Alappuzha, still widely known by its old name, Alleppey, is the gateway to the Kerala backwaters: a web of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals behind the coast of southwest India, where life moves at the pace of a paddle. The town itself sits between the Arabian Sea and Vembanad, the largest lake in Kerala, and is laced with canals, but most visitors come to board a kettuvallam, a traditional rice barge converted into a floating hotel, and drift for a day or a night past coconut palms, paddy fields, village churches and temples, toddy shops and fishermen casting their nets. According to Kerala Tourism, there are about 500 houseboats in Alappuzha alone. South and east of the town lies Kuttanad, the “Rice Bowl of Kerala,” where, as the district tourism council notes, farmers grow rice below sea level behind dikes. Alappuzha is also famous for its snake-boat races, its beach and lighthouse, and the quiet sands of nearby Marari. The best time to visit is from November to February; the southwest monsoon, from June to September, brings heavy rain, though it is also the season of the boat races.
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Top tours in Alappuzha (Kerala Backwaters)
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Alappuzha at a glance
- Best for: houseboat cruises, village backwaters by canoe, birdlife, snake-boat races, Kerala food and the beach.
- How long: one night on a houseboat plus a day or two on land; three or four days with canoe trips and the beach.
- Best time: November to February for dry, sunny weather; August for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
- Getting there: about 85 km (53 miles) south of Cochin International Airport, and 1 to 1½ hours by train from Ernakulam in Kochi.
- Getting around: by houseboat, canoe and public ferry on the water, and by auto-rickshaw on land.
- Good to know: book houseboats through operators approved by Kerala Tourism or the district’s prepaid counter, and check that life jackets are on board.
- Before you go: the e-Visa, money, trains and general safety are in our India travel guide.
Alappuzha’s waterways: where things are
The backwater region stretches from Kochi in the north to Kollam in the south. Alappuzha sits in the middle, with Vembanad Lake to the north and east and the paddy lands of Kuttanad to the south.
Alappuzha town
A busy market town with a grid of canals, colonial warehouses from its days as a coir and spice port, a long beach with a ruined pier and a lighthouse, and the main houseboat jetties at the Finishing Point on the Punnamada side and along the canals. It has guesthouses, homestays and simple restaurants, and is the transport hub.
Punnamada and Vembanad Lake
Punnamada Lake, an arm of Vembanad just north of the town, is where most houseboats start their cruises and where the Nehru Trophy Boat Race is held. Vembanad itself stretches about 80 km (50 miles) north toward Kochi, dotted with islands such as Pathiramanal, and is lined with lakeside resorts, including those at Kumarakom on the opposite shore.
Kuttanad
The low-lying farmland south and east of Alappuzha covers about 500 km² (190 sq miles) of paddy fields separated by narrow dikes and canals, with villages such as Kainakary, Champakulam and Pulinkunnu strung along the waterways. This is the classic backwater landscape seen from the houseboats.
Marari and the coast
North of Alappuzha, the fishing village of Mararikulam has a long, quiet beach with homestays and eco-resorts, a peaceful alternative to the town.
Top things to do in Alappuzha
A houseboat cruise
A night on a houseboat is the essential Alappuzha experience. Kerala Tourism describes how the kettuvallams, built of jackwood planks tied with coir and coated with cashew-nut resin, once carried rice and spices from Kuttanad to the port of Kochi, and were saved from extinction when they were converted to carry travelers. Today’s boats have one to several bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a lounge deck, a kitchen and crew; the larger ones are joined as “boat trains” for groups. A typical overnight cruise starts around noon, includes lunch, tea and dinner cooked on board, often with fresh fish from the backwaters, stops for the night moored by a village, when cruising halts, and ends after breakfast the next morning. Day cruises of a few hours are also available.
Choosing a boat. Houseboats are registered with, and surveyed by, the Kerala Maritime Board under the Inland Vessels Act, 2021. Book through an operator approved by Kerala Tourism, or through the houseboat prepaid counter run by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) under the slogan “Trusted Service, Trusted Rates,” to which Kerala Tourism directs travelers. Before you board, check that the boat’s registration is displayed, that there are life jackets for everyone and fire extinguishers, and ask whether the air conditioning runs all night or only during certain hours. Agree the route, timings and what is included in writing.
