Kochi's brand new international airport is at Nedumbassery, near Alwaye (aka Alua), 26km to the north of Ernakulam. Kochi is served by daily flights from Mumbai, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi , and six each week from Chennai . Two weekly flights depart from Goa, Hyderabad, Kozhikode , and Coimbatore , as well as the Lakshadweep Islands and the Gulf States of Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Sharjah and Muscat . There are three railway stations - Ernakulam Junction (tel 131), closest to the centre, is the most important; Ernakulam Town lies 4km to the north. No trains run to Fort Cochin or Mattancherry. The Cochin Harbour Terminus, on Willingdon Island, is useful only for people staying in one of the luxury hotels on the island.

 

The KSRTC Central bus stand (tel 0484/372033), beside the rail line a short way east of MG Road and north of Ernakulam Junction, is the principal and most convenient stand for long-distance buses. There are two bus stands for private buses, which are not officially permitted to use the state highways; these buses, which have been responsible for several horrendous accidents, stop more frequently and compete with each other, overtake very dangerously, and tend to be more crowded than KSRTC buses. The Kaloor stand (rural destinations to the south and east) is across the bridge from Ernakulam Town railway station on the Alwaye Road, and the High Court stand (buses to Kumily, for Periyar Wildlife Reserve, and north to Thrissur, Guruvayur and Kodungallur) is opposite the High Court ferry jetty.

Although auto-rickshaws are plentiful and reliable in Ernakulam, and to a slightly lesser extent across the water in Mattancherry and Fort Cochin, everyone uses Kochi's excellent ferry system . Bicycles for exploring Mattancherry and the rest of old Kochi can be rented from a small shop on Bazaar Road between Hotel Seagull and Fort Cochin or from Adams Old Inn (Rs5 per hour).