Bolgatty Palace and Island: Kochi's 1744 Dutch Palace, Explained

Bolgatty Palace was built in 1744 by a Dutch trader on Mulavukad, locally known as Bolgatty Island, just across the water from Ernakulam's High Court jetty. It is one of the oldest Dutch palaces outside the Netherlands, it housed the British Resident of Kochi from 1909 until independence, and since 1976 it has been run by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) as a heritage hotel. The boat from High Court Junction takes under 10 minutes; by road, you cross the Goshree bridges.

• Who built Bolgatty Palace?
• How do you reach Bolgatty Palace?
• What is at Bolgatty Palace today?
• What else is on Bolgatty Island?

Who built Bolgatty Palace?

A Dutch trader, in 1744, when the Dutch East India Company held Fort Kochi (1663 to 1795). It later served as the governor's palace for the commander of Dutch Malabar, which explains why a trading company outpost ended up with a house this grand.

When power shifted, the palace shifted with it. Here is the short version:

Year	What happened
1744	Built by a Dutch trader
1909	The Raja of Kochi leased it to the British; it became the seat of the British Resident
1947	Became state property after independence
1976	KTDC took over and turned it into a heritage hotel

The house sits on about 8 acres of lawns and old trees on the southern tip of the island, looking out over the backwaters that lead to Vembanad Lake. It is Dutch in style, white and solid, and it sits comfortably in its garden setting.

How do you reach Bolgatty Palace?

• By boat: Kerala Tourism says the trip by boat from High Court Junction takes under 10 minutes. It is the nicer way to arrive.
• By Water Metro: the High Court to South Chittoor Water Metro route, inaugurated in March 2024, runs via Bolgatty.
• By road: cross the Goshree bridges from Ernakulam, the same bridges that link the city to Vallarpadam and Vypin. Our Goshree bridges guide tells that story.

Check the Water Metro timetable before you plan around it, and confirm the boat option locally.

What is at Bolgatty Palace today?

It is a working hotel first and a monument second, and it is worth being clear-eyed about that. KTDC does not advertise galleries or museum rooms; it runs the property as a hotel. What the property offers, according to KTDC and Kerala Tourism:

• Rooms in the palace and around the grounds
• A nine-hole golf course around the property
• A swimming pool and an Ayurvedic spa
• A multi-cuisine restaurant
• Kathakali performances, with boat cruises arranged on request

If you are expecting a heritage site with labelled rooms and exhibits, you will be disappointed; the Mattancherry Palace across the harbour does that job. What Bolgatty gives you instead is the chance to sit on a Dutch-era lawn with the backwaters in front of you. We could not find a published policy on visits by non-guests, so if you are not staying, call KTDC before you set out.

What else is on Bolgatty Island?

The island is part of the city, with Vallarpadam and Vypin to its west and Vaduthala to its east, and the Goshree bridges tying it to the mainland. It is also home to a very different kind of building from the old palace: the Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty and the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre, developed by the Lulu Group and open since April 2018. The convention centre is a large indoor and outdoor event space whose biggest hall, Liwa, can take a few thousand guests, making it one of the city's bigger venues for weddings and conferences.

Put the two side by side and you get the island's whole story: an 18th-century trading house on one end, a modern convention complex a short distance away. If you liked this, read about how the Portuguese, Dutch and British shaped Kochi, or plan a wider island-hopping day by ferry. More ideas under things to do.