Cochin Shore Excursion: Backwater Cruise or City Tour

Four ways to see Cochin without missing your ship's departure

A guided shore excursion from Cochin Cruise Port with four itinerary options: backwater cruise by houseboat or motorized canoe with lunch and Chinese Nets sightseeing, or a walking and transit city tour covering Fort Cochin, Santa Cruz Basilica, Jew Town, and the Jewish Paradesi Synagogue. Pickup and return are timed to your ship's schedule, and an English-speaking guide leads the group throughout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each2 stops

1. Chinese Fishing NetsEntry included10m
2. Mattancherry1h

Cochin shore excursion highlights

• Pick up from cruise terminal
• Backwater cruise on houseboat or canoe
• Lunch on board or at hotel
• Visit Chinese fishing nets
• Visit Santa Cruz Basilica and St Francis Church
• Visit Dutch Palace, Jew Town, and Synagogue
• Return to cruise terminal

The experience

You pick your itinerary at booking (backwater or city), and the operator times the whole excursion around your ship's arrival and departure. A guide meets you at the cruise terminal holding a blue umbrella with a booking-platform sign, and from there the day splits into four routes. Two focus on water: the houseboat cruise includes a buffet lunch on board and stops at the Chinese Nets, while the Shikara canoe option pairs a vegetarian lunch at a hotel with the same nets sighting. The other two stay on land, walking and taking local ferries, buses and tuc-tucs through Fort Cochin's old quarters: one covers the highlights (churches, palaces, Jew Town), the other moves at a local pace through the same neighborhoods.

The backwater cruises run four hours. The city tours stretch longer. Both include pickup and drop-off at the cruise terminal, an air-conditioned vehicle for the land portions, and a live English-speaking guide. The houseboat and canoe tours come with tea, coffee and snacks on the afternoon cruise, or lunch on the morning one. City tour passengers choose whether to add lunch. Dress code matters: the itinerary includes churches and a synagogue, so shoulders and knees need to be covered. No jeans, sportswear or sneakers. Note that the synagogue and palace close on Fridays, Saturdays and Jewish holidays, so those stops may not be available depending on your sailing date.

Report five minutes before your selected departure time. The guide will be waiting at the ship's berth or pier. Weather doesn't stop the tour, so bring layers and rain gear if the forecast suggests it. At booking, you'll need to provide your ship's name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time so the operator can build your return schedule around them.

What’s included

• Pickup and drop-off at Cochin Cruise Port.
• English-speaking guide.
• air-conditioned vehicle for land portions.
• tea, coffee and snacks on afternoon backwater cruises.
• buffet lunch on houseboat morning cruise or vegetarian lunch on canoe cruise.
• visits to the Chinese Nets and (depending on itinerary) Fort Cochin, Santa Cruz Basilica, St Francis Church, Dutch Palace, Jew Town and the Jewish Paradesi Synagogue.

Options for this experience

5 options

A Look at Cochin (City Tour)Guide in English · Available from 19 Dec · 08:40Lasts 4 hours. Itinerary C is a group tour of the Old City, covering Fort Cochin and Mattancherry with local sightseeing. Departure is at the time you select when booking.

Exploring Cochin Like a Resident (City Tour)Guide in English · Available from 25 Oct 2027Lasts 4 hours and covers the highlights of Cochin. The group tour travels by local ferry, tuk-tuk, local bus and on foot.

Canoe Cruise by Shikara and NetsGuide in English · Available from 25 Oct 2027Motorized covered shikara canoe cruise with Chinese nets and a Keralan lunch or tea/snacks. Lasts 6 hours. Lunch is served on the morning cruise and snacks on the afternoon cruise. Air-conditioned transport is included.

See 2 more options

Chinese Net Visit and Houseboat CruiseGuide in English · Available from 25 Oct 2027Itinerary A: group combo tour with a houseboat cruise, lunch and Chinese fishing nets. Lasts 7 hours. Departure is at the time you select.

Backwater Houseboat Tour OnlyGuide in English · Available from 29 Nov · 08:00Lasts 6 hours. This is only a backwater houseboat tour with lunch on the morning cruise and tea/snacks on the afternoon cruise. It does not include a visit to the Chinese nets.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 4h–7h, runs Saturday and Sunday at 08:40 and 08:00, from US$ 27.50 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesSaturday: 08:40Sunday: 08:002 on other days ›

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up to4h before

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Carnival Tours Kochi

Is this one for you?Choose the backwater houseboat if you want to drift through lagoons and eat lunch aboard; pick the shikara canoe for a faster-paced, motorized alternative with the same nets and meal; or take the walking tour to explore colonial streets and markets on foot.

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Top questions

What's the difference between the houseboat and canoe backwater cruises?

The houseboat cruise includes a buffet lunch served on board. The Shikara canoe cruise includes a pure vegetarian lunch at a hotel instead. Both visit the Chinese Nets and run roughly four hours from the cruise terminal.

Can I do a city tour instead of a backwater cruise?

Yes. The city tour options cover Fort Cochin, the Chinese Nets, Santa Cruz Basilica, St Francis Church, Dutch Palace, Jew Town and the Jewish Paradesi Synagogue. One moves by foot, local ferry, local bus and tuc-tuc at a slower pace. The other covers the same sights more efficiently. Lunch is optional on both.

What happens if my ship is delayed or the tour runs over?

The operator times your return to the cruise terminal around your re-boarding time, which you provide at booking. If your ship is delayed, contact the operator immediately with the new re-boarding time so they can adjust the schedule.

Are there dress code rules I need to know?

Yes. The itinerary includes visits to a church and synagogue, so modest clothing covering shoulders and knees is required. Avoid jeans, sportswear, joggers and sneakers. This applies to all four itinerary options.

What if the synagogue or palace are closed on my travel date?

The Jewish Paradesi Synagogue and Dutch Palace close on Fridays, Saturdays and Jewish holidays. If your excursion falls on one of those days, those stops will be skipped, but the rest of the city tour proceeds as scheduled.

Is lunch included in the price?

Lunch is included on the houseboat and canoe backwater cruises. On the city tour options, lunch is optional and you choose whether to add it at checkout. Tea, coffee and snacks come with the afternoon backwater cruises.