An Insider’s Guide To Kolkata – All You Need To Know

Sep 5, 2020 | Kolkata, Travel

The article first appeared on breathedreamgo.com

Kolkata – The City of Joy – and the capital of West Bengal is a mélange of sights, sounds, feel, and colour. Some parts of the city are absolutely modern while some are steeped in history. It could therefore be a little overwhelming to the visitor who is visiting Kolkata for the first time. In fact, I am a Kolkata lad and yet, at times, I would wish there is some direction in the eclectic mix. So, for the benefit of all my friends who are forever curious about Kolkata tourism and keep making plans, here is my two bits worth about things to do in Kolkata. I have tried to include which, in my opinion, are the best places to visit in Kolkata. If you do discover more places, would love to hear about those as well.

Why to visit Kolkata

Historical places in Kolkata

Kolkata or Calcutta called then, was the capital of India for the most part of the British rule. It therefore boasts of a host of beautiful colonial architecture most of which are functional and well maintained till present. While the capital was moved to Delhi in the year 1911, Kolkata is visibly steeped in history. There are hosts of temples mosques and churches, museums, parks, and riverfront that make Kolkata a traveller’s delight.

Art and culture

Given the high standards of educational and intellectual pursuits in Kolkata, it is also called the cultural capital of India. The esteemed poet and philosopher and the first Nobel laureate from India as well as Asia, Rabindranath Tagore, as well as the Oscar winning film director Satyajit Ray hail from this city. Kolkata is still the hub for music, arts and theatre in India. Classical artists would have to go through the rite of passage of performing before audience in Kolkata in order to establish themselves at the national level.

Handloom and handicraft

Kolkata is a treasure trove of beautiful cotton and silk handloom and handicrafts that are manufactured in the towns and villages of Bengal. The taant sari, Baluchari sari, khaddar fabrics, and sholapith (Indian cork), and terracotta sculpture pieces are must-buy from here. Most of these items are still sold at traditional markets where one goes and chats up with the seller over a cup of tea.

Food

It is the hub for the most delectable sweets and desserts in India. The biryani in Kolkata is a unique style of Mughlai cooking that is not available elsewhere in India. The street food of Kolkata can be fodder for a standalone article. Moreover, Kolkata is still the most affordable city in India in terms of food. You can visit Kolkata just for a gastronomy trip.

Tramcar in Kolkata

Kolkata is the only city in India that has tram transport. Started in the year 1902, it is still a popular mode of commute among locals. In today’s fast paced lives, a leisurely ride in the tram car, meandering through the busy city, is catharsis. A tram ride is sheer romance and I had my first date in the tram car too. From personal experience, it is a well tested recipe for sparks to fly.

Durga Puja in Kolkata

Durga Puja is an autumnal festival to worship Goddess Durga. While this is a Hindu festival, the celebrations in Kolkata are of grand proportions that break religious boundaries and adopt a secular flavour. The whole city is covered with lights and crafty pandals or marquees are erected in various parks and neighbourhoods to install the Durga idol. The festival lasts for 5 days. People turn out on the streets in colourful clothes and the city is awake all 5 days and nights. The celebrations reach carnival proportions and Kolkata became a live art gallery in this period.

Places to visit near Kolkata

In addition to a host of tourist places in Kolkata, there are a host of tourist attractions in the visit that can be reached by bus, cars, or local trains. This heading is discussed in more detail later in this post.

Best places to visit in Kolkata

If you are a planning a trip, you should keep at least 3 or 4 days on hand for Kolkata sightseeing. While the places are not far, most tourist activity here require some time. Kolkata has a robust public transport city by way of bus, trams, yellow taxis, radio cabs, local trains, metro, and ferries across Ganga. One may also choose to rent a car but if you want a more authentic experience, go with the flow. While the local language is Bangla, most people understand and speak a workable amount of Hindi and English so even if you are not conversant in Bangla, you should be fine. Solely based on my personal favourites, below is a list of the most popular places to see in Kolkata.

Victoria Memorial

Dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria, this magnificent marble structure in the heart of Kolkata carries an extensive collection of marble statues, artifacts, oil paintings, and old manuscripts. It is now a museum that also has a dedicated Calcutta gallery. The well-maintained sprawling lawns around the building are called the lungs of the city. If you are a tad fun-loving, a horse-drawn carriage or tanga ride around Victoria Memorial is highly recommended.

Indian Museum

The Indian Museum bears the honour of being the largest and perhaps the oldest museum in Asia. It has a host of galleries with a rich collection of objects of art and natural history. As a child, we loved the dinosaur skeleton and the mummy remains on display here. As an adult, I tend to gravitate towards the ancient art and textile galleries. The Indian Museum is not far from the Victoria Museum and if you are a museum buff, this museum can easily take you the whole day.

