Until recently known as Cochin, Kochi is spice town with a vibrant and cosmopolitan history. A walking tour is the best way to discover the old streets of Fort Cochin whose eventful history began in 1341 when a flood opened this previously landlocked area, turning it into one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Kochi became a haven for seafaring visitors from all over the world and the first European township in India when the Portuguese settled here in the 15th century.

With a Portuguese, Dutch and British past Kochi was a prime commercial centre - specialising in exotic spices from the east - major military base, cultural hub, great ship building centre, a centre for Christianity.

Today a walking tour of its streets reveals old warehouses still home to the famous spices, the city’s famous Chinese fishing nets, the old Mattancherry Palace and Synagogue.