"Backwaters, Beaches and Lagoons - Venice of the East"
Alleppey Tourism
Officially called Alappuzha, Alleppey is the picture-perfect place known for its beautiful backwaters and the houseboats offering overnight stays. The coastline of Alleppey offers some of the best beaches in Kerala with water sports during the dry season.
Alleppey is located close to Kochi in the South Indian state of Kerala. Its palm-fringed inter-connect network of canal backwaters attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. Coupled with other beautiful places in Kerala, Alleppey is often considered for a honeymoon or for a great family vacation.

There are plenty of houseboats, homestays, and rejuvenating Ayurvedic resorts that make staying in Alleppey brilliant. The houseboats pass through the serene backwaters, where you can catch glimpses of green paddy fields, choir-making activities, beautiful avifauna, and witness the life of locals in Kerala.

Be sure to catch a traditional snake boat race in the months of August and September and try out some toddy (palm wine) at a local toddy shop for adding a touch of authenticity to your travel experience in Alleppey.

Alappuzha (Alleppey) is known as the 'Venice of the East’. Offering the best tourist places in Alleppey, this charming place is the hub of Kerala’s backwaters and is home to a huge network of backwaters and more than a thousand houseboats. The houseboats you find in the backwaters of Alappuzha are in fact a reworked version of the Kettuvallams of olden times. Kettuvallam is a Malayalam word, ‘Kettu’, means living structures and ‘Vallom’ means boat. In the olden days, kettuvallam or boat with a thatched roof that covers over wooden hulls was used to carry tons of rice and spices.

The modern houseboats are equipped with all the comforts of a good hotel room like air conditioners, modern toilets, cosy living rooms, a kitchen and even a balcony for angling. An uninterrupted view of life in the backwaters fringed with coconut trees can be enjoyed from a houseboat. A perfect place to unwind with its laidback canals and lush greenery. The Alappuzha beach with a 137-year-old pier extending into the sea and an old 17th-century lighthouse built by the Portuguese add to the magic of the place. It is famous for its boat races, marine products, and coir industry.

So get ready to wander around this small but chaotic city center and bus-stand area, with its modest grid of canals. Head west to the beach or in practically any other direction towards the backwaters and Alleppey becomes elegant and greenery-fringed, waning into a watery world of hamlets, punted canoes, toddy shops and, of course, houseboats. Float along and gaze over paddy fields of succulent green, curvaceous rice barges and village life along the banks. Indeed, it is here that nature has spent up on the land her richest bounties. Come and explore the best tourist places in Alleppey.

Referred to as the Venice of the East, Alappuzha has always enjoyed an important place in the maritime history of Kerala. Today, it is famous for its boat races, backwater holidays, beaches, marine products and coir industry. Alappuzha Beach is a popular picnic spot. The pier, which extends out to the sea here, is over 137 years old. Entertainment facilities at the Vijaya Beach Park add to the attraction of the beach. There is also an old lighthouse nearby which greatly intrigues all visitors.

Another delightful experience while in Alappuzha is the houseboat cruise. The houseboats you find in the backwaters of Alappuzha are in fact a reworked version of the Kettuvallams of olden times. Kettuvallam is a Malayalam word, ‘Kettu’, refers to dwelling structures and ‘Vallom’ means boat. In the olden days, kettuvallam or boat with a thatched roof that covers over wooden hulls was used to carry tons of rice and spices.

Of late, houseboats come equipped with all the comforts of a good hotel room including furnished bedrooms, modern toilets, cosy living rooms, a kitchen and even a balcony for angling. An uninterrupted view of life in the backwaters can be enjoyed while staying in a houseboat.

Situated on the south-western coast of India, Alappuzha is also known by its anglicized name Alleppey. Gifted with immense natural beauty, Alappuzha’s backwaters have been the mainstay of Kerala’s tourism. Alappuzha port used to be one of the busiest trade centers and traded with the Persian Gulf regions and even Europe. Close to Alappuzha lies Kuttanad, the ‘Granary of Kerala’, where farming is done below sea level.

In the early 20th Century, the then British Viceroy Lord Curzon, while visiting Alappuzha, was fascinated by its scenic beauty and declared it as the Venice of the East. Alappuzha, whose foundations were laid by Travancore’s Dewan Raja Kesava Das in the second half of the 18th century, had trade relations with ancient Greece and Rome. Even travellers like Pliny and Ptolemy have mentioned places in Alappuzha in their works. It was because of the efforts and foresight of Raja Kesava Das, who constructed roads and canals to improve transportation, that Alappuzha became a premier port town.

Thomas, the Apostle is believed to have brought Christianity to Alappuzha when he travelled to India in 52 AD and the religion found a strong foothold in Alappuzha and surrounding areas.

Welcome To Alappuzha Tourism
Washed by the silvery waves of the Arabian Sea, the Venice of the East welcomes you to the backwaters of Kerala. The Palm fringed canals and shores bustling with glimpses from the day to day life in the countryside, the mirror still lagoons, picture book lakesides and its long sandy beach has blessed, the water locked district, to become one of the best Backwater tourism destinations in God's Own Country.

The large network of canals provides Alappuzha with its lifeline. Water carnivals using the gigantic snake boats and the country canoes of varying sizes have an important role in the community life of the people of the district.

Alappuzha or Alleppey, with its labyrinth, of canals, bridges along silver beach, makes for a memorable holiday. Its cheerful people add to the town's charm. Alappuzha offers enjoyable boat cruises to Kollam along the scenic Vembanad Lake. The never-ending panorama of lush green paddy fields, towering coconut trees, shimmering water and long canals around Alappuzha make a delightful setting for the town.