Entry Fee for Bolgatty Palace in Kochi

The catch is that this is a working hotel, not a ticketed monument. Security at the gate decides whether walk-in visitors can wander the lawns, and some travellers have been turned back. A table booked at the restaurant is the surest way through. Other sites quote Rs 20, Rs 50, even Rs 100 to Rs 300 "for foreigners". None of those figures appear anywhere on KTDC's published tariff.

Bolgatty Palace Entry Fee and Charges 2026

Here is everything Bolgatty charges for in 2026, from the free entry to the most expensive wedding lawn. All hotel rates are KTDC's own, valid from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Source: room, meal, photoshoot and venue rates are from KTDC's Bolgatty Palace tariff for 2026-27, as published on ktdc.com on 27 September 2026. Rates can change mid-season, so call KTDC reservations on 1800 425 0123 or 94000 08585 before you go.

Is Bolgatty Palace Open to the Public?

Yes, but not the way a museum is. Bolgatty is a KTDC hotel, so the gate is staffed by hotel security rather than a ticket clerk, and walk-in visitors are let in at their discretion. On a quiet weekday you may be waved through to the palace lawns. On a wedding day, with the East Lawn or Palace Lawn booked out, you probably won't be.

The reliable way in is to arrive as a restaurant customer. Call ahead, book lunch, and tell the gate your name. Carry a photo ID, since the hotel asks for one at check-in and security may ask day visitors too.

KTDC runs the hotel round the clock for resident guests, with check-in at 1 PM and check-out at 11 AM. Day visits work best in daylight, between late morning and late afternoon. Our Bolgatty Palace timings page has the current hours in full.

Bolgatty Palace Entry Fee for Indians vs Foreigners

The fee is the same for everyone, which is to say nothing. Unlike ASI monuments, where foreign nationals pay several times the Indian rate, Bolgatty has no ticket at all, so there is no second tier. Foreign visitors pay the same Rs 800 for lunch and the same room tariff as Indian guests. If a site tells you foreigners pay Rs 100 to Rs 300 at the gate, it is repeating a figure KTDC has never published.

Bolgatty Palace Entry Fee with Food: Restaurant Prices

Since there is no ticket, "entry fee with food" really means the price of a meal, and KTDC keeps it simple. Breakfast is Rs 500 per person, while lunch and dinner are both Rs 800 per person, each plus GST. A candle-light dinner for two is Rs 2,000 plus 18% GST, and a 1 kg cake can be added for Rs 1,600 plus GST.

Lunch is the better buy. It costs the same as dinner, it gets you through the gate in daylight, and you eat with the lawns and the backwater in view instead of in the dark. Budget up to 18% on top of the menu price for GST, so about Rs 944 per person for lunch at the worst case.

Bolgatty Palace Room Prices 2026

Staying the night is the only way to see the palace after dark and to use the facilities kept for resident guests. The hotel has 36 rooms across seven categories, and only four of them sit inside the 1744 palace building itself.

All room rates are plus GST. An extra adult costs Rs 1,800 with a cot and an extra child Rs 900 with a mattress. On 24 and 31 December every guest pays a Rs 1,500 per person supplement plus 18% GST. If you'd rather have the stay bundled with airport transfers and a city tour, compare our Kochi tour packages first.

What's Free and What's Paid at Bolgatty

Ways to Visit Bolgatty Palace, Compared

Bolgatty Palace One-Day Trip Cost for a Family of 4

Here is what a day at Bolgatty actually costs a family of four who come by Water Metro and eat lunch at the palace. We've assumed four full lunches. Ask the restaurant about a smaller portion for young children.

Round it up to Rs 4,000 and you have covered the day. Add a sunset hour on the lawns before the last boat back. To fold Bolgatty into a longer Kochi trip with Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, the Kochi city tour package (2 days, 1 night) is easy to customise with a Bolgatty lunch stop, and the Kochi backwater cruise packages add a houseboat night.

Timings and Getting There

Bolgatty Palace stands on Bolgatty Island, off the Ernakulam shore at Mulavukad. It is not near Fort Kochi. The Kochi Water Metro is the cheapest route. Boats from the High Court terminal stop at Bolgatty first on the line to Mulavukad and fares start at Rs 20. By road, the palace is about 6 km from Ernakulam Junction and 5 km from Ernakulam Town station over the Goshree bridges, and about 40 km from Cochin International Airport, per KTDC. Step-by-step routes are on our how to reach Bolgatty Palace page.

Why Bolgatty Is Worth the Visit

Dutch traders built the palace in 1744, and KTDC bills it as the oldest existing Dutch palace outside the Netherlands. It later became the home of the British Resident of Cochin before KTDC turned it into a hotel. The real draw for a day visitor is the setting. The lawns run down to the water, with Kochi's port and Marine Drive across the channel, and the light at sunset is the reason most photographers book the Rs 6,000 shoot. Pair it with Mattancherry Palace, which does sell a ticket, and the Chinese fishing nets on the same day, or browse more places to visit in Kochi.

How to Spend Less at Bolgatty

• Take the Water Metro. At Rs 20 a head each way it costs less than any cab from central Ernakulam.

• Eat lunch, not dinner. Same Rs 800 price, and you get the lawns in daylight.

• Book a single room if you travel alone. Golf View single is Rs 4,000, Rs 500 under the double rate.

• Avoid 24 and 31 December. The Rs 1,500 per person supplement plus GST adds Rs 3,540 for a couple.

• Plan small events between April and September. The View Point venue is Rs 15,000 then, against Rs 20,000 from October to March.

• Read our Bolgatty Palace travel tips before you go.

Planning Your Bolgatty Day

Bolgatty costs nothing to enter and about Rs 4,000 for a family lunch visit, which makes it one of the cheaper heritage outings in Kochi once you know the gate works on bookings, not tickets. If you want Bolgatty inside a planned trip, our Kochi and Alleppey packages pair a Kochi day with a backwater stay, and every itinerary can be adjusted by a local agent.