The short answer: fly into whichever of Kerala’s four airports sits closest to where your trip begins: Kochi for the centre (Fort Kochi, Munnar, the backwaters), Thiruvananthapuram for the south (Kovalam, Varkala), Kozhikode for the north and Wayanad, or Kannur for far-north Malabar. All four are on India’s official e-Visa entry list. If you are already in India, trains are the classic way in: the railway runs the length of the state, and from Mumbai and Goa the coastal Konkan line brings you down to Mangaluru, just north of Kerala. Kerala’s state transport corporation, KSRTC, also sells long-distance bus seats online.
I grew up in Kerala, and the way I have watched visitors lose a day is almost always the same: flying into the “wrong” end of a long, narrow state and then spending eight hours on the road. Kerala is not big, but its roads are slow. Choosing your arrival point well is the single easiest way to give yourself more time on a veranda and less time in a car. This guide covers air, rail and road, with the official link for every rule at the end. Once you have arrived, getting around Kerala without a driver picks up the story.
Which Kerala airport should you fly into?
Start from your first base, not from the cheapest fare. Here is how the four airports line up from south to north:
| Airport | Where it is | Run by | Best first base for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) | About 3.7 km west of the city centre; Kovalam beach is 14 km away | Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (Adani Group) | Kovalam, Varkala, the far south |
| Kochi (Cochin) | North of Kochi city, linked by a feeder bus to Aluva metro station | Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) | Fort Kochi, Munnar, Alappuzha and the backwaters |
| Kozhikode (Calicut) | Malappuram district, serving Kozhikode | Airports Authority of India | Kozhikode, Wayanad |
| Kannur | Mattannur, Kannur district; opened 9 December 2018 | Kannur International Airport Ltd (promoted by the Government of Kerala) | Kannur, Kasaragod, northern Wayanad |
For most first-time visitors, Kochi is the natural choice: it sits in the middle of the state, close to the three things most people come for (Fort Kochi, the backwaters and the tea hills around Munnar). If you are torn between the hills, Munnar vs Wayanad will help you decide, and that decision usually settles the airport too: Munnar points to Kochi, Wayanad points to Kozhikode or Kannur.
A useful trick for longer trips is an open-jaw route: fly into one end of the state and out of the other. Arrive in Thiruvananthapuram, travel north slowly by train, and leave from Kozhikode or Kannur. You never backtrack, and the train does the heavy lifting.
Can international visitors fly straight into Kerala?
Yes. Calicut (Kozhikode), Cochin (Kochi), Kannur and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram) are all on the list of airports where e-Visa holders may enter India, and Cochin is also an e-Visa seaport for cruise passengers, according to the official e-Visa portal. If your flight connects through another Indian city first, you clear immigration there and the Kerala leg becomes a domestic flight. Visa types, the e-Arrival card and other paperwork are covered in Kerala entry rules: e-Visa, ID and forest permits.
How do you get from the airport to your first stop?
- Kochi: Kochi Metro (KMRL) runs an electric feeder bus between the airport and Aluva metro station, where you can pick up the metro into the city; CIAL publishes the feeder bus timetable. CIAL also runs an online prepaid taxi booking service, which is the simplest option if you land late or are heading straight to Fort Kochi or the hills.
- Thiruvananthapuram: note the two terminals. Terminal 1, near Shanghumugham beach, handles domestic flights; Terminal 2 at Chackai handles international flights. They are separate buildings, so check which one your ticket uses, especially for a domestic connection.
- Kozhikode and Kannur: both list transport, taxi and parking pages on their official sites. Check them before you land, and if you are going on to Wayanad, plan for a hill road rather than a quick hop.
Can you reach Kerala by train?
Yes, and it is one of the nicest ways to arrive. Kerala Tourism describes a rail network that links the whole state from Kasaragod in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south, with Kochi, Alappuzha, Varkala and Bekal all on the network. From the north and west of India, the key piece is the Konkan Railway: a 740 km line from Roha (near Mumbai) to Thokur (near Mangaluru) that runs through the hills of the western coast, according to Konkan Railway. From Mangaluru, trains carry on south into Kerala. From the east, trains come in from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka through the gap in the Western Ghats at Palakkad.