Birla Planetarium

The Birla Planetarium is located opposite to the Victoria Memorial. They have regular shows on astronomy, space science as well as Indian philosophy in connection with stars and planets. The projection is on a spherical ceiling which makes the visual so much more real. The show times are divided as per audio language – English, Bangla, and Hindi. I had first visited this place as a six-year-old and was totally awestruck. I visited the Planetarium again last year and it did not fail to engage me as an adult.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

If you are in the Victoria Memorial – Birla Planetarium area, you are in the vicinity of another beautiful building – the St. Paul’s Cathedral. The cathedral was completed in the year 1847 and is a great instance of Gothic architecture in India. I especially remember the powerful organ that they have been playing here since forever. St. Paul’s Cathedral holds the best Christmas service in Kolkata that I have attended. The sound of the organ bellowed under the high ceilings and I had goosebumps. Because of the surging crowds, the Christmas service these days is restricted to the members of the parish.

Howrah Bridge

Howrah and Hugli River in Kolkata

Howrah Bridge is iconic to Kolkata. It is a suspension-type balanced cantilever bridge on the River Hooghly and is adjacent to Howrah Station, the largest and oldest railway station in the city. No wonder it sees heavy traffic and footfall daily. Howrah Bridge is a beautiful piece of industrial architecture and has been featured by the Hindi film industry, commonly called Bollywood, in a host of movies since the 1950s. No wonder, if you are not clicked with Howrah Bridge in the backdrop, others would doubt if you have really been to Kolkata.

Kalighat Temple

The Kalighat Temple ranks high among tourist places in Kolkata. The shrine houses a very unique and abstract idol of Goddess Kali and is considered to be an extremely holy Hindu pilgrimage. The temple in its present form was built in the early 1800s in the Chala or Bengal hut style. It is located in the Southern part of Kolkata and draws huge number of devotees every day of the year.

Places to visit near Kolkata

In addition to the famous places in Kolkata, there are endless number tourism options around the city. For covering the popular ones, you would need at least a month. Here is a list of some such outside places in random order. Given the sheer number of options and with new tourist spots being developed continuously, this list is by no means exhaustive.

Shantiniketan

Shantiniketan, about 165 km from Kolkata, is a university town that has been made famous by Rabindranath Tagore. It is the headquarters of Biswa Bharati University. The beautifully designed campus, replete with various wall art, statues, and sculptures invokes a sense of peace.

Bishnupur

Bishnupur temple town has a rich collection of terracotta temples in India. Built by the Malla dynasty during the 17th century, Bishnupur is about 150 km from Kolkata and was a hub of music and art in yester years. In addition to the grand temples, one can get a feel of the cultural pursuits of Bengal in Bishnupur.

Sundarbans

Sunderban or Sundarban (“Beautiful Forest”) is a mangrove forest area about 100 km from Kolkata. The mangrove forest is developed on the delta formed by the confluence of Rivers, Ganga, Meghna (Bangladesh), and Brahmaputra, this place is extremely rich in biodiversity. Sunderbans are home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger.

Digha

Digha is a beach on the Bay of Bengal. It is about 200 km from Kolkata and takes about 4 hours to reach. It is a popular picnic spot and draws huge crowds during the holiday season.

Darjeeling

Darjeeling is the most popular hill station in West Bengal and is part of the Himalayan range. It is an overnight journey from Kolkata. The town was developed as a holiday destination in the British era. Apart from the natural beauty of the Himalayas, is an eclectic fusion of British as well as local Bhutia and Nepalese cultures.

Pro-tips

Kolkata being closed to the sea is humid except for winter months. Summer lasts from April till September and may not be comfortable for touristy activities. End September till March is the best time to visit Kolkata.

Apart from historical places in Kolkata, you could also look out for happening night life in Park Street area. It is a thriving city so all modern amenities and medical facilities are easily available. That said, Kolkata offers old world charm like no other city in India and that keeps drawing us back to this romantic City of Joy time and again.

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53 Comments

  1. Roshni

    Aah! Sunderban, Darjeeling, Shantiniketan .. your creative content actually made me have a virtual quick tour of Kolkata today hah! I have visited few of this places and it’s still fresh in my mind now. Your descriptive writing helped more to recall.

    Reply
  2. Bindu Thomas

    Wow!! well described post! Kolkota looks so nice through the read

    Reply
  3. Avantika Chaturvedi

    As a young girl, the Birla Planetarium had a major impact on me, and furthered my interest in astronomy. You’re mention of that made me super nostalgic! Kolkata is definitely an incredibly rich city in terms of art, history and culture and it’s been on my list for a long time. The tram ride and durga puja are two things I especially want to experience. Thanks for the comprehensive post!

    Reply
  4. Anahita Irani

    I have been to Kolkata 34 years ago on my way to darjeeling. It was just for a day and really could not see much. Your post has made me yearn to visit this city of joy once again.

    Reply
  5. Packers and Movers

    Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is great, as well as the content!

    Reply

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