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Ernakulam and Fort Cochin are twin cities connected by bridges. However Ernakulam is easily the ugly stepsister with nothing to offer except a few beach front hotels that fortunately look out to sea rather than at shabby Ernakulam.

However Ernakulam is an integral part of Cochin -- the railway station is located there as well as some good traditional eateries, travellers' lodges and the bazaars. Fort Cochin, on the other hand, is a charming blend of styles. A tropical Kerala town, it has neighbourhoods reminiscent of quaint hamlets of Holland, England and Portugal all at latitude 10 degrees north of the equator.

Two other localities of interest that flank Fort Cochin-Ernakulam are Willingdon Island and Mattancherry. Willingdon -- which has some of the better city hotels and the airport -- is the island that distances the pretty Fort Cochin from its mainland counterpart Ernakulam and lies in between. A manmade island Willingdon was created to close the gap between Ernakulam and Fort Cochin.

Mattancherry -- an interesting tourist area and a chief attraction of this city of glimmering waterways -- lies on the same island as Fort Cochin, but south of it.

Today, Cochin's attraction lies in its unique image, much of which comes from its geography. Though it consists of a series of small islands and a bit of the mainland, the city is a cohesive whole through its bridges and ferry services. Channels of silvery water crisscross the city. And fishing, canoes, nets, shipping and trade and the lush greenery fringing the expanses of water have given Cochin its picture postcard look and is what draw outsiders to the busy port town of Cochin.

Trivandrum may be Kerala's capital, but the essence of this emerald green State does not lie in its political hub. The rich vibrancy of Kerala is captured in all its hues in the city of Cochin, the state's commercial nerve centre.

Born: Some 650 years ago

An act of nature really created Cochin. Floods in the 14th century created a safe bay that was an ideal location for a harbour. And heavy floods in the Periyar river silted the mouth of the then flourishing Cranganore harbour. Cochin's growth began when its port took shape. Till then, aside from Calicut, Cranganore (Kodangulloor) was the centre for trade and commerce. A few years later commerce shifted south from Cranganore to Cochin.

The royal family too moved thereafter. The name Kochi is linked in all probability with the word kocchazhi or new port. Cochin became a key port on trade routes between China and Europe and gained a large trader population -- Jews, Christians, Chinese, Arabs. By the 1400s, Cochin had completely taken over from Cranganore and became a flourishing centre of trade in spices. The town changed hands between the Portuguese, Dutch and British and has fascinating influences in its architecture of its various conquerers as well as Jewish and Muslim touches. Through all these reigns Kochi grew and prospered without losing in any way its elemental Malayali flavour.

Population: 16,60,000

Language: Malayalam. English widely spoken.

Time: Five and a half hours ahead of GMT

Climate: Maximum temperature 35 degrees Celsius. Minimum temperature 22 degrees Celsius. Average annual rainfall 309 centimetres.

Best times to visit: October to March

Dress Sense: Light cottons. A light suit for business meetings. How to get to Cochin: Indian Airlines flies into Cochin daily from Bombay, New Delhi and Bangalore. Indian Airlines also has regular flights from Madras, Hyderabad, Goa, Coimbatore and Trivandrum.
Jet Airways flies into Cochin daily from Bombay and Madras.

To check flight timetable and availability try this link:

Airline timetable and availability

Approximate one way fares (return is double):

New Delhi-Cochin: Rs 10,025.
Bombay-Cochin: Rs 5,025.
Bangalore-Cochin: Rs 2,320.
Madras-Cochin: Rs 3,430.
US dollar fares are 30 per cent higher. Business fares are 32 per cent higher. Air-India fares are about 20 per cent lower. Air-India night fares are 30 per cent lower.

Regular trains connect Ernakulam Junction to New Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Bangalore, Trivandrum and Mangalore. The Bangalore-Quilon Express connects Bangalore to Ernakulam. The Chennai-Alleppey Express connects Madras to Ernakulam and Alleppey. The Netravati Express, the Mumbai-Trivandrum Express and the Mumbai-Kanyakumari Express connects Bombay to Ernakulam. The Nizamuddin-Trivandrum Express and the New Delhi-Trivandrum Kerala Express connnects New Delhi to Ernakulam.

Inputs fromTheresa Varghese, Nadar Parak and Danny S.