Fodor's Expert Review Harimaya Bridge

This arched red bridge is at the center of Kochi's best-known story, a tragic tale about a Buddhist priest caught buying a hairpin for a lover on this very spot. Several shops nearby sell hairpins these days, and you can go shopping for bargains in the area's twisting, tunneled arcades, and side streets. Locals come out to dine, drink, and chat in parks and at outdoor cafés around here until the wee hours. When the stores and bars finally close, there's always a ramen cart or two doing business on the sidewalk, so pull up a stool and dig in. Kochi people won't pay you much mind until you start talking to them, but many are affable and easy to engage.