{"id":2592,"date":"2026-07-26T10:16:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T10:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lazyatra.com\/blog\/?p=2592"},"modified":"2026-07-26T10:16:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T10:16:40","slug":"padmanabhapuram-palace-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lazyatra.com\/blog\/kerala\/padmanabhapuram-palace-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Kerala and Tamil Nadu Trip: Padmanabhapuram Palace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Padmanabhapuram Palace: Our Experience Visiting the Largest Palace of the Travancore Kings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After visiting Chitharal Jain Temple<\/strong>, our next destination was Padmanabhapuram Palace<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the palace is now located in Tamil Nadu<\/strong>, it once belonged to the Travancore Kingdom<\/strong>. Since this entire region was under the Travancore dynasty, the architecture, traditions and royal lifestyle continue to reflect Kerala rather than Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having already visited Travancore Palace Museum (Kuthiramalika Palace)<\/strong> in Thiruvananthapuram a day earlier, we were quite excited to see how this palace compared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Reach Before the Afternoon Closing Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One thing to keep in mind while planning your visit is the palace timings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During our visit, the palace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Opened at around 9:00 AM<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Closed at around 12:30 PM<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reopened at around 2:30 PM<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Fortunately, we reached just before the afternoon closing time, at around 12:15 PM<\/strong>, and were still able to purchase our entry tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Good to Know<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re travelling between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari<\/strong>, try planning your day so that you reach before 12:30 PM<\/strong>. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the afternoon for the palace to reopen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    A Much Larger Palace Than the One in Thiruvananthapuram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The first thing we noticed was the sheer size of the palace. As I had mentioned while describing Travancore Palace Museum<\/strong>, both palaces belong to the Travancore royal family and have a similar style of architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, Padmanabhapuram Palace is much larger<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Personally, I felt that the palace in Thiruvananthapuram looked more polished and better maintained, whereas Padmanabhapuram Palace impressed us with its scale and the number of rooms spread across the complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Exploring the Palace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The palace has two floors<\/strong>. The first floor isn’t very large, but the second floor contains most of the important sections of the palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As we walked through the palace, we explored:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Royal rooms used by the king and queen<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Courtyards<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Courtrooms<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Large wooden halls<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Other sections of the royal residence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      To cover the complete palace, we walked approximately 1\u20131.5 kilometres<\/strong>. The children were quite tired by the end of the visit, but fortunately there were enough open spaces where we could stop and take short breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n
      \"Padmanabhapuram<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Photography is Allowed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      One thing we really enjoyed here was that photography was allowed inside the palace<\/strong>. Unlike the previous palace we had visited, we didn’t have to think twice before taking pictures. Naturally, we ended up clicking a lot of family photographs throughout the palace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Travel Tip from Our Experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If you enjoy heritage photography, you’ll probably spend more time here than you initially plan because there are plenty of beautiful wooden corridors, courtyards and traditional Kerala-style structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      The Massive Dining Hall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      One section that particularly caught our attention was the dining hall. According to what we learnt during our visit, meals could be served to around 2,000 people at a time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The dining hall itself is spread over two levels<\/strong>, and old stone utensils used for cooking are also displayed nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It gives a good idea of how large the royal kitchens must have been during the Travancore period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      Museum and Crystal Gallery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Apart from the palace itself, there is also a museum within the complex. Unfortunately, we couldn’t explore everything. There is also a crystal gallery (or art gallery), but by the time we finished the palace, we had run out of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Our driver had gone for lunch, so instead of waiting inside, we relaxed outside with some fresh coconut water before continuing our journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      Our Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Overall, I would definitely recommend visiting Padmanabhapuram Palace<\/strong> if you’re travelling between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you’ve already visited Travancore Palace Museum<\/strong>, don’t skip this one thinking both palaces are the same. While they belong to the same royal family and have similar architecture, Padmanabhapuram Palace is much larger and offers a very different experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Our experience exploring Padmanabhapuram Palace, including palace timings, photography, museum, architecture and comparison with Travancore Palace 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