Coffee at 6For a first meet
Shanghumugham at sunset
The beach near the airport, with the Jalakanyaka sculpture and a long promenade. Busy, public, and the sunset does the rest.
A walk round the Museum grounds
The gardens around the Napier Museum are shady and full of walkers morning and evening. Central and easy to find each other.
Coffee in Kowdiar or Vellayambalam
Leafy, central and close to the Museum and Kanakakkunnu. Good for an after-work hour.
After Technopark
If you both work in Kazhakkoottam, meet nearby when work ends and skip the drive into the city.
For a second date
Kanakakkunnu Palace grounds
Wide lawns and paths, and the open-air Nishagandhi auditorium, which hosts performances and festivals through the year.
Veli
Where Veli lake meets the sea: gardens, boats, and a sandbar to walk along.
A film at IFFK
Every December the International Film Festival of Kerala takes over the city's cinemas. Pick a film neither of you has heard of.
Once you've already met
Kovalam
The lighthouse beach is a short drive south. Climb the lighthouse, then stay for the evening.
Poovar
Farther south, where the river meets the sea. A boat through the backwater makes a long, easy afternoon.
Day trips are for once you know each other. For a first meet, stay somewhere central and busy, and get there on your own.
Meet halfway
Trivandrum stretches from Kovalam to Kazhakkoottam along one long road, so a plan that's easy for one person can be an hour for the other. Coffee at 6 shows a rounded distance, never where someone is, so you'll know roughly how far apart you are and can pick somewhere fair. More on the Trivandrum page.