Kozhikode

Kozhikode (Malayalam: കോഴിക്കോട്), commonly known as Calicut, is the second largest city in Kerala.

Understand
Kozhikode was the capital of Zamorin kings until the British made it part of the Madras province. Also called called Calicut, the city was a major port on the Maritime Silk Road, frequented by traders from Arabia, Persia and later Europe. The English word calico, a cotton textile, originated from this city's old name.

Kozhikode used to be a romantic location with the charm of centuries-old streets and the smell of local sweets in the air. Today, Kozhikode is a developed city with high tech malls and modern cafe's. The city is a center of commerce and trade.

Kozhikode has many important educational institutions including Calicut Medical College, Government Engineering College Kozhikode, Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Technology and Nielt.

Kozhikode has a rich tradition in the folk arts. Thirayattam is one of the most outstanding ethnic performing art of Kozhikode district. This ritualistic annual celebration enacted in courtyards of sacred groves and village shrine of Kozhikode and Malappuram district. Thirayattam annual festival in between January to April.

By plane
The nearest airports is Kozhikode/Karipur International Airport, 27 km and Kannur , 93 km, both international airports.

By train
Direct trains are available from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram. For railway enquiries, you can find timetables, prices and other details at Indian Railways



By bus
Buses are available from all South Indian cities.

By road
Driving is tiresome as the roads are busy and traffic blocks are very frequent. Do not miss the aliut beach road with its natural surroundings. Bangalore road is closed during night time.

By bus
Buses charge ₹8.00 for 5 km.
 * City buses are green-coloured here and they are very punctual and cheap. All the city buses originate and terminate in the Mananchira Pond area. Buses going to Pavangad, Elathur, Nadakkavu areas originate from the Head Post Office side of Mananchira. Buses going to Medical College and Mavoor Road stop at the Income Tax side of Mananchira.  Buses going to Feroke, Kallayi and Beypore stop at the Girls School side of Mananchira.
 * Buses are very infrequent to the beach area. You have to walk the 2-km distance or take an auto-rickshaw.
 * Private buses originate from the New Bus Stand on Mavoor Road (1 km). Private buses to nearby villages originate from the old Bus Stand at Palayam (1 km).
 * Government buses originate from the New KSRTC Bus Station on Mavoor road. This modern bus station has traveller amenities. Parking is provided for 270 cars. They have slow-moving, low-floor, air-conditioned buses to nearby towns.  You can make use of these buses for travelling inside the city.

Bus numbers
Bus numbers for green city buses:


 * Bhat Road Beach. 110B
 * Chaliyam Seawalk. 215
 * Cheruvantta River.121
 * Kadalundy Jetty. 210K
 * Kalipoika Boating. 113
 * Kappad Beach. 9
 * Karad River. 223
 * Karuvan Thuruthy River. 213
 * Kozhikode City. K.0
 * Malikadavu River. 12
 * Mampuzha Bridge. 231P
 * Manakkadavu River. 246
 * Mananchira Squire. K1
 * Mukkathu Jetty. 211K
 * Odumbra Jetty. 242
 * Payyanakkal Beach. 239
 * Puthiyappa Beach. 105
 * Thamarassery Hill. 8

By auto rickshaw
The usual charge is ₹30 for every km.

By taxi
Because the weather is hot throughout the year and the humidity quite high, an air conditioned vehicle is one thing you cannot economize here. Uber and ola like call taxis are also available.

By car
There are many rental companies offering cars with drivers or self-drive. Traffic blocks exceeding one hour are common. Keep away from Kallayi Road and Wayanad Road as traffic is heavy and dead-slow.

By foot
Walking is near impossible as traffic is erratic and heavy. The noise created by endless motorcyclists is unbearably prominent even in interior roads. The long beach road from Beypore to Elathur (16 km) is the only peaceful area to walk.

See

 * CVN Kalari, a traditional Kalarippayattu institution for martial arts and marma chikitsa practiced and performed since 1945, Nadakkavu, Kozhikode.
 * CVN Kalari, a traditional Kalarippayattu institution for martial arts and marma chikitsa practiced and performed since 1945, Nadakkavu, Kozhikode.

Temples

 * Nochipra Shree Bhagavathy Kshetram (Temple), on People's Road, Near Indian Express Newspaper, West Hill, with almost 950-year-old Bhuvaneshwari Devi family temple.
 * Nochipra Shree Bhagavathy Kshetram (Temple), on People's Road, Near Indian Express Newspaper, West Hill, with almost 950-year-old Bhuvaneshwari Devi family temple.
 * Nochipra Shree Bhagavathy Kshetram (Temple), on People's Road, Near Indian Express Newspaper, West Hill, with almost 950-year-old Bhuvaneshwari Devi family temple.
 * Nochipra Shree Bhagavathy Kshetram (Temple), on People's Road, Near Indian Express Newspaper, West Hill, with almost 950-year-old Bhuvaneshwari Devi family temple.
 * Nochipra Shree Bhagavathy Kshetram (Temple), on People's Road, Near Indian Express Newspaper, West Hill, with almost 950-year-old Bhuvaneshwari Devi family temple.
 * Nochipra Shree Bhagavathy Kshetram (Temple), on People's Road, Near Indian Express Newspaper, West Hill, with almost 950-year-old Bhuvaneshwari Devi family temple.

Do




Buy




Budget




Splurge

 * Mezben Restaurant, ₹800 per head average
 * Mezben Restaurant, ₹800 per head average

Budget

 * Amrutha, Mavoor Road, near New Bus Stand. No Parking facility

Mid-range

 * Hotel Sasthapuri, M.M. Ali Road, near Palayam Bus Stand. Sasthapuri has a roof garden which opens from 5PM and is the only decent place (other than Sea Queen) that allows you to smoke while seated.
 * Sea Queen, Beach Road. Has a separate smoking area and is the one of the only decent places that lets you smoke while seated.

Night life
Nightlife is now visible in the Thondayad area and the city area. There are pubs attached to hotels like westway hotel Gateway and Raviz. There are many malls and shopping centers which are open to late night. Also there are many lounges and bars which also provide service to late night.

Sleep
Traffic snarls make day time travel very difficult in most parts of the Kozhikode city. It is advisable to take a room in a hotel near the beach where there are no traffic issues. The 18 km road between Beypore and Pavangad lies entirely on the beach and has very light traffic.

Go next
Long-distance buses originate from the KSRTC bus station on Mavoor road and it is better if you to reserve a ticket six hours before travel. Trains are available to all Indian cities if you can make an advanced reservation at least three days before travel. There is a Silverline bus from Kozhikode to Kottayam at 8:15PM. It stops only twice before the destination and reservations can be made online.

Tourist destinations

 * Kannur &mdash; beach city, fort, Theyyam dance, 92 km.
 * Malampuzha dam and gardens, 134 km.
 * Meppadi hills, tea estates, trekking possibilities and fine resorts. 79 km.
 * Mysore city. lots of palaces and lots of gardens. 177 km.
 * Ooty, major hill stations with many fine hotels, 157 km.

Nearby places

 * Beypore, sea walk, port and jankar ride, 13 km.
 * Feroke, Kadalundy bird sanctuary and Chaliyam fishing village, 13 km.
 * Kondotty, Arimbra Hills and old mosques, 28 km.
 * Kunnamangalam Mountains, Waterfalls and a Hanging bridge, 15 km.
 * Thamarassery, plantations, valley views and Tusharagiri waterfall, 30 km.
 * Vatakara Museums, Kuttiady dam and Peruvannamuzhi Gardens, 50 km.