Kannur

Kannur (old name Cannanore) is a seaside city on the northern side of Kerala State in India. It is known as Land of Looms and Lords because of the importance of the fabric industry and the concentration of Theyyam temple dance festivals.
The main language spoken is Malayalam. English is also understood.
Kannur is the most politically sensitive district of Kerala and most people here have a socialist leaning.

By plane

• Kannur International AirportThere are international flights from and to Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Dubai and Sharjah, while domestically there are flights between Kannur and Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

By train

Direct trains are available from Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Coimbatore. is centrally located.

By bus

Direct buses are available from Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Mangalore.

By road

Kannur is on national highway 17 directly connected to Mumbai and Kanyakumari; however, the roads are bad, crowded and traffic jams and very frequent.

• Autorikshaws charge ₹15 per km
• Buses charge ₹7 for 3 km. City buses can be boarded from 'Prabhath bus stop' at the end of the Bank Road. This will ensure you a seat. For longer distances you have to go to the Thavakkara Bus Station.
• Taxi - Taxis are available at reasonable rates.
• Car - Parking is a serious problem almost everywhere in Kannur town except the beach side. You have to park the car somwhere and go in an auto rikshaw to cope with the traffic bottlenecks.
• Walk - Walking is not pleasant as there are numerous noisy motor cycles even in the narrow footpaths.

• Arakkal Palace & Museum

  address: Near the beach
  samples of pre-colonial art and architecture, Moplah Bay is nearby.

• Azhikkal estuary and Azhikode beaches2-km long footpath into the sea, fishing village. Beautiful garden and beach at Chalil village. Spectacular beach at Meenkunnu.

• Drive in Beach, Muzhappilangad4-km-long beach with strong sand, the longest drive-in-beach in India. The village has about 24,000 people (2011). Another beach is available at Edakkad.

• Southern BeachesSpectacular and private beaches are available at Thayyil, Kizhunna and Thottada. Adi-Kadalayi beach is a very peaceful place. Popular with European visitors. Locals are absent. Direct buses are available from State Bank area.

• Payyambalam BeachVery crowded place and popular with the locals. There is no esplanade, but there is a pretty little park. You can sit inside the park and watch the sunset. The park is less crowded because there is an entrance ticket. There is a very big statue of a sleeping woman made of grass inside the park. There is a perfectly formed cliff near the beach where you can walk and take photographs and this area is less crowded in spite of being more beautiful than the actual beach. The lighthouse museum has old types of lamps used by lighthouses around th world on display.

• St. Angelo's FortBuilt in 1505 by the Portuguese. Very good garden and view to the sea. Short footpath into the sea near Malsyafed office.

• Snake Park

  address: Parassinikkadavu

• ValapattanamRiverside village.

• Science Park

  address: Mele Chovva Road
  The science park is a small facility containing displays of scientific and technological topics meant for school students.

Temples

• Kalari Vathukkal Temple

  address: Valapattanam

• Madayi Mosque

  address: Payangadi

• Muthappan Temple

  address: Parasinikkadavu riverside
  A temple which is unique in the whole of India, where there is no idol to worship, rather a ritualistic art-form (Muttappan Theyam) to worship. The temple is built in concept of Eternal Unity and Universal worship, and does have many legends. The Muttappan is believed to be a form of Lord Shiva, in a non-Brahmincal form, thus making it a general mass figure. Here regular performances of Theyyam are considered sacred and many unique customs are followed. Free food for visitors.

• Peralassery Temple

  address: Koothuparamba Road

• Shiva Temple

  address: Mele Chovva

• Sundareshwara Temple

  address: Talap

• Trichambaram Temple

  address: Taliparamba

• Shri Maha Vishnu temple

  address: Nadal, Thalassery Road

• Birdwatchingat Munderi Bird Sanctuary, near Varam. Many exotic birds can be spotted at Madayippara near Pashayangadi, 24 km.

