Best time to visit : September to March
Alappuzha or Alleppey (as it is commonly known) is a beautiful city in the state of Kerala, India. Mesmerizing lagoons, backwaters and beaches of Alappuzha attract flocks of domestic and international tourists every year. Houseboat cruises on the backwaters of Alappuzha is an experience which every tourist wishes to have once in the lifetime. If you are looking forward to spend some peaceful time in the lap of pristine backwaters surrounded with lush green paddy fields and palm trees, Alappuzha is the perfect tourist destination.
Facts
Alappuzha is also referred to as the 'Venice of the East' because of its abundance in waterways, canals and beaches. The exciting Snake Boat Race of Kerala known as the Nehru Trophy Boat Race is held on the Punnamda Lake of Alappuzha. Seeing and cheering the colourfully decorated boats during the boat race is a unique experience in itself. Apart from being one of the most visited tourist places in Kerala, Alappuzha also holds the significance of being a popular business centre for coir industry in the state.
Since Alappuzha lies in the Southern region of India, you will get an opportunity to relish authentic South Indian delicacies. The most common food of Alappuzha includes dosa (salted pancake made from the batter of rice and lentils, commonly served with coconut chutney and rasam), appam (bowl shaped pancakes made from rice flour and grated coconut, commonly served with spicy chutney, kadala curry, mutton curry or egg roast), puttu (a famous breakfast dish and has been listed by National Geographic Traveller as one of the best breakfast dishes), idlis (steamed round cakes two to three inches in diameter made by steaming a batter of fermented de-husked black lentils and rice, mostly served with coconut chutney and sambhar).
Apart from these, as Alappuzha is abundant in waterways, there is plenty of fish here. So, do not miss the famous fish curry known for the aromatic sauce cooked with tamarind and coconut milk.
Alappuzha is famous for its coir products. Do purchase some coir mats and carpets that are available here at very reasonable prices.
Nearby Places:
- Edathua (about 27 km.): Popular as the home to St. George Church, a world-famous Christian pilgrimage destination.
- Mannarasala Temple (about 32 km.): Sree Nagaraja Temple at Mannarasala is an ancient and extremely magnificent temple dedicated to the serpent God. It is famous for a miraculous turmeric paste, believed to have healing powers.
- Kumarakom (about 48 km.): Another popular backwater tourist destination in Kerala, the most popular attractions here are the backwater cruises on the Vembanad Lake and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary which is home to some of the exotic migratory birds. The bird sanctuary is a heaven for bird watchers and ornithologists. Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls and Pathiramanal Island are also a frequented tourist place in Kumarakom.
- Kochi (about 53 km.): Famous for innumerable tourist attractions like Chinese Fishing Nets , Dutch Palace, Paradesi Synagogue, Santa Cruz Basilica, Bastion Bungalow and many colonial structures, temples mosques, churches, museums and beaches.
Other popular places near Alapuzzha include Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kanjirapally and Kollam among many others.