Kovalam & Thiruvananthapuram travel guide

Crescent beaches by the lighthouse and the capital's temples and museums. Most people stay 2–3 nights. Best months: Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar.

Highlights

Lighthouse Beach and Vizhinjam lighthouse climb · 3 h · about ₹50 per person. Climb the lighthouse late afternoon for views over the three bays; swim only in the flagged areas.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Hindus only) · 2 h · free. Entry is for Hindus only, with a strict dress code: men in a mundu with bare chest, women in a sari or long skirt and blouse (mundus can be rented at the gate). Phones are not allowed inside.
Napier Museum and Thiruvananthapuram Zoo · 3 h · about ₹100 per person. The Indo-Saracenic museum building is a sight in itself; the zoo is one of India's older, greener ones. Closed Mondays, so check hours.
Poovar estuary and golden sand beach by boat · 2.5 h · about ₹1,200 per person. Boats wind through mangroves to the sandbar where the Neyyar meets the sea; about 30 min south of Kovalam.
Ayurveda treatment at a Kovalam resort · 2 h · about ₹2,500 per person
Kuthiramalika (Puthenmalika) Palace Museum · 1 h · about ₹100 per person. Carved wooden palace of the Travancore kings beside the Padmanabhaswamy temple, open to all; closed Mondays.

Lighthouse Beach guesthouses (budget, ₹1,500–₹3,500 a night): A short walk to the sand and seafood restaurants.
Kovalam hillside hotels and Thiruvananthapuram centre (mid, ₹4,000–₹9,000 a night): Sea-view rooms above the bays, or city hotels for temples and early flights.
Kovalam clifftop and Poovar island resorts (premium, ₹12,000–₹35,000 a night): Infinity pools over the sea, or floating cottages on the Poovar estuary.

Onam-style sadya on a banana leaf: Vegetarian restaurants in Thiruvananthapuram (daily sadya at many)
Seafood on the sand: Lighthouse Beach restaurants

May–Sep: rough seas; swim only where lifeguards are on duty at any time of year.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kovalam and Varkala · 6 days, Kovalam & Thiruvananthapuram → Varkala · from ₹24,175 per person, base estimate before flights. Kerala's southern tip from one airport: the capital's museums and temple, Kovalam's lighthouse bay and the Poovar estuary, then the cliffs of Varkala.
Grand Kerala: Kochi to Kovalam in twelve nights · 13 days, Kochi (Fort Kochi) → Munnar → Thekkady (Periyar) → Alleppey (Alappuzha) → Varkala → Kovalam & Thiruvananthapuram · from ₹70,175 per person, base estimate before flights. Everything in one trip: Kochi and Athirappilly Falls, Munnar and Periyar in the hills, the Alleppey backwaters, Varkala's cliffs and the temples and beaches of Thiruvananthapuram.