Alappuzha beach and the 1862 lighthouse
Alleppey · 4 hrs · Cab included · Pickup from your stay
From ₹3500 for the whole vehicle, up to 6 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹3500 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The roomier one for a family day. ₹4500 for the vehicle.
Alleppey has a sea, and almost every visitor misses it
People come to Alleppey for water and then only ever see the backwaters, which is odd, because the town also has a long open beach facing straight west and a lighthouse that has been standing on it since 1862. The backwaters face inland, so they never give you a sea sunset. This does.
The stretch is short and the sequence matters: the coir yards while they are still working, the lighthouse in its afternoon opening hours when you can climb it, then the old iron sea pier and the beach as the light drops. Arrive at six and the lighthouse is shut. Arrive at three and you are standing on hot sand for two hours.
This is the short version of an Alleppey day and it slots in beside anything. It is also the right thing to book on the day you arrive: your train gets in, the car takes your bags to your stay, and instead of losing the afternoon you spend it on the coast. The vehicle is booked for your group at a flat rate, so it costs the same for two of you or six.
Why book a beach
The lighthouse has hours and they are short
It opens to visitors for a window in the late afternoon. Turning up outside it means looking at it from the sand, which is not the same as looking down from it.
It fits the day you would otherwise waste
Arrival afternoons and check-out afternoons are dead time in Alleppey. This is four hours, with a car that also carries your bags if you need it to.
One car, one price, no negotiating at dusk
Autos back from the beach at nightfall are their own small argument. The vehicle here is booked for the whole evening at a flat rate for the car.
Where you'll go
1. The coir yards on the way
Coconut husk soaked, beaten and spun into rope, largely by hand, in yards that have been doing it since Alleppey was a port. Ten minutes, and it explains the whole town.
2. Alappuzha lighthouse
Red and white bands, lit in 1862 when this was one of the busiest ports on the Malabar coast. It opens to visitors in the late afternoon and the climb up the spiral stair is worth it for the view down onto the pier.
Lighthouse entry and camera ticket, paid at the gate
3. The old sea pier
The iron skeleton of the 1862 sea bridge, where cargo was once loaded straight into ships standing offshore. It is a ruin, it is closed to walk on, and it is the best thing on this beach to photograph.
4. The beach at sunset
A long open strand facing straight west into the Arabian Sea, busy with local families rather than tour groups by six. The backwaters cannot give you this, they face the wrong way.
5. The stalls behind the sand
Kappa and fish fry, chai, and the peanut and sundal carts that appear at dusk. Your driver knows which stall has the queue for the right reason.
Whatever you eat, paid at the stall
How you get there
A short run west, and the car stays with you
The beach is a few kilometres from the centre of Alappuzha, so the driving is minimal and the value is in the car being there when you want to leave. The vehicle collects you, waits through the lighthouse and the beach, and takes you back after dark.
- Pickup: Your stay in Alleppey, or Alappuzha railway station
- Vehicle: Swift Dzire up to 4 or Innova or Ertiga up to 6, with driver
- Drive: Under 20 minutes each way, with the car waiting throughout
- Walking: Flat sand, plus a spiral stair if you climb the lighthouse
- Drop: Back at your stay by about 7:00 pm
The afternoon
3:00 pm: Pickup
Out through town towards the coast.
3:20 pm: The coir yards
Husk, rope and the industry the town was built on. Ten minutes.
4:00 pm: The lighthouse
Inside its opening window, with the climb up the spiral stair.
5:00 pm: The old sea pier
The iron ruin of the 1862 sea bridge, from the sand.
6:00 pm: Sunset and the stalls
The sea goes orange, the carts come out, and the town turns up.
7:00 pm: Drop
Back at your stay.
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver for the afternoon and evening
- Pickup and drop at your stay or the station
- The car waits at the beach for the whole visit
- Parking charges
- GoExplorer support number
Not included
- Lighthouse entry and camera ticket
- Food at the stalls
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- Lighthouse entry and camera ticket at the gate
- Anything you eat at the beach stalls
- Personal expenses
Who this suits
Everyone. The beach is flat and the walking is optional. The lighthouse stair is steep and narrow, so skip it if stairs are a problem, and the rest of the evening is unaffected. The car seats four or six depending on which you pick, at the same flat price.
What to bring
Sun protection for the first hour, something for the wind after dark, cash for the lighthouse ticket and the stalls, and a bag for sandy feet.
Sea weather
The evening runs in light rain, though there is no sunset to speak of in it. In monsoon the sea here is genuinely rough and swimming is not part of this experience in any season. If the coast is closed to visitors on your date, you choose a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
The Arabian Sea off Alappuzha has a strong undertow and swimming is not part of this experience. Stay on the sand where the local lifeguards indicate, and keep off the old pier, which is a closed structure for good reason.
Questions
Is the price per person?
No. It is ₹3,500 for a Dzire or ₹4,500 for an Ertiga, for the whole vehicle for the afternoon, whatever the number of you.
Can we swim?
We would not, and we will not encourage it. The undertow here is real. This is a walking, watching and eating evening.
Will the lighthouse definitely be open?
It keeps a short afternoon window and closes on some public holidays. We build the timing around it, and if it is shut on your date your driver will tell you when he collects you rather than after.
Can you collect us from the station with our bags?
Yes, that is the best use of this one. Tell us at checkout and the car takes your bags to your stay on the way.