# What is the best place to visit in Kerala?

> Tea hills and cliff beaches share this list with temple towns and backwater villages. Pick the corner of Kerala you would go back to first.

*By YPB Team · Published November 12, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-place-to-visit-in-kerala*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Munnar**
   Hill station in the Western Ghats of Idukki district, surrounded by tea estates and close to Eravikulam National Park.
2. **Alappuzha**
   Coastal town on the Vembanad backwaters, the main base for Kerala houseboat cruises and home of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.
3. **Fort Kochi**
   Historic quarter of Kochi with Chinese fishing nets, St. Francis Church and Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial buildings.
4. **Thekkady**
   Town in Idukki district at the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve, known for boat rides on Periyar Lake and spice plantations.
5. **Kovalam**
   Beach town south of Thiruvananthapuram with three crescent beaches and the Vizhinjam lighthouse.
6. **Varkala**
   Coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram district where laterite cliffs drop straight onto Papanasam Beach.
7. **Wayanad**
   Highland district in northern Kerala with Edakkal Caves, Chembra Peak and wildlife sanctuaries in the Western Ghats.
8. **Kumarakom**
   Village of backwater resorts on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, with a bird sanctuary on the lake's edge.
9. **Thrissur**
   City around the Vadakkunnathan Temple, host of the annual Thrissur Pooram festival of caparisoned elephants and fireworks.
10. **Vagamon**
   Hill station on the Idukki and Kottayam border with pine forest, rolling meadows and tea gardens.
11. **Athirappilly Falls**
   Waterfall on the Chalakudy River in Thrissur district, about 25 metres high and the largest in Kerala.
12. **Bekal**
   Coastal town in Kasaragod district built around Bekal Fort, a 17th-century keyhole-shaped fort above the Arabian Sea.
13. **Kozhikode**
   Malabar coast city where Vasco da Gama landed in 1498 at nearby Kappad, known for its beach and Malabar cuisine.
14. **Kollam**
   Port city on Ashtamudi Lake, the gateway to the Kerala backwaters and starting point of the backwater cruise to Alappuzha.
15. **Thiruvananthapuram**
   Kerala's capital, home of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Napier Museum and Kuthiramalika Palace.
16. **Poovar**
   Village near the Tamil Nadu border where the Neyyar River meets the sea, with a golden sand estuary beach reached by boat.
17. **Marari Beach**
   Fishing village beach at Mararikulam, north of Alappuzha, lined with palm groves and small resorts.
18. **Ponmudi**
   Hill station about 60 km from Thiruvananthapuram, reached by a road of 22 hairpin bends through forest.

Tags: travel, beaches, india, destinations, kerala