Art runs in the veins of Fort Kochi. And that is true with or without the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, which has, no doubt, done much to revive the fortunes of this forgotten corner of Ernakulam. For centuries, Fort Kochi was home to Dutch, Portuguese and British colonisers who have each left behind unique cultural influences. For the last few decades, Fort Kochi has transformed into a capsule of creativity. Whether it was a nascent art scene or a thriving café culture, there is much to satisfy the curious traveller here. For those on a short business trip to Cochin or a quick last-minute weekend getaway, perhaps to catch the Biennale before it closes on April 10, here is your 72-hour itinerary for everything to see, do, eat and drink when there:
Day 1 in Fort Kochi
Breakfast at Kashi Art Gallery & Café
Begin your day at one of Fort Kochi’s oldest and most iconic art-meets-food spaces. Kashi Art Café was started in 1997 by the late “visionary” Anoop Skaria and his partner Dorrie Younger (a Netherlands immigrant). It fostered the rising art scene in Kochi in the 1990s, becoming an important cultural centre that also served up great roasted-bean coffee. Today, a hotel chain runs the shop. On the menu is typical but delicious café fare — try the “John Abraham” omelette if you’re in the mood for an omelette with a difference — and genuinely good coffee. The queues are long so reach early, but no stress if you don’t. The gallery and the piles of art magazines will whet your appetite.
A morning at Aspinwall House
Embark on your Biennale experience at the Aspinwall House, where every room, floor and patch of the central courtyard is covered in art from around the world, interpreting curator Shubigi Rao’s prompt “In Our Veins Run Ice and Fire” to great dramatic effect. The diversity of media and stories is thrilling: From a 7-channel video installation by Studio Camp called Bombay Tilts Down to GS Smitha’s giant and fiery acrylic-on-canvas painting, Asim Waqif’s bamboo structure called Improvise, with music in its veins to Vasudevan Akkitham’s 365 pandemic-era paintings in Almanac of A Year. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. For breaks (and you’ll need them), sip on some coconut water at the in-house café overlooking the sea.
Late lunch at Pandhal Café
A short auto-rickshaw ride away is the David Hall Gallery, a restored Dutch bungalow once owned by Kochi’s Jewish Koder family, overlooking a large maidan and quite the locus for lovers of art, design, culture and food. At the Pandhal Art Café, satiate your cravings with their outstanding Kerala curry rice bowls and fresh juice before you explore the space itself.
Walk back to Pepper House for more art
Another one of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale venues, the essential exhibit to see at Pepper House is “The Public Life of Women: A Feminist Memory Project”, curated by Diwas Raja Kc, head of research and archives at Nepal Picture Library, and co-founder and director NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati. Started in 2018, against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, the project sheds light on the lives of ordinary women in Nepal, and the extraordinary paths they’ve taken over decades.
Head to Hotel Seagull for sunset and beer
Two doors down is the too busy Hotel Seagull, where plates of freshly grilled fish whiz by, bottles of beer are popped open and it’s all too easy to lose yourself in the chatter of the evening crowd. Reach early for the best seats in the house and a tangerine sunset.
Stop by Cabral Yard for the evening’s entertainment
Inside the centuries-old Cabral Yard stands the TNQ-KBF Pavilion, a marvellous temporary structure made entirely of debris, designed by architect Samira Rathod. And this is the venue for a moving schedule of art and music performances, film screenings and workshops. This week, catch a photography workshop by Kartik Chandramouli, theatre performances by Avishkaram, the global premier of an Indian documentary series Forced to Adapt, and performances by independent musicians Lifafa and Begum.
Dinner at the History Restaurant
At the CGH Brunton Boatyard Hotel’s beloved History Restaurant, the menu reflects Kochi’s layered colonial history. Dive in with the Vypeen crab soup, where star anise is the headliner, followed with some Syrian style beef and tapioca cutlets and do not miss out on their light-as-cloud appams.
Day 2 in Fort Kochi
Take a guided walk around Fort Kochi
Depending on your interest — nature or history — find and sign up for a walk with Ajita Scaria or the folks who run Trees of Cochin. Scaria will take you on a 90 minute trot around the neighbourhood — including stops at the Chinese fishing nets, the Fort Kochi beach, the Santa Cruz Basilica, even Vasco da Gama’s first home — and tell spicy stories that may or may not be entirely “history”. Trees of Cochin, meanwhile, does the same thing, except you’ll be getting acquainted with the flora of this tiny dot on Kerala’s map — from the magnificent raintrees that were planted 400 years ago to deeper context from books like Hortus Malabaricus.
