VANAMCOVE 
Varkala
Cliff-top cafés above a mineral spring beach
Why this weekend?
The day-by-day plan
- Arrive (train to Varkala, 3 km)
- Cliff walk + café lunch
- Papanasam sunset dip
Geography & terrain
Varkala sits on Kerala's coast ~50 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, famous for its 40 m red-laterite cliffs that run along the beach — the only cliff coastline in Kerala, with the Arabian Sea below and the Papanasam sacred waters at its foot.
History & culture
Varkala was the winter seat of the Travancore royal family — the 13th-century Janardana Swamy temple and the 1930s Sivagiri mutt of Sree Narayana Guru are its pilgrimage anchors. Its modern era is the cliff-café boom that made it Kerala's backpacker capital.
Where to stay
Things to do
Fees & timings
Eat & drink
- Cliff cafés (Abad, Bhavana) — Seafood dinner with the sunset — the Varkala ritual
- Juice shops on the north end — Fresh coconut, pineapple and the famous falooda
- Darshini hotels in town — Kerala thali — avial, thoran, sambar with red rice
Getting there
- Fly
- Delhi → Trivandrum 3.5 h
- Train
- Overnight trains from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram
- By car
- Fly to Thiruvananthapuram — 30 min from Kovalam
Practical info
- Connectivity: Good in Kovalam, good in Varkala's cliff cafés
Practical tips
- Varkala's cliff gets busy at sunset — take the northern end for quiet
- The mineral springs below Papanasam are a ritual stop
- Both beaches are a 30–60 min drive apart; base where the vibe fits you
Frequently asked questions
Kerala's only cliff coastline — a 40 m red-cliff promenade above the Arabian Sea, with cafés and sunsets built in.
October–March for clear sunsets; April–May is hot but quiet; June–September is monsoon drama with a rough sea.
Train to Varkala Sivagiri (3 km from the cliffs), or 1.5 h from Trivandrum airport.
Varkala's cliff walk is a slow promenade with the sea performing below — fishermen casting lines, surfers waiting, the waves turning from blue to gold as the afternoon burns down. The cliff cafés are tiny wooden decks with cushions and guitars, and the sunset there is a daily festival of people falling quiet. Kovalam is the softer, older cousin: the lighthouse watching over the crescent, the harbour's fish landing in the morning, the beach boys renting boards and umbrellas with ancient patience. An ayurvedic massage in the afternoon leaves you slow and heavy, and dinner is always fish, always fresh, always with the sea loud in the dark. It is the most effortlessly relaxing coast in India — the kind of weekend where the hardest decision is which beach tomorrow.
Take the break. We'll take the planning.
Tell us your dates, budget and travel style — we'll build your Varkala plan with day-by-day routing, stays, food and bookings.