If you don’t look past the surface, Kochi, like Kerala more generally, can be mistaken for India ‘Lite’. Cleaner, quieter (and, crucially, wealthier) than its more frenetic northern cousins, there’s no doubt you can breathe easier here.

Kochi has been cosmopolitan since day dot, so it’s hardly surprising that today it’s one of the most progressive cities in India. The city’s groundbreaking green initiatives (its solar powered airport, its water metro), its inclusiveness (religion, caste and gender) and its lefty politics (strong on welfare and education) are just the latest in a centuries-long story of cultural openness.

A lot of this has to do with its geography. Kochi’s protected harbor and abundance of valuable spices have attracted outsiders since the ancient Romans. The city’s very bones are a Frankenstein mish-mash: Dutch warehouses on Bazaar Street; synagogues in the Jewish Quarter; the stick-insect-like Chinese fishing nets along the coast. The Portuguese fort and a 16th-century house once belonging to the explorer Vasco da Gama. Kochi’s patchwork of mosques and churches also attest to its long-held live-and-let-live philosophy, which still attracts settlers from across India today.

You don’t need to know any of this to find Kochi totally bewitching. The old town, contained within the fort, is wonderfully relaxed – might feel almost European if it weren’t for the mango trees, twisted banyans and ubiquitous coconut palms. The buildings are red-tiled and Dutch-gabled, painted white and yellow, with projecting eaves and wooden shutters. Hanging signs advertise mojitos, art cafés and boutiques. Children walk past in their school uniforms, or nuns in their habits, while shopkeepers sweep their doorsteps. Down at the seafront, shaggy rain trees spread their massive canopies over seafood shacks, while fishermen bring in their catch.

Kochi charms the pants off us – if you’ll excuse our Malayalam – and if you’re just arriving in India, there’s no easier or lovelier place to find your feet.