Around & About Calcutta
How do I get there?
By Air
India Visit - Kolkata has an International Airport that has regular flights to Europe, the United States of America and the Orient. Major cities in India are connected to Kolkata by domestic flights - Visit India.
Visit to India - The Dum Dum Airport is only 17 km away from the city centre. There are taxis, airport buses and public minibuses to get you to the city centre from the airport. The best way to get into the city is to take a prepaid taxi to your destination in town, or to have a rented car meet you at the airport - India Visit Asia.
By Road
Visit Calcutta - It is possible to get to Kolkata by road. One can drive or take a bus from anywhere to Kolkata, be it Delhi, Bombay or Guwahati. Gas stations dot the routes and there are numerous options for eating and resting along the way. Distances are however great and it is better if one opts the rails or the skies - Calcutta Visit.
By Train
Visit to Calcutta - Howrah on the west of Hooghly River and Sealdah to the east of the river are the two rail stations and both are very crowded and frenetic with activity. All trains to India’s north-eastern region originate and end at Sealdah and trains to west, central and south India operate from Howrah. One needs to be careful against pickpockets at the stations. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and other major Indian cities are connected with Kolkata - India Visit.
By Sea
Visit India - It is possible to get to Kolkata by ship from Port Blair in the Anadaman and Nicobar islands, Vishakhapatnam and Chennai - Visit to India.
Getting Around
India Visit Asia - Taxis operate within the city. The fare is double of what shows on the meter. The catch is that you have to really badger the taxi driver into taking you and have to agree to on a price because the meter is often ignored - Visit Calcutta.
Calcutta Visit - Most convenient and comfortable way to get around - rent a chauffeur driven car from a car rental agency or a travel agent - Visit to Calcutta.
The city buses are hopelessly crowded and rife with pickpockets. If you want the experience of a city bus in Kolkata then you may board one but generally try to avoid them.
Kolkata has a tram service, a slow paced travelling mechanism on dilapidated machines the subject of much debate over their relative practical uses.
The city however boasts of an excellent underground rail system, the Metro, clean and efficient. Its service starts at 8:15 am and ends at 9:15 pm except on Sundays when it operates between 3:00 pm to 9:15 pm. Air conditioned and tastefully decorated the Metro is the easiest mode of travel within the city. However there is one line and it connects only certain areas of the city.
Cycle rickshaws are available and in some parts of central Kolkata there are rickshaws pulled by men.
When to Go
The best time to visit Kolkata is between October and March when you will conveniently miss the sweaty, humid and suffocating Bengal summer. You will also be in time for the frenzied celebrations of Durga Puja the worship of the goddess of strength, symbolising good over evil. It is a ten-day ritual held in the month of October.
Where do I Stay?
From five star hotels to cheap Salvation Army accommodation, Kolkata has it all to suit your wallet. Some of the top end hotels are constructions of the Raj, which retain that British flavour till date and offer facilities for golfing, swimming, tennis, billiards and health clubs. Within a walking distance of Dalhousie Square are the midrange hotels. They have comfortable rooms, and some are even air-conditioned. The cheapest accommodation can be found on Sudder Street and off Chowringhee Road.
What to bring
In summer lots of mineral salts to combat dehydration, warm clothes for winter and mosquito repellent.
Things to Do
Dining & Entertainment
Shopping
Special Events
City Getaways
Dining & Entertainment
North Indian, South Indian, Bengali, Chinese, Thai, Continental are served in the different restaurants of the city. Thursday is a dry day in Kolkata, with only the top end hotels serving liquor. Bars and discotheques are the only late night activities in the city.
There is an enormous epicurean range of restaurants waiting to be discovered in Kolkata. Dine on authentic Bengali cuisine at Aheli at the Peerless Inn, a top rung restaurant that is very popular with the ethnic-food gourmand. Aminia and Southern Aminia are unbeatable for Mughlai, but if its northwest frontier cuisine you crave, eat at Zarang in Chowringhee. Chinoiserie at the Taj Bengal has wonderful Chinese, while Palm Court does great Thai.
For the executive on a lunch date, the atmosphere at the Crystal, the coffee shop at Kenilworth is just right. Amber rates high on cuisine and ambience with its North Indian specialties and Mughlai delights. Mocambo on Free School Street is still going strong and serves wonderful continental food. If you have a yen for Chinese, try Zen at the Park Hotel or Mainland China. Saffron with its hearty Punjabi food might make it difficult to get back to work, but it works wonders on the palate! And good old Maxim's at the Great Eastern is the place to go for a continental spread - and a relaxed atmosphere while you enjoy that business lunch.
Kolkata's smorgasbord of eating out choices includes a whole string of happening restaurants on Park Street, featuring old time favourites like Blue Fox where you can gorge on continental cuisine. Red Hot Chilli Pepper is the sizzling Chinese food place - don't miss this one! Eat in rustic splendour at Sonargaon, the Indian restaurant at the Taj Bengal. Kebab e cue is a wonderful garden restaurant for a good Indian bar be cue. The Garden Café is a modestly priced drive-in restaurant with Indian snacks and fast food. Another popular Indian fast food place is Gokul, while Little Sicily is all the rage with Italian lovers.
Pubs and bars abound, drinking being a serious pastime for many a regular elbow-bender, or just a way of hobnobbing with friends. There are old time favourites like Olypub, where drinking is an experience, and the Cecil Bar with its archaic décor and old fashioned charm. Blue Fox once had the liveliest dance floor in town, but now is a great drinking and dining joint. Chota Bristol is a pub with character - this is a bar for serious drinkers. Peter Cat is not just a famous watering hole, it serves fabulous kababs as well. And if you are looking for five star class, there's no place like Someplace Else at the Park. The Junction Bar and Incognito at the Taj Bengal, Anticlock at Hotel Hindustan and the Fairlawn Hotel bar are elegant places to rub elbows with the jet set.
