One of the earliest Portuguese settlements in India (constructed with permission from Kannur's rulers), the 1505 St Angelo Fort looms tall on a promontory 3km south of town, displaying a fusion of Portuguese, Dutch and British architecture. Wander the well-preserved walls and gardens within.
The fort was taken from the Portuguese in 1663 by the Dutch, who sold it back to the Arakkal family a century later – before it was seized by the British.