Canoes and shikaras through the canals
Houseboats are too big for the narrow village canals, so take a small country canoe or a canopied shikara for a few hours to get closer to village life: women washing clothes, children rowing to school, ducks herded across the water, and kingfishers on the palms. Many homestays arrange canoe trips at sunrise, the best time for birds.
Public ferries
The cheapest way to see the backwaters is on the public ferries of the Kerala State Water Transport Department, which link Alappuzha with villages across Kuttanad and with Kottayam, a journey of about 2½ hours. They are slow, crowded with commuters and an authentic slice of local life.
Snake-boat races
From August to November, the backwaters host races between chundan vallams, the long snake boats rowed by up to a hundred oarsmen to the rhythm of boat songs. According to the DTPC, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on Punnamada Lake, held every August, opens the season of the Champions Boat League, which visits a dozen venues across Kerala, including Karuvatta, Pulinkunnu, Kainakary, Pandanad and Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district. Grandstand tickets for the Nehru Trophy are sold in advance.
More classic sights
- Alappuzha Beach and lighthouse: a wide beach with the remains of a 19th-century pier and a lighthouse you can climb for views over the town.
- Pathiramanal Island: a 10-acre (4-hectare) island in Vembanad Lake, reached only by boat; the DTPC records 91 resident and 50 migratory bird species.
- Krishnapuram Palace: an 18th-century Travancore palace in Kerala style with one of the largest murals in the state, about 45 km (28 miles) south.
- Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple: a famous temple known for its sweet rice pudding offering, palpayasam (Hindus only inside).
- Champakulam and Edathua churches: old Syrian Christian churches on the riverbanks of Kuttanad.
- International Coir Museum and Revi Karunakaran Memorial Museum: the story of Alappuzha’s coir industry and a private collection of art and ivory.
Other things to do in Alappuzha
Food and drink
Backwater cooking is built on coconut, fish and rice. Try karimeen pollichathu, pearl-spot fish marinated in spices and cooked in a banana leaf; duck roast and duck curry, a Kuttanad specialty; fish moilee in coconut milk; appam with vegetable or chicken stew; and kappa, tapioca with spicy fish curry. A full sadya, the vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf, is the centerpiece of the Onam festival. Roadside toddy shops serve palm wine with fiery fish and meat dishes. Houseboat cooks will prepare local dishes on request. Drink bottled or filtered water.
Beaches and Ayurveda
Alappuzha Beach is good for walks and sunsets rather than swimming, and Marari Beach is quieter. Many resorts and homestays offer Ayurvedic massages and treatments; choose centers approved by Kerala Tourism. See our beaches guide.
Birdwatching and cycling
Herons, egrets, kingfishers, darters and cormorants are everywhere on the water, and migratory ducks arrive in winter. The flat dikes of Kuttanad are good for cycling tours. See our boat trips and cycling guides.
Festivals
Onam, Kerala’s harvest festival in August or September, brings feasts, flower carpets and boat races. Christmas is celebrated with lights in the churches, and temple festivals with decorated elephants and drums take place across the district from January to April.
Day trips from Alappuzha
- Kochi: Fort Kochi’s Chinese fishing nets, churches and spice warehouses, about 1½ hours north by road or train. See our Kochi travel guide.
- Kumarakom: lakeside resorts and a bird sanctuary on the eastern shore of Vembanad, about 1½ hours by road or a scenic boat ride across the lake.
- Kollam: the southern end of the backwaters, linked to Alappuzha by an eight-hour tourist boat through the canals.
- Varkala: a cliff-top beach town about 2½ to 3 hours south.
- Munnar and Thekkady: the tea hills and spice gardens of the Western Ghats, about 4 to 5 hours east; best on an overnight trip.
Getting there and getting around
By air
The nearest airport is Cochin International Airport (COK), a designated e-Visa entry airport, about 85 km (53 miles) north, or 2 hours by taxi. Thiruvananthapuram’s international airport, also an e-Visa entry point, is about 150 km (95 miles) south.
By train and bus
Alappuzha station is on the coastal line between Ernakulam (Kochi) and Thiruvananthapuram; trains from Ernakulam take about 1 to 1½ hours, and the Vande Bharat Express stops here. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses run frequently to Kochi, Kottayam and Kollam.