• City Esplanade @ CaltexStart walking from Caltex junction. Proceed to the collectorate and turn right to old bus stand. You will pass the police parade ground, exhibition ground and the oval stadium complex building. After the Stadium complex, you can turn left twice and walk in front of the policemen's houses and again turn left to reach Caltex junction. The total distance to walk is 5 km.

• Climbing a Hill

  address: Avera Kunnu
  You can start from Thazhe Chovva bus stop and go beyond Chovva Railway Station up the hill. There are paved roads all around the hill, up the hill and down the hill. If you don't like such a steep climb, you can also access the hill from Marakkar Kandy village on the beach side. Please note that the locals here do not know that trekking is a hobby. They might stare at strangers but never attempts to interfere. But they are very helpful if you approach them speaking English.

• Dinner at Seaside

  address: Baby Beach

• Hill Walk

  address: S.N. College Hills
  The hills and grounds around Sri Narayana College, Thottada are an ideal place for peaceful walking because there is very little traffic and open spaces are more in this region. You can access Kizhunna beach and Ezhara beach from here. The famous Muzhappilangad drive-in beach is another 3 km from here.

• Island Walk

  address: Kolthuruthy Island, Near Kadambery
  All coconut and areca nut. Beautiful bridge wide enough for a small car. Two more islands called AKG Island and Polthuruthy are nearby.

• Rajayoga Meditation @ Brahmakumaris

  phone: +91 9605993083
  address: Opp. Nithyananda Bhawan School, Puthiyatheru
  Meditation centre. Free Sattvic food, meditation practice and lecture sessions. Beautifully furnished meditation hall upstairs.

• Ride in the local ferry

  address: Azhikode beach
  Frequent passenger ferries are available from Azhikkode to Parassinikkadavu, Mattool and Valapattanam.

• Trekking @ PythalmalaNaduvil village. 1,450 m above sea level. Limited facilities are available on the mountain track. Look for leeches and wild elephants.

• Water Theme ParkVismaya at Parassinikkadavu

• Wildlife watchAralam Wildlife Sanctuary Near Iritty. 55 km.

• Tejaswini RiverWhite water rafting.

• MuttayappamWell, some people consider eating the Muttayappam an experience in itself. Muttayappam is a kind of rice preparation in oil without adding any 'mutta' or egg into it. Only the shape resembles a huge fried egg. It goes well with chicken curry. It is not available in standard restaurants and you have to ask at roadside stalls. They have a tendency to disappear in minutes. This preparation originated in Taliparamba town, some 20 km from Kannur. This snack with a very plain taste can become quite addictive.

• Sheen Bakery

  address: Opp. Railway Station
  Very reputed confectionery. Very soft and sweet bread is their specialty. But the shop is a little bit crowded and their service is not so poor. Their little branch inside Mele Chovva petrol station is not very crowded.

• Stadium ComplexAn oval shaped buildling near the old bus station. Excellent place to buy clothes and gifts. There are no restaurants here but you can find fine ice cream parlours.

• Thavakkara Busstand BuildingMany shops and bakeries in four levels. Several teashops, one vegetarian restaurant on the third level and one upmarket restaurant in a separate building. Paid parking facility. Very good place to walk around, sit and relax as this bus station is built in a spacious design. The reason for the quality of this bus station is that it is run by a private company. All other bus stations in Kerala are dirty and crowded because they are built and managed by the government agencies.

• Paris Bakery

  address: Opposite Railway Station

• M.R.A. Bakery

  address: Railway Station Building

• Kumars Confectionery

  address: Opposite Old Bus station

Kannur follows all the traditional Kerala-Malabar food like rice, biriyanis, dosa, puttu, appam, idly, and seafoods. Stuffed mussels (Arikkadukka) are available with most of the local vendors.

Budget

• Acquaris Vegetarian

  phone: +91 4972700558
  address: Near old bus stand
  No parking facility.