Long-distance trains are booked through IRCTC, Indian Railways’ official ticketing site. Coming from Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai or Goa, a sleeper berth overnight saves both a hotel night and a travel day, which is about as slow-travel as logistics get.
How do foreign visitors book Indian trains?
Foreign visitors can book on IRCTC directly. A few things to know from IRCTC’s own guides:
- Registering: international users sign up with an email address and a non-Indian mobile number (country code other than 91). Both are verified by one-time code, and users whose country of residence is outside India pay a one-off registration fee of ₹100 plus GST. See the IRCTC international user guide.
- Foreign Tourist quota: IRCTC sets aside a Foreign Tourist (FT) quota on many trains. Passport number and nationality are mandatory, agents cannot book it, payment is by international card only, and every passenger must carry the original passport with a valid visa on board. Without it, the passenger is treated as travelling without a ticket. The terms are in IRCTC’s FT quota conditions; check the fare shown at booking, as it differs from the general quota.
- ID on board: on any e-ticket, at least one passenger must carry an original photo ID such as a passport, per the IRCTC e-ticket FAQ.
Can you reach Kerala by bus?
Yes. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), the state-run bus company, takes online reservations through its KSRTC-SWIFT booking site, which lists its toll-free number for route questions. Overnight buses from neighbouring states are popular with travellers from Bengaluru and Chennai. Search your origin city on the site to see current interstate routes, and book early around festivals and long weekends, when seats go fast.
Inside Kerala, the red KSRTC buses are the backbone of travel between towns and up into the hills. That side of things, along with ferries, the Kochi Metro and autos, is in getting around Kerala without a driver.
Which way in suits your trip?
| You are… | Easiest way in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flying from abroad, first trip | Fly into Kochi | Central, close to Fort Kochi, the backwaters and Munnar |
| Flying from abroad, beach-first trip | Fly into Thiruvananthapuram | Kovalam is 14 km from the airport; Varkala is up the coast |
| Heading straight to Wayanad or Malabar | Fly into Kozhikode or Kannur | Saves a long drive north from Kochi |
| Coming from Mumbai or Goa | Train down the Konkan coast | Scenic, overnight options, arrives on Kerala’s coastal line |
| Coming from Bengaluru or Chennai | Overnight train or KSRTC bus | No airport transfers; you wake up in Kerala |
| Doing a long, slow trip | Open-jaw: in at one end, out at the other | No backtracking |
Timing matters too. Peak season around December and January fills flights, trains and buses, and the monsoon can slow hill roads. When to visit Kerala walks through the year month by month, and how to plan a slow Kerala trip yourself helps you choose bases once you know where you are landing.
Quick answers
How many international airports does Kerala have?
Four: Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur. Kannur’s operator describes it as the state’s fourth international airport, and all four are on the e-Visa entry list.
Is Kozhikode airport actually in Kozhikode?
Not quite. The Airports Authority of India gives its address as Calicut Airport PO in Malappuram district, though it serves Kozhikode and the north.
Which Thiruvananthapuram terminal do I need?
Terminal 1 is domestic and Terminal 2 is international, and they are in different places, so check your ticket.
Do foreigners need an Indian phone number to book trains?
No. IRCTC’s international registration uses a non-Indian mobile number plus email verification, with a ₹100 plus GST fee for users resident outside India.
Verify the latest
- e-Visa entry airports and seaports in Kerala: Indian e-Visa portal
- Thiruvananthapuram airport location, terminals and distance to Kovalam: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
- Kochi airport feeder bus to Aluva metro: CIAL feeder bus timetable (PDF); prepaid taxis: CIAL prepaid taxi booking
- Kozhikode (Calicut) airport: Airports Authority of India
- Kannur airport: Kannur International Airport Ltd
- Konkan Railway route: Konkan Railway Corporation
- Kerala’s rail network: Kerala Tourism
- IRCTC registration for international users: IRCTC guide (PDF); Foreign Tourist quota: FT terms (PDF); photo ID: e-ticket FAQ
- KSRTC online bus reservations: KSRTC-SWIFT
Last checked: 23 October 2026.