Best Places to Visit Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala

Earlier referred to as Trivandrum is sprawling over seven hills engrossed in English government buildings side-by-side local traditional wooden houses within this seaside capital. Exactly what does Thiruvananthapuram provide you with? In keeping with its composite and cosmopolitan character, the main city city's attraction's run from museums, galleries, temples and zoo's. Having a seven stotreyed Gopuram, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple is easily the most famous site from the capital.

Thiruvallam 

( 10 km): This serene backwater stretch, enroute to Kovalam, is known for its canoe rides.
Aruvikkara Dam 
(16 km - 1/2 hour): This picturesque picnic spot is around the banks from the Karamana river. Close to the Durga Temple this is a stream filled with fish that fearlessly compare towards the shore to become fed through the visitors.
Kovalam Beach
(16 km - 1/2 hour): This globally renowned beach resort is a favourite haunt of holidaymakers because the 1930s. Kovalam includes three adjacent crescent beaches. The southernmost, referred to as Lighthouse Beach, is easily the most popular. Kovalam offers accommodation choices to suit all budgets.
Museum Complex 
The Napier Museum: Built-in the 1800s, the Indo - saracenic structure has a "natural" ac system and houses an uncommon assortment of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. Using plastic is banned within the museum premises.
Sree Chithra Gallery
Located close to the Napier Museum, this gallery displays select paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Svetlova and Nicholas Roerich and exquisite works in the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of art in India. The gathering includes paintings from China, Japan, Tibet and Bali.
The Zoological Park
Among the first zoos in India, it's situated in a well-planned botanical garden. With huge trees like frangipani and jacaranda dotting the sprawling lawns and wild fowl swimming within the lake, it is just like a little jungle in the middle of the town. A reptile house with various types of snakes can also be found in the premises.
The Kanakakunnu Palace 
The palace and it is sprawling grounds are today the venue for a lot of cultural meets and programmes.
Science Museum Complex 
The exhibits listed here are associated with science, technology and electronics.
Shankhumugham Beach 
Just 8 km in the city, this can be a favourite haunt of sunset watchers. The beach is next to the Thiruvananthapuram Airport and Veli Tourist Village. An inside recreation club, the matsya kanyaka (a gigantic, 35 m long sculpture of the mermaid) along with a restaurant in the shape of a starfish are the attractions here. Chacha Nehru Traffic Training Park here provides chance of children to understand the traffic rules.
Chacha Nehru Children's Museum 
(Open 1000 - 1700 hrs. Closed on Mondays): Kids of all age ranges will love the vast assortment of nearly 2000 dolls, stamps and masks displayed here.
Observatory 
Located in the highest reason for the town, close to the Museum complex 60 metres above sea level, it's possible to possess a bird's eye look at the town came from here.
Secretariat
Built-in the Roman architectural style, this is actually the centre of government administration in Kerala and houses the offices of ministers and also the bureaucracy.
Kerala Legislature Complex 
Located at Palayam, this is actually the new building in which the Legislative Assembly of Kerala meets. Using its towering dome, exquisitely carved galleries, ornate teak panelling and ceiling, combined with most contemporary acoustic treatment and state-of-the-art sound systems, the hall is really a beautiful mixture of classical grandeur and modernity.
Veli Tourist Village 
This picnic spot, in which the Veli Lake meets the Arabian Sea, offers boating facilities. Pedalboats and paddleboats could be hired look around the charms from the lagoon inside a leisurely manner. For any quick ride within the waters, speedboats are for sale to hire. Children enjoy climbing within the huge sculptures which dot the landscape.
Akkulam Tourist Village 
An open-air picnic spot with boating facilities, Akkulam is really a place children flock to. It features a well equipped children's park along with a paddle pool. There's a pool for adults too.
Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave 
(17 km - 1/2 hour): You will find rock cut sculptures from the 1700s within the cave temple at Vizhinjam. The granite cave here encloses a one-celled shrine having a loose sculpture of Vinandhara Dakshinamurthi. The outer wall from the cave depicts half complete reliefs from the Hindu God Shiva with Goddess Parvathi.
Koyikkal Palace, Nedumangad 
(18 km - 1/2 hour): On the method to the Ponmudi hill station and also the Courtallam waterfalls, this ancient palace goes back towards the 15th century. Here you can observe a double storeyed traditional Nalukettu building with slanting gabled roofs, an inner courtyard and museums of folklore and numismatics setup through the Department of Archeology.
Sree Mahadeva Temple 
Located in Kazhakuttom, this ancient temple is considered up to now to the 14th century. Another old temple within the district may be the Mitramandapuram Temple around the outskirts from the city.
Neyyar Dam 
(32 km - 1 hour): A well known picnic spot, Neyyar Dam includes a watch tower, crocodile farm, lion safari park and deer park. Boating facilities can be found in the reservoir.
Varkala
(40 km - 1 1/2 hours): Varkala is really a seaside resort and spa. It's also an essential Hindu centre of pilgrimage. The ultimate resting host to the great social reformer, Sree Narayana Guru, is near Varkala, atop a hill called Sivagiri. High cliffs with mineral springs rise majestically in the coastline. Based on a myth, sage Narada was approached with a number of mendicants who confessed to using sinned. Narada threw his valkkalam (cloth made from the bark of the tree) in to the air, and also the place where it landed was subsequently named Varkala. The mendicants were directed by Narada to provide their prayers within the newly created place through the seashore. Where they prayed for redemption, came into existence referred to as Papanasham Beach ( Papanasham means redemption from sins). The 2000 years old Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple and also the Nature Care Centre would be the two main attractions here.
Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary (50 km from Thiruvananthapuram)
This sanctuary spread over 53 sq. km around the Western Ghats, is obtainable from Vithurai, that is in order to Ponmudi. Using its rich plants and creatures, Peppara, dotted with hillocks, forests and eucalyptus plantations, is proving itself to be an excellent attraction for wildlife enthusiasts.
Ponmudi (61 km - 2 1/2 hours)
An idyllic hill resort with narrow, winding pathways and funky, green, wooded environs, Ponmudi is situated 915 metres above sea level. Plus a number of beautiful mountain flowers, exotic butterflies, small rivulets, springs and also the deer park nearby, this hill station also offers excellent trekking trails.
Padmanabhapuram Palace (63 km - 2 1/2 hours. Closed on Mondays)
The seat from the erstwhile rulers of Travancore, this splendid palace can be found at Thuckalai, in order to Kanyakumari. This can be a well maintained wooden palace, a glorious testimony towards the traditional Kerala school of architecture. The extraordinary murals, exquisite floral carvings and also the black glossy granite floor have withstood the exam of your time.
Kuthiramalika (Puthenmalika) Palace Museum
The palace was built by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma - the King of Travancore, who had been an excellent poet, musician, social reformer and statesman. This rare specimen of workmanship within the traditional Travancore type of architecture also offers exquisite wood carvings. The palace museum displays paintings as well as other priceless collections from the royal family and it is located close to the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
Agasthyakoodam
Area of the Sahyadri selection of mountains, Agasthyakoodam may be the next to the highest peak in Kerala, in a height of 1890 metres above sea level. Teeming with wildlife, the forests of Agasthyakoodam abound in rare medicinal plants and herbs and brilliantly hued orchids. A bird watcher's paradise, this legendary mountain is obtainable by foot from Kotoor, near Neyyar Dam, as also from Bonacaud. The growing season from December to April is advocated for trekking, that a forest pass needs to be from the Wildlife Warden, Forest Department, PTP Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram.