CityDekho
Varkala Beach

Varkala Beach

beach · Kerala

Varkala is a coastal town unlike anywhere else on India's shoreline in the Thiruvananthapuram district of southern Kerala.

State
Kerala
Type
Beach
Best season
Winter
Things to do
3+

Varkala is a coastal town unlike anywhere else on India's shoreline in the Thiruvananthapuram district of southern Kerala. Unlike the flat sandy shorelines standard across most of India's coast, Varkala is famous for its unique geological clifftops, massive near-vertical red laterite cliffs that rise sharply right next to the breaking waves of the Arabian Sea. The commercial heart of the beach spreads along the paved North Cliff edge, packed with bohemian open-air cafes, international seafood grills, yoga centers, and local handicraft stores. Down below, the beach front opens into wide sandy bays popular for swimming, surfing, and sunbathing, while natural mineral springs cascade down the laterite walls.

When to go

The ideal season to explore Varkala is from November to March when the ocean is calm for swimming and cliff cafes run at peak capacity.

Why visit

Varkala is a red laterite cliff with a beach underneath and a row of cafes along the top. Take the warnings about the cliff edge seriously — sections of it have come down. Papanasam below is where ashes are scattered, so it is a ritual site as well as a swim.

Cultural notes

Historically referenced as Papanasam Beach, translating to the 'Redeemer of Sins', the southern stretch holds deep spiritual significance, where pilgrims perform ancestral ritual prayers along the waters. The town centers around the multi-century old Janardhanaswamy Temple, a vital Vaishnavite core.

How to reach

Served reliably by Trivandrum International Airport, located 45 km south. Varkala hosts its own railway station (Varkala Sivagiri) with regular express train connections from Kochi and Trivandrum. It is easily accessed via private taxis or local buses connecting from the main highway lines.

2 days in Varkala Beach

Take the whole plan, or add any single stop.

Papanasam BeachDay 1

Day 1

Papanasam Beach

The golden sand stretch below the cliffs, popular for swimming, surfing, and historic ritual sunset cleansing baths.

Day 1

Janardanaswamy Temple

Janardanaswamy Temple

Day 1

Clifftop cafe lunch

Clifftop cafe lunch

Day 1

Sunset over the North Cliff

Sunset over the North Cliff

Day 2

Day 2

Sunrise yoga or an Ayurveda session

Sunrise yoga or an Ayurveda session

Day 2

Kappil backwaters & beach

Kappil backwaters & beach

Day 2

Optional day trip to Trivandrum

Optional day trip to Trivandrum

Varkala Beach guide & itineraries

Varkala Beach is perfect for

couplesbackpacker-workationnaturefood

What & where to eat

juices

Tropical fruit and juices

Fresh fruit bowls

Tropical fruit and juices

Grilled seafood

Fresh catch grilled at cliff cafes

Kerala fish curry

Tangy coconut fish curry with rice

rice

Tangy coconut fish curry with rice

Karimeen Pollichathu

Karimeen Pollichathu

Banana-leaf grilled pearl-spot fish

North Cliff

Clifftop cafe fare

International cafe food along the cliff

Nearby getaways

Trivandrum

~1 hr

Kollam & backwaters

~1.5 hrs

Kovalam

~1.5 hrs

Frequently asked questions

How many days in Varkala?
2 days to enjoy the cliff, beaches and wellness; longer to slow down.
Best time for Varkala?
October to March; avoid the heavy June-September monsoon for beach time.

Things to do

How to spend your time in Varkala Beach.

Varkala Cliff & beach

Dramatic red laterite cliff above the Arabian Sea

Papanasam Beach

Sacred beach where pilgrims take a holy dip

Clifftop cafes at sunset

A string of clifftop cafes for golden-hour views

Ayurveda & yoga

Beachside wellness and yoga sessions

Popular attractions

The places in Varkala Beach most people come for.

North Cliff Ledge

North Cliff Ledge

Viewpoint

Kappil Lake Estuary

Kappil Lake Estuary

Hidden Gem

See all attractions

Reviews & ratings

What travellers say about Varkala Beach

CityDekho traveller reviews

★★★★★★★★★★

No CityDekho reviews yet

Be the first traveller to review this place.

Sign in to write a review

Community

Ask questions and share tips about Varkala Beach

Sign in to ask a question or share a tip about Varkala Beach.

Loading…

Been to Varkala Beach?

Write what you would tell a friend — where you stayed, what you would skip, the thing you wish somebody had mentioned before you went. We read every submission before it goes up.

Share your story

Trending in Kerala

Sabarimala

Sabarimala

Sabarimala, set deep in the Western Ghats forests of Kerala, is one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the world, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Devotees observe a 41-day vratham and trek through the hills to reach the hilltop shrine, especially during the Makaravilakku season.

Alleppey (Backwaters)

Alleppey (Backwaters)

The mistake in Alleppey is the day boat. A houseboat only becomes worth it once the day-trippers have gone home and the water goes quiet. Book an overnight, and if you can, book a smaller boat that can leave the main channel. The big two-storey ones are restricted to the wide canals where they queue up alongside each other; the small ones get into the narrow waterways between the paddy fields, which is where the backwaters stop being a boat trip and start being a place where people live. Better still, spend a morning on a public ferry. The government service from Alleppey to Kottayam costs almost nothing, takes a couple of hours, stops at village jetties, and carries schoolchildren and shopping. You will see more of the actual backwaters from its deck than from most houseboats. The paddy fields here are farmed below sea level, kept dry by dykes and pumps — Kuttanad is one of the few places in the world where that is done. October to March. The monsoon has its own case, and the snake boat races in the wet season are worth planning around, but the water is high and the light is grey.

Kochi (Fort Kochi)

Kochi (Fort Kochi)

Fort Kochi is walkable, layered and unusually easy for a first trip to India — it is one of the few Indian towns where you can simply wander without a plan. The Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront are the postcard, and they are also mostly a photo stop now rather than a working fishery. Go anyway, at dusk, but do not expect a spectacle. Behind them, St Francis Church holds the spot where Vasco da Gama was buried before his remains went home, and the Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town has a floor of hand-painted Chinese tiles, no two the same. Kathakali is the thing worth booking. The good venues start an hour early so you can watch the performers put the make-up on — that hour explains the art form far better than the performance does, and without it the show is opaque. Cross to Mattancherry for the spice godowns, where the smell of ginger and pepper in the streets is not a tourist experience, it is a working trade. October to March is dry and pleasant. April and May are humid and heavy. The monsoon is dramatic and the town keeps functioning through it.

Guruvayur (Sri Krishna Temple)

Guruvayur (Sri Krishna Temple)

Guruvayur is a temple town in Kerala centred on the revered Sri Krishna (Guruvayurappan) Temple, often called the Dwarka of the South. The deity is worshipped as the young Krishna, and the shrine is one of the busiest Vaishnava pilgrimage centres in India, famed for its strict rituals, temple elephants and devotional music.