Ernakulam, Kerala, India, Indian Sub-Continent, Asia

Getty Images/Lonely Planet Image

Hill Palace Museum

Kochi (Cochin)


Around 13km east of Ernakulam, this impressive 49-building palace complex was formerly the residence of the Kochi royal family. It now houses the collections of the royal families, as well as 19th-century oil paintings, old coins, sculptures and paintings, jewellery and temple models. Keep an eye out for the diamond-studded, 1.75kg gold crown – a gift from Portugal via Vasco da Gama. Autorickshaws from Ernakulam charge ₹350 return with one-hour waiting time.

Note that photography isn't allowed inside and the gardens are a bit tatty.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kochi (Cochin) attractions

1. Kerala Folklore Museum

4.62 MILES

Created in Kerala style from ancient temples and beautiful old houses collected by its owner, an antique dealer, the family-run folklore museum houses a…

2. Mattancherry Palace

7.1 MILES

Mattancherry Palace was a generous gift presented to the Raja of Kochi, Veera Kerala Varma (1537–65), as a gesture of goodwill by the Portuguese in 1555…

3. Pardesi Synagogue

7.13 MILES

Originally built in 1568, Mattancherry's synagogue was partially destroyed by the Portuguese in 1662, and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took…

4. Jewish Cemetery

7.21 MILES

Just southwest of Mattancherry's synagogue, the undisturbed Jewish Cemetery contains ancient tombstones marked with Hebrew script.

6. Kashi Art Gallery

8.29 MILES

The pioneer of Fort Cochin’s art revival, Kashi displays changing exhibitions of local artists in a creatively restored Dutch heritage house, attached to…

7. Santa Cruz Basilica

8.29 MILES

Built on the site of an early-16th-century Portuguese church (demolished during the British Raj), Fort Cochin's imposing neoclassical Catholic basilica…

8. Chinese Fishing Nets

8.37 MILES

The unofficial emblems of Kerala’s backwaters, and perhaps the most photographed, are the half-dozen giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on Fort…