Marine Drive, Esplanade in Kochi, India

Marine Drive, officially APJ Abdul Kalam Marg, is a promenade built on land reclaimed from the Kochi Lake, facing the Vembanad backwaters rather than the open Arabian Sea. It runs from the Kerala High Court junction to Rajendra Maidan, with three bridges: Rainbow Bridge, Chinese Fishing Net Bridge and House Boat Bridge. The photograph shows a paved walkway split into a grey tiled strip and a reddish-brown brick strip, with red-and-black slatted metal benches, black cylindrical bins and a low fence of yellow-and-black stone pillars.

The waterfront promenade emerged during a phase of urban renewal in the 1980s when authorities reshaped the Kochi coastline. Development followed a plan to create public spaces along the water and make the city more accessible to visitors.

The name Marine Drive was adopted when the GCDA began reclaiming land from Kochi Lake in the 1980s, modelled on Bombay's Marine Drive; it covers the whole reclaimed area, not just the walkway. The walkway has three bridges: the Rainbow Bridge, built after the 1992 beautification project under GCDA chairman V. Joseph Thomas, the Chinese Fishing Net Bridge over Mullassery canal, and the House Boat Bridge. Kulukki sarbath outlets along the stretch sell the local shaken mocktail.

The walking path is wide enough for wheelchairs and strollers and remains walkable most of the year. The best hours to visit fall in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is less intense and more shade becomes available.

The walkway crosses three bridges, each named for what it passes: the Rainbow Bridge over Market Canal near the GCDA shopping complex, the China Net Bridge over Mullassery canal by the Children's Park, and the House Boat Bridge near the Goshree bridge end. The China Net Bridge name recalls the Chinese fishing nets once common in these backwaters.