At a distance of 135 km from Kochi, 69 km from Trivandrum, 83 km from Alleppey, 94 km from Kottayam and 156 km from Kanyakumari, Kollam (also known as Quilon) is an old sea port city in Kerala and headquarters of the Kollam District. The town of Kollam lies between the Ashtamudi Lake and Lakshadweep Sea. Kollam is one of the Kerala backwaters destinations.


Kollam lies on the shores of Ashtamudi Lake. It is the southern gateway to Backwaters of Kerala and is a prominent tourist destination. Thirty percent of this district is covered by Ashtamudi Lake. The eight hour boat trip between Kollam and Alappuzha is the best way to explore the Kerala backwaters. It is also very famous for cashew processing and coir manufacturing.

Kollam was a flourishing port during the Chera dynasty and later became the capital of the independent Venad or Kingdom of Quilon. Kollam had a strong commercial reputation since the days of the Phoenicians and Romans. Desinganadu Rajas exchanged embassies with Chinese rulers while there was a flourishing Chinese settlement at Kollam. It was considered as one of the five main ports dealing with Chinese trade in 14th century. In 1502, the first trading centre was established in Kollam by the Portuguese. The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch and then the British in 1795.

Kollam attracts travelers all-round the year with its wide variety of sightseeing options. Kollam is also famous for lovely beaches & lakes like Kollam Beach, Thirumullavaram Beach, Thangasseri Beach, Munroe Island, Ashtamudi Lake, Sasthamkotta Lake, Neendakara Port and Alumkadavu Boat Building Yard. Rameshwara Temple, Achencoil and Mayyanad, Amritapuri Ashram, Aryankavu, Chavara, Kottarakkara, Oachira and Karunagappally are the prominent cultural as well as religious centers of the region. There are numerous churches and mosques in Kollam including Pullichira Church built in 1700 AD and Chinnakkada Palli.

Kallada Boat race is one among the famous festival events of Kollam. This boat race attracts a large number of tourists and is usually held on the 19th of January along with the great elephant march simultaneously.

Kollam is well connected by bus, train and air. Trivandrum International Airport is the nearest airport (66 km from Kollam). Kollam Railway Station is well connected to the major cities like Chennai, Hubli, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Mangalore, Nagarcoil, Madurai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Kanyakumari and Kochi. KSRTC bus service connects Kollam to all cities in Kerala. Private buses are also available to Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Pondicherry and Thrissur.



Best time to visit Kollam is from October to March, while the peak seasons are from November to January. It usually takes 1-2 full days to explore this area.