Kolkata is the original jhal muri and puchka paradise and you will find any number of little stalls on popular street corners (like the junction of Wood Street and Shakespeare Sarani) where people crowd around and drool over the finger lickin' treats. New Market is flooded with inexpensive eating options like egg rolls, pav bhaji, channa bhatura, etc. Haldiram's with their long tradition of sweets, savouries and spicy chaat is always crowded, while the K C Das sweet outlets still maintain the standard that they have for years. This is the city from where tins of rossogullas and pots of mishti doi find their way to other parts of the country. Nizam's kathi kababs are perhaps the best part of eating out in Kolkata. The Tangra area is packed with inexpensive little eating places where you can do divine Chinese - just the way Kolkata loves it. And if you are looking for an interesting hangout - and you are a teenager on a budget - lurk around at Scoop, the ice cream parlour and fast food joint, or at Super Snack Bar in New Alipore.
Coffee bars have grabbed the Kolkatan's attention and these are the new, happening places for hanging around. Aqua Java, where you can quaff the steaming brew and play pool, is highly popular. There are Barista outlets in the city and you could also try the Starlit Café in Emami Shoppers City. But the all time favourite, especially with old-time Kolkatawallahs is Indian Coffee House, an institution by itself. The café near the University has long been a meeting ground for the city's intellectuals, while the branch on Chittaranjan Avenue is equally packed because of its central location. Flury's confectionery, especially their rumballs, is legend and the Flury's tea lounge on Park Street retains that delightful elegance that still attracts loyal patrons.
Amongst the many restaurants recommended by Kolkatans, Suruchi tops the list with its unpretentious ambience and its wonderful Bengali cuisine. Suruchi has sizzling seafood - Bong style - and a menu that changes with the catch! Kewpie's another Bengali food place is rated as absolutely fabulous by Kolkatans. Currying favours with the Kolkata gourmand is the Kurry Klub with its Indian and Italian fare. A multi cuisine eating experience that is making waves is Grain of Salt where you can find quite a Khana Khazana. And anyone who enjoys continental cuisine should have a meal at Tangarin - you'll probably keep coming back to this one!
Catch a play or a music program or dance performance at any of the theatres. Many performances are in Bengali, but during the winter season, plays in English are also put up and so are music performances. The Dover Lane Music Festival held at the end of January is a treat for Indian classical music lovers. Artistes from all over India perform here and these programmes carry on to the wee hours of the morning!
Shopping
Kolkata is full of markets. Every area has its own market. The New Market is worth a visit- even if you don’t want to shop! Under one roof you can shop for fabric, leather shoes, toys, household items – just about anything under the sun!
The Gariahat, Hathibagan and Barabazaar markets stock inexpensive textiles and household items that are most often the best bargains.
The emporia stock handicrafts from all states. Terracotta Bankura horses, kantha embroidered saris, mirror work wall hangings, carved wooden panels – they are all available here.
Special Events
Held in January are the Book Fair and the Calcutta Festival of food and cultural events like the Dover Lane Music Festival. The most special event of the city is Durga Puja, held in October. People buy new clothes, the entire city gets a festive look and the devout pray to the Goddess for blessings.
City Getaways
51 km south of Kolkata is Diamond Harbour, a beach resort. Take a launch or boat to Sagar Island (SagarDwip). It is also possible to go by bus. The island is considered the point where the Ganges meets the ocean. Every year during Makar Sankranti, which is held in mid January, hundreds of thousands of people throng here for a dip in the waters and a visit to the Kapil Muni Temple. The festival held at this time is called the Gangasagar Mela and is the largest fair in West Bengal.
South-west of Kolkata, some 185 km away is Digha, a popular beach resort. 8 km from here, across in the state of Orissa is the Chandeshwar Siva Temple.
And just 131 km away is the Sunderbans Delta, home to spotted deer, wild pigs, monkeys, herons, kingfishers, white bellied eagles and almost 250 Bengal tigers.
Chandannagar, situated 39 km north of Kolkata was one of the French enclaves in India. It was finally handed over to India in 1951. It has dilapidated structures of the French era.
An ancient center of the Sanskrit culture is Nabadwip, 114 km north of Kolkata. Mayapur across the river from Nabadwip has a ISKCON temple. On the banks of the Bhagirathi river, 221 km south of the city is Murshidabad, a trading town today formerly the capital of Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah. It has the Palace of a Thousand Doors, the ruins of Katra Mosque, Moti (Pearl) Lake and the Parswanath Temple of the Jains.
152 km away from Kolkata is the town of Vishnupur. This was the capital of the Malla kings and is famous for the terracotta temples, classical music (Vishnupur Gharana) and Bankura pottery. It is also famed for the Jhapan festival held in mid-August which is a prayer to Goddess Manasa, the goddess of snakes. A great snake show is held here and the town is thronged with snake charmers, believers and curious onlookers. In case you are staying over, there is a small rest house – do try and make bookings before you go.
213 kms away, far from the madding crowd of Kolkata is the sylvan retreat of Shantiniketan. Rabindranath Tagore’s concept of nature being conducive to learning is upheld even today and classes are still held under shady trees. Splendid frescos, murals and paintings adorn the walls and the campus of the Vishwa Bharti University. Shantiniketan can be reached by rail (Bolpur is the nearest railhead 2 km away) or by road. There is basic and comfortable accommodation – recommend you make bookings through a travel agent.
Between October and May one can go the Jaldapara Sanctuary home to one horned rhinos, Royal Bengal tigers, elephants, deer, boars, birds etc. River Torsha runs through this forest. Fly or take a train from Kolakata to Bagdogra and take a bus or taxi to the Sanctuary.
