Kerala’s capital city Thiruvananthapuram may be a mouthful for visitors, but fortunately it usually goes by its Anglicised name, Trivandrum. There’s more politics in this city than cultural attractions, but visitors will find enough to get them started at the two main tourist centre that punctuate the ends of Trivandrum’s main thoroughfare, Mahatma Ghandi street (MG street).

At one end lies the Museum Complex, a cluster of cultural highlights surrounding a large and pleasant public park. The very impressive Napier Museum is the venue not to miss here, but the Sri Chitra art gallery is also worth a visit. At the other end of MG street, an interesting 45-minute walk full of local life, is the historic Fort district where you won’t want to miss exploring the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple and the Puthin Malika Palace Museum. Between these two hubs, there are a handful of other interesting sites around Trivandrum; however, many visitors will find the surrounding countryside much more rewarding.