Located 10 km from main Ernakulam, Mattancherry Palace or Dutch Palace is one of the best examples of Malayalam-style architecture mixed with colonial influences. Its interiors are beautifully adorned, with 17th and 18th-century murals depicting scenes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Besides, tourists can admire life-size portraits of all the kings of Cochin since 1864, sheathed swords, daggers and axes, together with ceremonial spears decorated with feathers, royal caps, coins issued by the kings of Cochin, silver sequinned gowns, royal umbrellas made of silk and brass, along with plans laid out for Cochin by the Dutch. Of note are the paintings in the king's bedchamber that depict the stories of Ramayana, the murals in the coronation hall that depict Goddess Lakshmi on the lotus, sleeping Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati with Ardhanariswara, the coronation of Lord Rama, Lord Krishna lifting the mountain Govardhan and other goddesses. The room opposite Coronation Hall has paintings of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Devi and an incomplete painting; and another room has murals of Kumarasambhava and works by renowned poet, Kalidasa.

The palace was built by the Portuguese as a gift to King Veera Kerala Varma (1809-1828). It came to be known as the Dutch Palace because of the number of additions the Dutch made to it. The palace is home to the presiding deity of the royal family, the 'PazhayannurBhagavathi' (the Goddess of Pazhayannur).