range of boat rental prices is huge, from 20-30 INR per hour for small canoes to 1500-5000 INR per day for big boats.
Public transportation in Allepey
Train, cabs, buses, small beads and shuttles, cycle rickshaws and motor rickshaws - it's harder to say what kind of transportation Allepi doesn't have. Oh yes, there are also boats, canoes, speedboats and large floating barges. Fare on buses and water streetcars is pennies, from 20 INR, cabs charge from 15 INR per kilometer. It is possible to bargain.
Safety in Allepey
This tourist city is considered to be quite safe. Tourists and visitors are welcomed here. Of course, you should be careful in the crowd and watch your belongings and money, and your bike can be stolen. Valuable things are better to leave in the hotel safe.