19 Best Places to Shop in Kerala, India

This outlet of the popular and sophisticated Rajasthani handicrafts and clothing shop carries beautifully tailored women's clothing and linens for the home.

Local hotels often get their antiques here. The store is crammed with stone and wood carvings, pillars, and doors as well as such portable items as painted tiles, navigational equipment, and wooden boxes.

This popular chain is a great spot to pick up any kind of quality Indian cottons, both as clothing and for your home.

Stop here for a range of colorful hand-printed cotton garments—skirts, pants, tops, kurtis, kurtas, men's shirts, and saris. The white tops are lovely.

Established in 1989 by antiques collector-turned-hotelier N.B. Majnu, this is one of South India's largest antiques stores, with more than 100,000 square feet of warehouse space housing antiques from all over India. Don't miss the 108-foot-long iconic Kerala snake boat; it's more than 120 years old.

Whether you're looking for a little information on Kerala or a little something to while away the hours, stop by Idiom Books, a small bookshop opposite the synagogue (there's also a branch in Fort Kochi, on Bastion Street). You can find an intriguing collection of recent Western and Indian fiction, as well as books on history, culture, cooking, and religion.

This is one of Kerala's oldest and most reliable curio shops selling a range of handicrafts.

John Korula and his family have been running this shop since 1945. This shop's name is far more pedestrian than its contents—it's a virtual Aladdin's cave of curios and antiques—masks, statues, sculpture, artifacts, and much more. And no one will follow you around the shop insisting you buy this or that, as does happen elsewhere. Note that it closes for a lunch break from about 1:30 to 3 pm. On Sunday, it opens after 3 pm.

A solid selection of saris (including the Keralan style), lehangas (long skirts with fitted blouses), and the like are on offer here, as well as Indian and Western clothes for men and children.

The Trivandrum shop of global brand Joyalukkas is the best and largest store in town for gold and jewelry set with precious stones, including traditional Kerala-style ornaments.

A fixed-price government shop, Kairali has a good selection of local handicrafts and curios.

One of Kerala's largest stores for saris, Kalyan's also has cotton and gorgeous silk by the meter, and men's and women's traditional clothing.

At this chocolate shop and factory, you can take a peek into the chocolate-making process and get a quick lesson on how chocolates are made. Macofa uses cacao beans that grow in the hills around Munnar, which are some of the best in India. The retail counter has freshly made chocolates in many different classic, nutty, and fruity flavors.

This store is a respected and age-old art and antiques dealer.

For Kerala handicrafts and souvenirs, check out this government emporium.

Indian tribal artisan work is sold through this cooperative store, which benefits the crafters directly. There's an unusual selection of crafts, including clothing and knickknacks.

Crafts from all over India are available here.

Try this small shop for silks by the meter. You can also buy a gorgeous Kerala sari or veshti (the men's wraparound skirt) and have a nearby tailor make it into a top or dress for you in a day or less, especially in you have a good sample for him to follow.