Vypin Island, Kochi: How to Get There, What It Is Like, and Who It Suits

Vypin is a long, narrow island of about 27 km that runs north from the mouth of Kochi harbour, facing Fort Kochi across the water. Since June 2004 it has been joined to the mainland by the Goshree bridges, which land near the High Court end of Marine Drive, and a single state highway runs the length of the island to Munambam at its northern tip. It is where much of Kochi goes for a beach day, and home to fishing villages, a port-side industrial belt and a lot of people packed onto a narrow strip of land.

• Vypin at a glance
• What is the speciality of Vypin Island?
• How to reach Vypin Island from Fort Kochi?
• Are Vypin and Fort Kochi the same?
• Is Vypin a good place to live?

Vypin at a glance

What	Detail
Length	About 27 km, north to south
Main road	State Highway 63, about 25.5 km from Vypin to Munambam, through Puthuvype, Njarakkal, Cherai and Pallippuram
Road link to the city	The Goshree bridges, fully opened on 5 June 2004, via Bolgatty and Vallarpadam to Marine Drive
Water links	Water Metro from High Court; Ro-Ro vehicle ferry from Fort Kochi
Beaches	Puthuvype, Kuzhuppilly, Cherai and Munambam
Local bodies	Gram panchayats including Elamkunnapuzha, Njarackal, Nayarambalam, Edavanakkad, Kuzhuppilly and Pallippuram

What is the speciality of Vypin Island?

Its coastline. Vypin is a barrier island with the Arabian Sea on its west side and the backwaters on its east, so the whole western edge is beach. Cherai is the one everyone knows and the busiest; Puthuvype, at the southern end, has the Puthuvype lighthouse, which Kerala Tourism lists as open to visitors from 3 pm to 5 pm. For a full beach day, our Cherai Beach day trip guide covers the details.

The other two things the island is known for sit at the northern tip. Munambam Fishing Harbour is described as the largest fishing harbour in Kochi, and Pallipuram Fort is a 16th-century Portuguese fort that is part of the Muziris Heritage Project. If you are going that far, it pairs well with a Muziris heritage day trip.

The southern end is less postcard. Puthuvype is also home to the Puthuvype LNG terminal, and the port and container activity around Vallarpadam is right next door, so the first stretch after the bridges is industrial before the island turns green and residential.

How to reach Vypin Island from Fort Kochi?

By ferry, not by road. The Ro-Ro vehicle ferry runs across the channel from Fort Kochi to Vypin, carrying foot passengers, two-wheelers and cars across the harbour entrance. By road the trip is a long loop back through the city and over the Goshree bridges, which rarely makes sense. Our piece on the Fort Kochi-Vypin Ro-Ro ferries explains how the service works.

From the Ernakulam side, the easiest options are:

• Water Metro: the High Court terminal runs boats to the Vypin terminal, near the Ro-Ro jetty. Fares are revised from time to time, so check the current fare before you travel.
• Car or auto: straight over the Goshree bridges from Marine Drive, then north on SH 63.

Are Vypin and Fort Kochi the same?

No. They are separate places on either side of the harbour entrance, the gap in the coast through which ships reach Cochin Port. Fort Kochi is on the south side, with the Chinese fishing nets and the colonial-era streets; Vypin is the long island to the north. You can see one from the other, which is why so many visitors assume they are the same, but getting between them means taking the ferry.

Is Vypin a good place to live?

Crowded, coastal and dependent on one road. Vypin is a densely populated island, and it feels it: houses, churches, schools and shops line SH 63 almost continuously, and the highway is the spine everything hangs off. In our view the pay-off is the sea: on most of the island the beach is a short walk or ride away, and Kochi's largest fishing harbour is at the top of the road.

The trade-off is the commute. Every road trip into town funnels over the Goshree bridges onto Marine Drive, so the city end backs up at rush hour, and the further north you live, the longer the drive. People working near High Court or Marine Drive have it easiest, especially if they can use the Water Metro. For anyone commuting to Kakkanad every day, Vypin is a hard sell. If you are weighing it against other parts of the city, browse our other neighbourhood guides.