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By plane
Cochin International Airport is located in Nedumbassery
approximately 29 km from the city. There are flights to and
from Colombo, Dubai, AbuDhabi, Singapore, Sharjah, Jeddah,
Muscat, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad
and Bangalore. Take a pre-paid taxi to your destination.
By train
You can reach Cochin from other cities Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum),
Kozhikode (Calicut), Chennai, Bangalore, Bombay, New Delhi,
Kolkata by train.
There are two major Rail station in Cochin (Ernakulam Town
and Ernakulam Junction, locally known as North and South
railway stations). The Indian Railways serves Cochin with a
number of train services connecting it to other parts of the
state and the country. One of the best ways to get to Cochin
is to take the Konkan Railway train from Mumbai that passes
through the Konkan coast. The train ride is renowned for the
breathtaking scenery and the natural beauty of the terrain
that the train passes through.
By bus
Cochin is accessible from all parts of the state of Kerala,
through the extensive state run Kerala Road Transport
Corporation (K.S.R.T.C.) bus services. These are generally
cheap and reliable, but the drivers are notoriously
reckless, although they have excellent control over their
vehicles. There buses are classified as Ordinary Passenger,
Limited Stop, Fast Passenger, Super Fast Passenger,
Lightning Express and Garuda. The last is an air-conditioned
service operating on the Thiruvananthapuram-Palakkad and
Thiruvananthapuram-Calicut routes both passing through
Kochi. These are modern buses and compare with buses in
Europe, with well maintained interiors and comfortable
seats.
There are also numerous private buses or 'route buses' that
connect pretty much every single district in Kerala to
Cochin. Both the K.S.R.T.C and the private buses offer very
basic comforts are rarely air conditioned.
There also exists daily services to and from other major
cities in South India including Mumbai, Bangalore(12 hrs),
Mangalore (12 hrs), Coimbatore (4.5 hrs) and Chennai (12
hrs). These are run by both private operators and by the
respective State Transport Authorities. The private buses
offer better comfort, cleaner and modern buses, though they
are more expensive.
Ferries
Ferries are the best way of getting about between islands.
It reaches faster, cheaper and much more comfortable than
buses or autos.
There are two ferry stations in Ernakulam. The main Boat,
Jetty is 1 Km from the Junction railway station and the
other is near the High Court. There are two Ferry stops in
Willington Island 'Embarkation' and 'Terminus'.
Public Ferries are available every 20 minutes from High
Court Jetty (Ernakulam) to Vypeen and Bolghatty islands from
6am to 10pm.There is a vehicular ferry service available
from High Court Jetty to Vypeen jetty. Kerala State
Government Ferry service to and fro is available for every
35 - 45 minutes from Ernakulam Main boat jetty to
Mattancherry via Terminus jetty (Willington Island) and to
Fort Kochi (Customs jetty) via Embarkation jetty (Willingdon
Island). The ticket office opens 10 minutes before each
sailing. Sail starts from 6am and ends at 9.30 pm.
There are ferries from Fort Kochi to Vypeen island from 6 am
to 10 pm. A vehicular ferry is also available every half an
hour. Maximum fare is Rs.3/-.
Local Transport
Auto Rickshaws
Auto-Rickshaws are fairly cheaper than taxi cars. Minimum
charge upto 3 Kms is Rs. 7/-. In Ernakulam, auto-rickshaws
are the most convenient mode of transport. There are around
800 or more autos running in the city. Pre-paid auto stands
(booth) are available at Ernakulam Junction railway station
and at Thoppumpady.
Buses
Buses are fairly frequent and cheap in Ernakulam. It
connects Ernakulam, Willington, Fort Kochi and many other
places. Local passenger buses are coloured in red and pale
yellow on top. Minimum charges upto three stoppage is Rs.
2.00
Hire Boats
Motorised boats of various sizes can be hired from the
Sealord jetty or from the small dock adjacent to the Main
jetty in Ernakulam. They are an excellent way of exploring
Kochi harbour at your leisure and without crowds. Rowboats
offer to shuttle between Willington Island, Fort Cochin or
Mattancherry.
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