Cherthala

Cherthala is a small town in Kerala.

Get in
One way to get there is to travel on the train from Ernakulam or Alleppey. Cherthala is connected to Ernakulam and other major towns like Alleppey and Thiruvananthapuram by the arterial national highway (NH 66) which runs very close to the town. The nearest airport is the Cochin International Airport. The other ways are as follows. 1. Use a bus from Ernakulam to Alleppey. Almost everybus stops in cherthala. A new route by KSRTC low floor AC VOLVO also plys through the route. 2. There is buses from Kottyam to cherthala. Both KSRTC and Private buses is there. 3. Use SWTD boat service to reach Thavanakadavu from Vaikom. From Thavanakadavu there is buses to Cherthala every 5 minutes or less. This is the easy route for people from Vaikom or near areas to reach College Of Engineering, Cherthala

Get around
The best way to travel around the town is to hire a taxi or an auto-rickshaw. Buses (both private and state transport) are available frequently to travel around at a cheap price.

See

 * Cherthala has several beaches, backwaters and the largest lake of India. Popular tourist beaches are Marari beach, Arthunkal and Andhakaranazhy. They are free to visit. Thanneermukkom Dam a scenic place and Kumarakom Bird sanctuary is nearby.


 * St. Andrew's Forane Church of Arthunkal.jpg Arthunkal Basilica is a must see place when you are in cherthala. Its one of 6 basalicas in Kerala for the Catholics. The shrine was made by Portuguese people which is still kept intact. Arthunkal beach is in front of this Church.


 * Andhakaranazhy Beach is a good place to visit. Its just 10 km from Cherthala town. Watching sunset with your lovable one, this is the best place you can have around the town.


 * Thaneermukkam is where the biggest saltwater blockade is located. You can have a nice house boat ride in those backwaters, an experience you will never forget. This place is also famous for "kallushaps" or Toddy parlours which has excellent curries. you shouldn't miss it.


 * Pathriramanal or the midnight sands in a beautiful island near to town. The island is excellent repository of flora and fauna which is still uninhabited by man kind. Boats are available to island which should be missed. (Boats take ₹500 per group for journey to the island to and fro.)


 * Various local Hindu temples — Cherthala Karthyayani temple, Varanad Devi temple, Kalavamkodam Saktheeswaran temple, Nagamkulangara Shiva temple, Kollappally Devi temple, etc. are amazing places to visit and spend time. But make sure to not violate any cultural practices and etiquette. These temples also have large temple ponds, old banyan trees, and plain monastery grounds where you can meditate or relax.



Do

 * Beach walk — Cherthala has numerous beaches towards its west side, some of which are never crowded. Apart from the popular Marari, Arthunkal and Andhakaranazhy beaches, less crowded ones include Chethi, Thykkal, Ottamassery, etc.
 * Boating — You can travel through backwaters of Cherthala in small canoes.

Drink

 * Sweet tender coconut water is the locally available nourishing beverage in Cherthala. Specialist coconut climbers will pluck raw fresh tender coconut in front of you and make it drinkable with 4 or 5 slices on top portion to make a hole in it.
 * Sweet toddy is a popular acloholic drinks of Cherthala
 * Sarbath, lime soda, freshlime and lime water are common drinks available everywhere for cheap price.
 * Shakes are a popular drink that is available in almost all bakeries

Go next

 * Alappuzha (20 km)
 * Kochi (30 km)&mdash;economic capital of Kerala with several historical towns and buildings
 * Kumarakom (17 km) &mdash; a beautiful place with an internationally known bird sanctuary.