• Bharath Vegetarian

  address: Railway Station Rd
  The best place for Masala Dosai, a fermented crepe made from rice batter, black lentils, potato and onions. ₹35

• Coffee House Non-Vegetarian

  phone: +91 497 2765211
  address: South Bazar
  No parking facility

• Coffee House Plaza

  phone: +91 497 2706777
  address: Near Railway Station
  For Masala Dosai, a fermented crepe made from rice batter, black lentils, potato and onions. ₹35. No vehicle parking facility.

• Grass Hopper Vegetarian

  address: Thavakkara busstand building
  Paid parking facility.

• Golden Dish Restaurant

  phone: +91 4972703009
  address: Opp. KSRTC
  With a peaceful attic section. No parking facility.

• India House Vegetarian

  phone: +91 4972700826
  address: Near Old Bus Stand
  No parking facility.

• Indian Coffee House

  phone: +91 497 2711626
  address: Near State Bank of India
  No parking facility

• Komalavilasam Vegetarian

  address: Near Railway Station
  No parking facility.

• Marina Bakery Poothappara

  address: Alavil - Azhikode Road

• Omar's Inn

  address: North side of the Railway Station
  Little cosy restaurant. No parking facility.

• Thiruvathira Vegetarian

  address: Talap
  Crowded eatery. No parking facility.

• Brownies Coffee shop

  address: Talap

• Dakshin Vegetarian

  address: South Bazar

• Don Donna

  address: Caltex junction

• Ranjith Restaurant

  address: Fifth floor, Thavakkara Bus Station
  Lunch ₹50, fish fry ₹60, Kada eggs ₹60.

• Raravis Restaurant

  address: Near Caltex junction

Mid-range

• Chiffonets

  phone: +91 497-2709411
  address: Kumar tower, Bellard Road
  Exclusive Chinese & Tandoori dishes.

• Cita Pani

  address: Payyambalam Rd

• Cool Land Restaurant

  phone: +91 4972760297
  No parking facility.

• K.F.C. Restaurant

  address: Thavakkara Bus Stand building.Block III

• M.V.K. Restaurant

  address: Near Kamala International, S.N.Park Road
  Good biriyani.No parking facility.

• Orange Biriyanis

  address: Thana

• Othens Restaurant

  address: Behind Kavitha Cinema, Onden Rd
  Delicious fish.

• Paris RestaurantFamous for biriyani, samoosa and banana filling.

• Parkans Chinese Restaurant

  address: opp. Sky Palace, Thavakkara

• Raandhal Restaurant

  phone: +91 8891191919
  address: Near AKG Hospital

• Royal Treat

• Sagar RestaurantNo parking facility.

• Sahibs Grilled Chicken

  phone: +91 4972711077
  address: Near S.N. Park

• Silver Waves

  phone: +91 9846087299
  address: Payyambalam
  For seafood.

• Taj Restaurant

  phone: +91 4972709057, +91 9495029807
  address: SM Rd
  Hotel Taj. No parking facility.

• Wheat House Vintage Restaurant

  phone: +91 4972704666
  address: Opp. KSRTC

• Safire Restaurant

  address: South Bazar

• Salim Hassan Parkview

  address: Caltex junction

• Nalukettu Restaurant

  address: Thana

• Monaco Restaurant

  address: Valiyannur

• Cabane Bambou

  phone: +91 497 276 0199
  address: Near Govt. Guest House, Mill Road, Burnacherry
  Seats on two floors.

Splurge

• Mascsot Beach Restaurant

  address: Baby Beach
  Good outdoor seats by the sea.

• Royal Omars International

  address: Thavakkara
  South of the Railway Station.

• Appoos Icecream

  address: opp. District Bank, Stadium Complex
  Air conditioned.

• Brownies Bakery and Coolbar

  address: Near AKG Hospital, Thalap junction, NH
  Comfortable attic seats with street view.

• The Grand Savoy Bar

  address: Payyambalam

• Sadhoo Hotel

  address: puthiyatheru

• Sannidhaan Bar

  address: Caltex

• Sona

  address: bank Rd
  Near Nikshan Electronics.

• Velocity Pub

  address: Puthiyatheru
  Near Amana Wholesale Shoppe.

