Major Beaches in Kerala :

1. Kovalam,
2. Varkala,
3. Fort Kochi,
4. Alappuzha Beach,
5. Kappad, and
6. Bekal.

Kovalam :-

Location :Just 16 km from Capital city of Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram).

Best time to visit: September to March, though it is an all year destination

Nearest railway station :Thiruvananthapuram central,about 16 km

Nearest airport :Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 10 km

Kovalam Beach is the most popular beach in Kerala and is situated on the Malabar Coast along the shores of Kerala in the small Kovalam village, which is about an hour from Trivandrum. It has been a favourite haunt of tourists, especially Europeans, since the 1930s. The crescent shaped beach is divided into 3 parts namely the Lighthouse beach in the south, Samudra in the north and Hawah beach in the center which acts as a base for fishing activities. Five star accommodations such as the Samudra Hotel and the Ashoka Hotel provide facilities for a luxurious stay in these beachside resorts. The beach is also popular for Ayurvedic Massages along with swimming and sunbathing.

Many people come to the beachside resorts in this place for relaxing and rejuvenating themselves by availing of the popular and traditional Ayurvedic Beauty Treatments.

Varkala :

Location : 51 km north of Thiruvananthapuram city and 37 km south of Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram south Kerala.
Attractions: Beach, mineral water springs, the Sivagiri Mutt and a 2000 year old Vishnu temple.
Nearest railway station : Varkala.
Nearest airport : Thiruvananthapuram international airport, nearly 57 km away.

Varkala wears two hats: one is that of a seaside tourist resort and spa and the other, completely opposite, is that of a Hindu religious centre. A two thousand year old shrine the Janardhanaswamy Temple, stands on the cliffs overlooking the beach,a short distance away. The Sivagiri Mutt, founded by the great Hindu reformer and Philosopher Sree Narayana Guru (1856 - 1928) is also close by.The Samadhi (the final resting place) of the Guru here attracts thousands of devotees every year during the Sivagiri Pilgrimage days - 30th December to 1st January. Sree Narayana Guru propagated the ideology:"one caste, one religion and one god",in a society torn by the taboos of caste system.

Fort Kochi

Fort Kochi Beach is a wonderful beach situated in Cochin. The beach offers a scenic view to its visitors. Every year, a fest is organized in the last week of December. This Beach of Kerala gives an ample scope to try out various thrills.Adventure sports on Kerala Fort Kochi beach is the most sought out thing. Visitors can enjoy water sports like Canoeing, Catamaran Sailing, Kayaking, Para Sailing, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling and Wind Surfing. Cochin is one of the best known tourists destination of Kerala.

Alappuzha Beach

Nearest railway station : Alappuzha, about 5 km from the beach.
Nearest airport : Cochin International Airport, about 85 km from Alappuzha town.

Alappuzha Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Kerala. It is formed by the shores of the Arabian Sea. The beach is located in the beautiful district of Alappuzha. The Alappuzha district is also known for its backwaters and is home to a variety of flora and fauna. Due to its proximity to the sea, the town has always enjoyed a unique place in the maritime history of Kerala. The Kuttanad region also comes under this district, which is known as rice bowl of Kerala. It is one of the few places in world, where rice farming is done below the sea level. The Alappuzha beach is also known as Alleppey beach. The pier, which extends into the sea here, is around 140 years old.

Kappad

Nearest railway station: Kozhikode, about 16 km.
Nearest airport: Karipur International Airport, Kozhikode about 23 km from Kozhikode town.

Today, Kappad attracts a whole lot of visitors desirous of knowing more about the Portuguese and the native Indians of that time. Also, the unblemished beauty and serenity of the beach is something that is intact despite increasing tourism.For the people of Kerala, this pleasant stretch of rock studded beach is Kappakkadavu. To the tourist it is one of the most charming of Kerala's beaches. Kappad finds mention in history and geography texts as the gateway to the Malabar coast. Here, 501 years ago, 170 men led by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) sailed in and stepped into Kerala. This marked the beginning of a new era and new relationship between the Indians and the Portuguese which lasted for 4 to 5 centuries later. The story of a long and tumultuous socio-political relationship between India and Europe. It was the spices and wealth of Malabar that first brought the Arabs, the Phoenicans, the Greeks, the Romans, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English to Kerala. Kappad has witnessed many such landings.

Bekal.

The nearest airport to Bekal Beach is Mangalore in Karnataka, India, which is 50 Km away

The Bekal Beach is located near Bekal Fort. This fort is one of the best-maintained historic forts in Kerala. Situated on a headland that extends for 35 acres and reaches into the Arabian Sea. On this rocky beach stands a Fort Worth visiting. Long palm-fringed give this beach an additional beauty. As you visit the fort, you can feel the depth of deep blue Lakshdweep Sea. Once you go to the top of the tower you will have a wonderful experience of viewing the entire beach at one glance. Kozhikode, an old fashioned town with fisherman community is also worth a visit.