Around town
Auto-rickshaws are the main way to get around on land; agree fares in advance. On the water, choose between houseboats, shikaras, canoes, speedboats and public ferries. Many hotels arrange pickups from the station and the houseboat jetties.
When to go and how long to stay
Alappuzha has a hot, humid tropical climate, with temperatures of 29 to 34 °C (85 to 93 °F) by day and 22 to 25 °C (72 to 78 °F) at night all year. November to February is the best time to visit: mostly dry and sunny, with the lowest humidity. March to May is hot and sticky, with thunderstorms from April. The southwest monsoon, from June to September, brings very heavy rain, peaking in June and July; houseboats still run, and the countryside is at its greenest, but rain and occasional flooding can disrupt plans. October and November bring the northeast monsoon‘s afternoon thunderstorms, with October one of the wettest months. The table shows 1991–2020 normals for Alappuzha from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), as published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO); rainy days are days with at least 2.5 mm of rain.
| Month | Average high / low | Rain (rainy days) | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33 °C (91 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F) | 16 mm (0.6 in), 1 day | Dry and sunny; peak season |
| February | 33 °C (91 °F) / 24 °C (74 °F) | 42 mm (1.7 in), 2 days | Warm and mostly dry |
| March | 34 °C (92 °F) / 25 °C (77 °F) | 63 mm (2.5 in), 3 days | Hot and humid |
| April | 34 °C (93 °F) / 25 °C (78 °F) | 132 mm (5.2 in), 7 days | Hottest month; afternoon storms |
| May | 33 °C (91 °F) / 25 °C (78 °F) | 274 mm (10.8 in), 12 days | Pre-monsoon downpours |
| June | 30 °C (87 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F) | 592 mm (23.3 in), 21 days | Monsoon arrives; wettest month |
| July | 29 °C (85 °F) / 23 °C (74 °F) | 486 mm (19.1 in), 21 days | Heavy rain; green landscapes |
| August | 30 °C (85 °F) / 24 °C (74 °F) | 350 mm (13.8 in), 17 days | Showers; Nehru Trophy Boat Race; Onam in some years |
| September | 30 °C (87 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F) | 296 mm (11.7 in), 14 days | Monsoon easing; boat races |
| October | 31 °C (88 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F) | 357 mm (14.1 in), 15 days | Afternoon thunderstorms |
| November | 32 °C (90 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F) | 176 mm (6.9 in), 8 days | Rain easing; season begins |
| December | 32 °C (90 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F) | 48 mm (1.9 in), 3 days | Dry and pleasant; Christmas |
Alappuzha gets about 2,830 mm (111 in) of rain a year, spread over some 124 rainy days, with two wet seasons.
One night on the backwaters
Board a houseboat at noon, cruise across Punnamada and into Kuttanad, moor for the night in a village, and return after breakfast; spend the afternoon on the beach or in town.
Three or four days
Add a sunrise canoe trip through the village canals, a ferry to Kottayam or a boat to Kumarakom, a day at Marari Beach, and Kochi on the way back to the airport.
Where to stay in Alappuzha
- A houseboat: one night is enough for most visitors; choose a registered boat with good reviews.
- Alappuzha town and the beach: guesthouses, homestays and heritage hotels close to the station and jetties.
- Lakeside resorts: on Punnamada and Vembanad, with pools and Ayurveda centers.
- Kuttanad homestays: family homes in the villages, reached by boat.
- Marari: beach homestays and eco-resorts north of town.
Houseboat prices peak around Christmas and New Year, when boats should be booked weeks ahead; they fall sharply in the monsoon.
What a trip to Alappuzha costs
Prices are approximate, for October 2026, converted at about 96 rupees (₹) to the US dollar. Houseboat prices vary with the size of the boat, the season and whether air conditioning is included.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Overnight houseboat, one bedroom, with meals | ₹8,000–18,000 (about US$83–188) per boat |
| Day cruise on a houseboat, a few hours | ₹4,000–9,000 (about US$42–94) per boat |
| Shikara or canoe trip, 2 to 3 hours | ₹800–2,500 (about US$8–26) |
| Public ferry to Kottayam | under ₹50 (about US$0.50) |
| Karimeen pollichathu in a restaurant | ₹400–800 (about US$4–8) |
| Kerala meals (rice plate) | ₹100–250 (about US$1–2.60) |
| Homestay double, per night | ₹2,000–5,000 (about US$21–52) |
| Lakeside resort double, per night | ₹7,000–20,000 (about US$73–208) |
Practical tips for Alappuzha
- Book through official channels: use Kerala Tourism-approved operators or the DTPC prepaid counter, and get the inclusions in writing.