Kannur traffic is quite hopeless. Taking a room in the beach area is the only solution to escape from traffic blocks.

Budget hotels: beach side

• Bus Stand Dormitory

  phone: +91 9895008325
  address: Thavakkara

• K.K. Tourist Home

  address: Inside the New Bus Stand

• P.V.S. Lodge, Beach Road

  phone: +91 4972706371

• Railway Retirement RoomYou have to show your ticket.

• Tamarind Hotel

  phone: +91 4952700717
  address: Beach Road
  Run by the Government.

• Yathri Nivas

  phone: +91 4972700719
  address: Thavakkara
  Government property.

Budget hotels: Downtown

• Omar's Inn Lodge

  phone: +91 4972506313
  address: Near Potheri Nursing Home

• Sweety Hotel

  phone: +91 497270 8283
  address: Muneeshwar Kovil

• Vichithra Lodge

  phone: +91 4972706514
  address: Opp. KSRTC

• Plaza Tourist Home

  address: Near Railway Station

• Rainbow Tourist Home

  address: Old Bus Stand

Mid-range

• Green Park Residency

  address: Opp. Railway Muthappan

• Cliff Hotel

  phone: +91 4972712197, +91 9744067931
  address: Payyambalam Beach

• Hotel Palm Grove

  phone: +91 4972703182
  address: Payyambalam Beach
  Good ambience.

• Hotel Royal Omar

  phone: +91 4972769091
  Lift facility.

• Hotel Savoy and Bar

  phone: +91 4972760074
  Bus parking.

• Hotel Sky Palace

  phone: +91 4972769060

• KTDC Tamarind

  phone: +91 4972700717

• Malabar Residency

  phone: +91 4972765456
  address: Near Railway Station

• Meridian Palace

  phone: +91 4972701675
  address: Ballard Road

Splurge

• Blue Mermaid Homestay

  phone: +91 9497300234
  address: Thottada Beach

• Central Avenue Hotel

  phone: +91 497 2766500
  address: On the south east side of the Raiway station, Thavakkara

• Kairali Heritage

  phone: +91 4602 241665-243460
  address: Kattampally
  Riverside cottages.

• Kannur Beach House

  phone: +91 9847184535
  address: Thottada Beach

• Mascot Beach Resort

  phone: +91 4972708445, +91 9846081401
  address: Baby Beach
  Pool available

• Seashell Beach Resort

  phone: +91 9847003687
  address: Adikadalayi Beach

• Sunville Beach House

  phone: +91 99952 90033
  address: Edakkad
  Two storey, fully tiled and well maintained house with a living area, dining area, one family room and 7 bedrooms either with fan or A/C. Attached bathrooms, shower and hot water.

• Railway Enquiry

  phone: +91 497 2703121

• Bus Station enquiry

  phone: +91 497 2707777

• Tourist Information

  phone: +91 497 2706336

Internet

• Padinchare Kandy Internet Cafe. Opp. the little Masjidh, Near State Bank of India, Fort Road. 1 km from Railway Station. This is a popular hangout of foreign tourists. (Fast computers in a big air-conditioned hall. Chilled soft drinks are available)

Electricity

Kannur uses the British (UK) three-pin and two-pin circular socket that follows BS 546 at 230 V, 50 Hz. Plug adaptors are available at any hardware store. Use care if you need a transformer to convert 230 V to a lower voltage for equipment from countries where the normal power supply is 110 V.

• Iritty, hill town with cute rivers, 41 km
• Kannapuram, beaches, Madayippara Rock, 16 km.
• Kasaragod, temple town on the beach, 102 km
• Kozhikode, major beach city, 91 km
• Madikeri, cute little hill station, 113 km
• Mahé, old French enclave, 31 km
• Mananthavady, tea estates, resorts, 91 km
• Mysore, city of gardens and palaces, 181 km
• Parassinikkadavu, riverside temple, 19 km
• Taliparamba, undulating town with fine rivers, 22 km
• Thalassery, beach town, 22 km