Breakfast at Loafers Corner café
Stop at this café with an aluminium loudspeaker hanging over its doorway for the best grilled chicken sandwiches and hot chocolate, or cold coffee and a plate of pasta if you’re also taking in some shopping in this district of local crafts. There’s also a lovely readers’ corner to cool off in.
Mid-day coffee at Teapot @ Fort Kochi
In between wandering these cobblestoned, bougainvillea-covered lanes that have a transportative effect, we recommend a noon-time stop for cold coffee and banana bread a the very Instagram-friendly Teapot café whose interiors — vintage knick-knacks, yellow paint, a high vaulted ceiling — are about as delightful.
Head to Mattancherry for the Students Biennale
A short auto ride away in Mattancherry is the TKM Warehouse, a venue for invited exhibitions at the Kochi Muziris Biennale, which is worth a visit to witness contemporary artist Jitish Kallat’s famous 2012 work Covering Letter in person. The installation has a letter from Mahatma Gandhi to Hitler projected through a backlit smokescreen—and it has an effect that cannot be translated into words. There are other remarkable shows on display here, including a curated show from the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. then walk over to VKL Warehouse to take in some wilder, rawer art that is part of the Students Biennale — such as a chess table in the middle of an abandoned courtyard with giant furry critters hanging from a tree.
Lunch at Kayees Rahmathulla Café
This local legend means serious business with its biryani. Made in the Kochi style — with star anise and pineapples — the biryani at this no-frills eatery sells hot and fast. If you land up after 3 pm (the place shuts by 3.30 pm), half their offerings are over, so plan for this in advance.
Wander about Jew Town
Treat yourself to a lazy afternoon walk and take in the sights — a 450 year-old palace and synagogue, and the 400 year-old St George Orthodox Church, rebuilt recently by award-winning architects Wallmakers with inspiration from Antonio Gaudi. If you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to buskers singing their hearts out in front of the blue door.
Stop for a coffee at Mocha Art Café or Yoga Art Café
For a spot of window shopping and excellent coffee, stop by Yoga Art Café, replete with handblock-printed and jute goods; or the mezzanine-floor Mocha Art Café, where a glass of cold coffee goes very well with walking around and taking in an art show or two.
Dine at East Indies at the Eighth Bastion Hotel
Return to Fort Kochi for a stupendous meal at this little restaurant tucked away in the tiny garden of a boutique hotel close to the Fort Kochi beach. Order the turmeric-doused Ekalaya Kurumulagu chicken for starters; and the Meen Kudampuli Pollichathu — mahi mahi fish in a curry of kokum and curry leaves, steamed in a banana leaf—with malabar paratha for the main event. You won’t regret it.
Day 3 in Fort Kochi
Breakfast at Qissa Café
The former owners of Kashi Art Café have now set up shop inside the No 18 hotel; and the reputation of Qissa’s pies, omelettes and tuna sandwiches precedes it. Not to mention a green lung or sorts in the back of the café, where you can sit out under a canopy of vines, sipping on an espresso — it’s all very Italian.
Visit Kochi city
Get out into the city today. While Cochin’s much too vast to be consumed in a day, a few essentials include driving down Marine Drive (the riverside and backwaters-adjacent promenade) and the famous Kerala Folklore Museum, whose wood, laterite and clay structure houses over 6,000 “ethnic” artworks — handicrafts, masks and brass sculptures.
Sunset at Nettoor Toddy Shop
Drive further south and rumble into a spot under a bridge to find another local favourite, where you can sit by the backwaters and knock back some homemade toddy — a milky white sour-tasting liquor made fermented from the sap of coconut or palm flowers — served in earthen pots or blue glass bottles. A few plates of spicy fried meats go well with it.
Shopping in Fort Kochi
Summery dresses, linen shirts, cotton pants, silver jewellery, jute rugs, ayurvedic wellness products and antique items, from vintage camera, furniture, figurines, and more — Fort Kochi’s little shops are great for sustainable handicrafts.
Dine at the Loving Earth Café
Vegans rejoice — at this café, plant-based food gets a big bump up through innovative, intriguing recipes that you won’t be able to wait to try at home. After all that wine, beer and decadent stuff you’ve shovelled into your system over the last two days, the Yum Hum toasts and minty smoothies will be just the detox you need.
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