Best Time to Visit Kochi

December to February: the dry, easy months

This is the best stretch to visit, and December and January score highest. Days are warm and the evenings are a little softer, with lows of 24°C in both months. Rain is rare, and the sun is out for most of the day.

It's perfect for walking around Fort Kochi. You can wander past the Chinese fishing nets, browse the spice shops and galleries in Jew Town, and catch a Kathakali show (a Kerala dance-drama with painted faces). Ferries to Vypeen and Willingdon Island are pleasant rides rather than damp ones.

Expect crowds and higher prices, especially around Christmas and New Year. Fort Kochi's streets get busy, and the Cochin Carnival in late December ends with a big New Year's Eve burning of a giant Papa Njan figure. If you hate crowds, aim for early February.

March to April: hot, then stormy

March is the hottest month, with highs of 34°C and nights of 27°C. It's sticky by midafternoon, so plan sightseeing for the morning and rest indoors after lunch. Rain starts showing up, and April's pre-monsoon storms arrive on 17 days.

Hotels are quieter and cheaper. Vishu, the Malayalam new year in mid-April, brings a festive family feel, with a morning ritual of viewing auspicious things called the Vishu Kani. It's a good time if you'd rather see local life than other tourists.

May to October: the monsoon

Between June and July, rain falls on nearly every day, and July is the wettest month at 468 mm. Skies stay grey, and the sun barely shows. The sea is rough, so don't plan a beach holiday. Flooded streets can slow down getting around.

But it has a point. The hills and paddies are bright green, and Ayurvedic (traditional Indian medicine) centres run their popular monsoon treatments. Prices drop, and you'll have the lanes of Mattancherry mostly to yourself. Onam, Kerala's biggest harvest festival, falls in late August or September. It brings flower carpets, big feasts served on banana leaves, and the Vallam Kali snake boat races nearby at Alappuzha.

November: a shoulder month

November is still wet, with rain on 20 days, but the storms are easing. If you want fewer crowds and don't mind a few showers, it's a decent gamble. Come back in December for the full dry season.