Lokanarkavu near Vadakara is the temple of the Bhagavathy worshipped by the Chekavar warriors of the Vadakkan Pattukal ballads, including Thacholi Othenan. The complex has three temples and rock-cut caves with old murals.

Sargaalaya at Iringal is a crafts village on the bank of the Moorad river where artisans from across Kerala work and sell in open workshops. It runs an annual international crafts festival in December.

Sandbanks is the beach park at Vadakara, at the mouth of the Kotta river, with a walkway, sand and a long view of the coast. Sunset is the busiest time.

The Church of St Teresa of Avila stands near the Mahe river and was founded in 1736, during French rule. It is one of the most important pilgrim centres on the Malabar coast, and its feast in October draws huge crowds from Kerala and beyond, when the statue of the saint is carried in procession through the town.

Mahe, a French enclave on the Malabar coast until 1954, sits at the mouth of the Mahe river. Its riverside walkway runs along the water from the town centre toward the sea, with benches, gardens and a boat house, and views over the river to the green hills of Kerala. Nearby stand the colonial municipal office and other reminders of French rule.

The East India Company built this square laterite fort at Thalassery in 1708 as a trading post for pepper and cardamom. Its heavy walls, carved doors and secret tunnels to the sea are still in place, and it is a protected monument.

Overbury's Folly is a terraced park on a hillock overlooking the sea at Thalassery, begun by a British judge who never finished it. The tiered garden gives a wide view of the coast and the fort.

Hermann Gundert, the German missionary who compiled the first Malayalam-English dictionary and started the first Malayalam newspaper, lived and worked in this bungalow at Illikkunnu from 1839. It is now a museum to his work.

Dharmadam is a small wooded island about a hundred metres off the coast near Thalassery, reachable on foot at low tide. It is privately held and visits need permission, but the view from the shore is the point for most.

Muzhappilangad, between Thalassery and Kannur, is the longest drive-in beach in Asia, a firm four-kilometre strip of sand where cars and motorbikes are allowed to drive right along the shore. Black rocks at either end keep the sea calm and shallow, so it is one of the safer beaches in north Kerala for swimming, and lifeguards watch the main stretch. Beach volleyball, paragliding and car rallies are held here, and the small Dharmadam island lies just offshore, reachable on foot at low tide. Fishermen work the same water and their boats line the far end. It has a Blue Flag rating, and sunset is when the beach is at its best.