Alleppey – Venice of East

We all have heard about the famous water canals of Venice and it’s out of the earthly charm. But going to Venice can be white expensive but what if we tell you that you can enjoy a much better place than Venice and that too in India, don’t get surprised as we have our own Venice in the Backwaters of Kerala in the God’s own country. Alleppey also known as Alappuzha is the most popular backwaters in Kerala was given the title of Venice of the East by Lord Curzon as it is a town with picturesque canals, backwaters, beaches, and lagoons. The name Allapuzha is derived from the geographical location of the town, it means the land between the sea and the river. The backwaters of Alappuzha connect the Kumarkoram and Cochin to the north and the Quilon to the south. It is also the access point to the annual Nehru trophy boat race which is one of the most popular events held here.Alleppey is famed for its backwaters but also for the beautiful beaches such as the Alappuzha beach, Andhakaranazhi Beach and the beautiful Marari beach.

By- Patty Ho(Flickr)

House Boats of Alleppey

The most popular means of enjoying the beauty of Alleppey is through a ride on the house boats in the famed backwaters. The houseboats were earlier used for transportation of grains until it was used by the royals of Kerala for their leisurely visits. These house boats are like floating hotels with full facilities and luxury. The house boats can be hired or booked depending upon the type of stay you wish for. You can also select the type of boat you want to stay on depending upon your budget as these house boats function just like hotels and are classified accordingly like budget, deluxe and luxury class boats.

How To Reach Alleppey

By Air: Cochin International Airport located at a distance of 68kms to the north is the nearest airport. The other airports are, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, 159 kms, Kozhikode 236kms and Coimbatore 254kms.

By Train: Alappuzha Railway Station is the closest railway station connected to other parts of Kerala by Indian railways. It is located at a distance of 4kms from the town. A total of four trains originate from Alleppey to cities like Kannur, Chennai, Dhanbad, and Tatanagar. Since Alleppey is a prime destination, many trains from important cities, like Banglore, Manglore, Kozhikode, and Amritsar, pass through this station.

By Road: The town is well connected by the roads as local buses routinely ply here, National Highway NH 47 passes through the city connecting the city to other major cities like Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Thissur and Trivanduram.

By Water: A the whole town is connected by the backwaters the waterways are one of the most preferred means of transport but the locale. The National Waterway-3 passes through Alappuzha. Taking an SWTD boat is a cheaper alternative to houseboats for enjoying the scenic beauty of Alappuzha.