Thiruvananthapuram ("City of the Sacred Serpent"), the capital of Kerala, is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west. Also known as Trivandrum in the popular parlance the city is home to temples and museums. The wooded highlands on the Western Ghats in the Eastern, and North Eastern borders give some of the most enchanting picnic spots, a long shoreline, with internationally renowned beaches, historic monuments, backwater stretches and a rich cultural heritage make this district a much sought after tourist destination. With a good infrastructure, the city is an excellent base to explore Varkala, a famous seaside holiday destination.

Sights to See

Kovalam Beach
This Internationally renowned Beach Resort has been a favourite haunt of tourists since the 1930s. Kovalam consists of three adjacent crescent beaches. The Southernmost, known as the Lighthouse beach, is the most popular Kovalam offers accommodation options to suit all budgets.

Padmanabha Swamy Temple
The temple is located inside the East Fort. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it is fine blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture. It is known for its mural Paintings and stone Carvings. One among the 108 sacred Vishnu shrines in India, the presiding deity in here is Lord Vishnu reclining on Anantha the serpent.

Kuthiramalika Palace Museum
The palace was built by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma - the King of Travancore, who was a great poet, musician, social reformer and statesman. This rare specimen of workmanship in the traditional Travancore style of architecture also has exquisite wood carvings. The palace museum displays paintings and various priceless collections of the royal family.

The Napier Museum
Built in the 19th century, the Indo - Saracenic structure boasts a "natural" air-conditioning system and houses a rare collection of archaeological and historic artefacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. The use of plastic is banned in the museum premises. Sree Chithra Art Gallery

Located near the Napier Museum, this art gallery displays select paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Svetlova and Nicholas Roerich and exquisite works from the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of Art In India. Other places of interest are The Zoological Park, Priyadarshini Planetarium, Observatory, Shankhumugham Beach & Connemera Market.