Other beaches :

Vallikunnu Beach :- A beach resort set in the middle of a coconut grove is the main attraction here. The Kadalundi bird sanctuary is just a short distance away.

Valiathura :- (10 km from Thiruvananthapuram) Located near Shankhumugham, this was once the only port along the South Kerala coast. During monsoons, fishermen carry their catamarans to the edge of the Valiathura Pier which is 703 ft long, throw them into the sea, then jump in and swim to it.

Valapattanam :- about 7 km from Kannur town, Kannur district, north Kerala.
The largest wood-based industry in South East Asia, a beautiful fishing harbour etc

Thiruvambady Beach :- 1 km from Thiruvambady Road) Calm and serene, this solitary beach is adjacent to the North Cliff. Thiruvambady or the Black Sand Beach is an ideal place for those seeking peace and solitude and can be easily reached by climbing down the cliff or driving down a kilometre.

Shankhumugham Beach : - Just 8 km from the city, this is a favourite haunt of sunset watchers. The beach is adjacent to the Thiruvananthapuram Airport and Veli Tourist Village. An indoor recreation club, the matsya kanyaka (a gigantic, 35 m long sculpture of a mermaid) and a restaurant shaped like a starfish are some of the attractions here. Chacha Nehru Traffic Training Park here provides opportunity for children to learn the traffic rules.

Poovar :- (12 km south of Kovalam) An isolated but spectacular beach, Poovar is situated close to the Neyyar River estuary. A trading port in its early days, it is today an important tourist destination.

Papanasham Beach :- (10 mts from Varkala) A dip in the Papanasham sea is considered holy. A remarkable feature here is the long stretch of red laterite cliffs fringing the beach. The cliff-top is an ideal place to watch the spectacular sunset. A natural spring, said to have curative properties, originates from the cliff.

Must see places in Kerala

1. Alappuzha- “Venice of the East”.

Alappuzha is a Land Mark between the broad Arabian sea and a net work of rivers flowing into it. In the early first decade of the 20th Century the then Viceroy of the Indian Empire, Lord Curzon made a visit in the State to Alleppey now Alappuzha. Fascinated by the Scenic beauty of the place, in joy and amazement, he said, “Here nature has spent up on the land her richest bounties”. In his exhilaration, it is said, he exclaimed, “Alleppey, the Venice of the East”. Thus the sobriquet found its place in the world Tourism Map. The presence of a port and a pier, criss -cross roads and numerous bridges across them, a long and unbroken sea coast might have motivated him to make this comparison.

2. Ernakulam – “commercial capital of Kerala”

Ernakulam is the green commercial capital of Kerala with one of the finest natural harbours in the world. From here, ships set sail for foreign ports with pepper, sea food, rubber and coir. From times immemorial, Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British and Portuguese seafarers followed the sea route to Cochin and left their impression in the town. The harbour is the nucleus around which Cochin has grown to become the Queen of the Arabian Sea.

Idukki
This beautiful High range district of Kerala is geographically known for its Mountainous Hills and Dense Forests. For the people of Kerala, Idukki is always associated with Power Generation. About 66% of the State's Power needs come from the Hydroelectric Power Projects in Idukki. Idukki accounts for 12.9 percent of the area of Kerala and only 3.7 percent of the population of Kerala. About 50% of its area is Reserved Forests.

Kannur
Kannur district derived its name from the location of its headquarters at Kannur town. The old name 'Cannanore' is the anglicised form of the Malayalam word Kannur. According to one opinion, 'Kannur' is a derivation from Kanathur, an ancient village, the name of which survives even today in one of the wards of Kannur Municipality.Another version is that Kannur might have assumed its name from one of the , deities of the Hindu pantheon, a compound of two words, Kannan (Lord Krishna) and Ur (place)making it the placeof Lord Krishna. In this context, it is worth mentioning that the deity of the Katalayi Sreekrishna temple was originally installed in a shrine at Katalayi Kotta in the south eastern part of the present Kannur town.

Kasaragod
Kasargod, the land of seven languages and several cultures. The name, Kasaragod, is said to be derived from the word Kusirakood meaning Nuxvomica forests (Kanjirakuttom). Kasaragod district was formed on May 24. 1984, with the intention of bestowing maximum attention on the development of backward areas that. With the formation of the new district, comprising the erstwhile Kasaragod and Hosdurg taluks, it has become possible to develop this coastal area fruitfully.

Periyar
Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats, in Kerala, is the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. The park has a picturesque lake at the heart of the sanctuary. Formed with the building of a dam in 1895, this reservoir meanders around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a perennial source of water for the local wildlife. Herds of elephant and sambar, gaur and wild pigs wander down to the lakeside and can be observed from the launches that cruise the lake. In March and April, during the driest period here, the animals spend a lot of time near the lake and the elephants can be seen bathing and swimming in the reservoir.

Thiruvananthapuram
Thiru-v-anatha-puram is a three sylable name meaning the abode of the sacred snake god "Anantha". Lord Vishnu of the ancient Indian mytholgy rests on this huge serpent. This city and district are also popularly known by its anglicised name Trivandrum.