Trivandrum

Formerly known as Trivandrum, Thiruvananthapuram is the capital of the southern Indian state of Kerala. It’s the gateway to the beautiful tourist attractions of the God’s Own Country. The charming town serves as the getaway to beaches, lush hills, backwaters, wildlife sanctuaries and islands. While serving as the base for other locations, the city too has its own charm. Dotted with interesting architecture, spiritual sites, amazing beaches of its own, Ayurveda centres, shopping hubs and so much more. For a Kerala holiday, Trivandrum works as your point of arrival or departure. But, even Trivandrum tours serves as a fascinating getaway.

Built upon seven hills, Trivandrum has a huge variety of tourist attractions. The history of the town starts back to the days when it was discovered by the seafarers moving to being the centre of the Kingdom of Travancore. The must-visit places include wonderful palaces, sacred temples, one after which the city is named after, interesting museums presenting a rich legacy of history and culture and mesmerizing beaches. Marvel at the Travancore style architecture and the treasures of priceless paintings, traditional furniture, and royal memorabilia at the Kuthiramalika Palace. The Indo-Saracenic architecture of the Napier Museum houses a rare collection of archaeological and historical artefacts, as well as other ancient ornaments, and ivory and wooden carvings.

The beautiful capital city is the centre of the industry and development, but for tourist purposes it is mostly seen as a gateway to Kovalam. One of the most beautiful beaches in India, 16 km away from Trivandrum, it has for long been known as the "Paradise of the South". "Kovalam" translated to the local language means a ‘grove of coconut trees’. True to its name, the town welcomes with view of endless coconut trees, crescent-shaped shoreline and its three beaches. The Lighthouse beach is located southern-most and is the most popular sight in town offering an amazing sight of Vizhinjam mosque. The northern beach, Samudra is laid-back and here time seems to stand still. Last but not the least, the Hawah Beach is a beehive of activities. Starting from the early morning, when fishermen setting out for sea to swimming in the calm bay of blue waters, to the romantic walks and activities on moonlit nights.

Complementing the scenic and serene setting is the availability of excellent accommodation. The restaurants in the town provide western as well as Indian style food, especially grilled seafood items such as lobster, king prawns and kalamari fresh from the sea at Kovalam. Additionally, Ayurvedic massage parlours, yoga centers, water sport facilities, and more have transformed Kovalam to a popular haven for tourists from all over the globe.

• Getting to Trivandrum By Air

  Trivandrum is well connected by air domestically as well as internationally. Flights are available from Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, while the international airport has frequent connections of with Silk Air, Kuwait Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Air Lanka and Air India.

• Getting to Trivandrum By Rail

  Long-distance express trains connect Trivandrum with other important places in the state and to places all over India.

• Getting to Trivandrum By Rail

  Trivandrum is well connected by road to Cochin, Kumarakom, Periyar, Alleppey and Madurai.