- Ask about the route: houseboats crowd Punnamada; ask to cruise into the quieter canals of Kuttanad.
- Carry mosquito repellent: mosquitoes come out at dusk on the water.
- Dress modestly in villages: cover shoulders and knees, especially near temples and churches.
- Respect village life: ask before photographing people, and keep music low at night.
Safety
Alappuzha is relaxed and safe, but most risks involve water and weather. On the water: choose a registered houseboat with life jackets for everyone, wear one on smaller boats, and do not swim in the lakes and canals, which are deep in places and used by boat traffic. The sea at Alappuzha and Marari has strong currents and rough surf, especially in the monsoon, so swim only where lifeguards are present, if at all. Monsoon: heavy rain from June to September, and again in October, can flood low-lying Kuttanad and disrupt roads; in 2018, Kerala suffered its worst floods in a century. Follow local news and weather alerts in the rainy season. Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue occur, especially after the rains, so use repellent and cover up at dusk. Heat and humidity are draining from March to May. Food and water: drink bottled or filtered water. Road safety: the coastal highway is busy, so take care when walking or cycling. Women travelers generally find Kerala comfortable; dress modestly. In an emergency, call 112.
What to pack for Alappuzha
Light, breathable cotton clothes that cover shoulders and knees, a hat and sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a light rain jacket or umbrella for the monsoon, sandals or water shoes, and binoculars for birdwatching. India uses 230 V, with round-pin plugs of types C, D and M. See our rain jackets, water shoes and travel adapters guides.
Alappuzha travel FAQ
How much does a houseboat in Alappuzha cost?
An overnight cruise on a one-bedroom houseboat with meals typically costs ₹8,000 to ₹18,000, depending on the boat, the season and air conditioning. Prices peak at Christmas and New Year and drop in the monsoon.
How do I book a safe houseboat?
Book through an operator approved by Kerala Tourism or the DTPC’s houseboat prepaid counter, and check that the boat displays its registration and has life jackets and fire extinguishers on board.
Is one night on a houseboat enough?
For most visitors, yes. An overnight cruise covers the main backwaters; add a canoe trip through the village canals for a closer look.
Do houseboats cruise at night?
No. Overnight cruises usually run from about noon until late afternoon, then moor for the night and continue for a short stretch after breakfast.
What is the best time to visit Alappuzha?
November to February, for dry, sunny weather. August is the month of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, but it falls in the monsoon.
When is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race?
Every August, on Punnamada Lake. It opens the Champions Boat League season, which continues at venues across Kerala until November.
How do I get from Kochi to Alappuzha?
By train from Ernakulam in about 1 to 1½ hours, by KSRTC bus, or by taxi in about 1½ hours.
Can I swim at Alappuzha Beach?
The sea is often rough, with strong currents, especially in the monsoon. Swim only in calm conditions where lifeguards are present.
What is Kuttanad famous for?
Its paddy fields, which lie below sea level behind dikes, earning it the name “Rice Bowl of Kerala,” and its quiet canals and villages.
What food should I try in Alappuzha?
Karimeen pollichathu, duck roast, fish moilee, appam with stew, kappa with fish curry, and an Onam sadya.
Sources and last review
Researched and last reviewed on 4 October 2026. The history of the kettuvallams, the number of houseboats and the DTPC prepaid counter: Kerala Tourism; Kuttanad, Vembanad and Punnamada, the Nehru Trophy and Champions Boat League, and Pathiramanal’s birds: the District Tourism Promotion Council, Alappuzha; houseboat registration under the Inland Vessels Act: the Kerala Maritime Board; designated e-Visa airports: the Bureau of Immigration; climate normals for Alappuzha: the India Meteorological Department, via the World Meteorological Organization (1991–2020 normals archived by NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information); the exchange rate: the Reserve Bank of India (FBIL reference rate). The overnight mooring practice, ferry times and fares, train times, the 2018 floods, festival dates and typical houseboat and other prices are general references or estimates, flagged for checking. Rules and prices change, so check locally before you go. For the e-Visa, money and trains, see our India travel guide.
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