Kolkata, India: travel guide
The 'City of Joy' — a literary, artistic, and culinary powerhouse shaped by the Bengal Renaissance, the Raj, and the warmth of its people.
- Country
- India
- Currency
- INR
- Time zone
- Asia/Kolkata
- Nearest airport
- CCU
Top places to visit in Kolkata
Eco Park New Town
Nature · 4.3 rating · about 2 h · entry INR 50
Huge urban eco-tourism park with a lake, themed gardens and replicas of world wonders.
Victoria Memorial
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 2 h · entry INR 500
Kolkata's iconic white-marble monument to Queen Victoria, set in formal gardens, now a museum of British-Raj paintings, sculpture and the city's history.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Temple · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h
A grand 1855 riverside Kali temple associated with the saint Ramakrishna, its nine-spired bhakti architecture drawing thousands of devotees daily.
Science City
Museum · 4.4 rating · about 2.5 h · entry INR 80
India's largest science centre, with a Space Theatre, dynamotion hall and interactive galleries — a hugely popular family and school attraction.
Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu)
Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 0.8 h
The thundering cantilever bridge over the Hooghly, an engineering icon of 1943 and the city's enduring symbol, best seen from the flower market and ghats below.
Kalighat Kali Temple
Temple · 4.5 rating · about 1.3 h
One of the 51 Shakti Peethas and the temple that gave the city its name, a 1809 shrine to Goddess Kali at the heart of intense, age-old devotion.
Indian Museum
Museum · 4.3 rating · about 2 h · entry INR 500
India's oldest and largest museum (1814), a vast colonnaded treasury of Egyptian mummies, Buddhist stupa railings, fossils, art and antiquities.
Belur Math
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h
The serene riverside global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, whose unique temple blends Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs into one harmonious design.
Park Street & Park Street Cemetery
Cultural · 4.4 rating · about 1.5 h
Kolkata's buzzing food-and-nightlife boulevard, paired with the atmospheric 1767 South Park Street Cemetery of grand colonial tombs amid banyans.
St. Paul's Cathedral
Church · 4.5 rating · about 0.8 h
A graceful Gothic-revival Anglican cathedral of 1847 near the Maidan, with airy white interiors, stained glass and a tall fluted spire.
Marble Palace
Heritage · 4.2 rating · about 1 h
A lavish 1835 neoclassical mansion of a Bengali merchant, crammed with European sculpture, paintings and chandeliers — visited by permit, a window into old Calcutta wealth.
Indian Botanic Garden
Nature · 4.3 rating · about 2 h · entry INR 100
Historic Shibpur gardens home to the world's widest banyan, the Great Banyan Tree.
Things to do
- Kumartuli Idol-Makers Walk Cultural · 2 h · from INR 800 per person
- North Kolkata Heritage & Food Walk Cultural · 3 h · from INR 1,200 per person
- Hooghly River Sunset Cruise Activity · 1.5 h · from INR 600 per person
- Durga Puja Pandal-Hopping Tour Cultural · 5 h · from INR 2,000 per person
- Heritage Tram Ride & Park Street Cultural · 2.5 h · from INR 500 per person
- Victoria Memorial & Maidan Heritage Walk Sightseeing · 2.5 h · from INR 800 per person
- Belur Math & Dakshineswar Day Tour Cultural · 5 h · from INR 1,500 per person
- Kalighat & Mother House Spiritual Tour Cultural · 4 h · from INR 1,200 per person
Day trips and tours
- Kolkata City Highlights Tour 9 h · from INR 1,800
- Heritage & Food Walking Tour 4 h · from INR 1,200
- Belur Math & Dakshineswar Temple Tour 5 h · from INR 1,200
Where to stay in Kolkata
- Park Street about INR 4,000 per night
Trendy commercial area with restaurants, bars, and shopping
- Salt Lake about INR 3,500 per night
Modern residential area with business hotels
- Sudder Street about INR 1,500 per night
Budget backpacker area with historic accommodation
Hotels
- The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata 5-star · INR 12,000 to INR 24,000 per night
- Taj Bengal 5-star · INR 11,000 to INR 22,000 per night
- ITC Royal Bengal 5-star · INR 10,000 to INR 20,000 per night
- The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata 5-star · INR 8,000 to INR 18,000 per night
- The Park Kolkata 5-star · INR 8,000 to INR 15,000 per night
- Hyatt Regency Kolkata 5-star · INR 7,000 to INR 15,000 per night
Where to eat
- Arsalan Mughlai, Biryani, Awadhi · about INR 450 per person
- Peter Cat Anglo-Indian, North Indian, Continental · about INR 700 per person
- Flurys Bakery, Continental, Cafe · about INR 550 per person
- 6 Ballygunge Place Bengali · about INR 800 per person
- Mocambo Continental, Anglo-Indian · about INR 750 per person
- Bhojohori Manna Bengali · about INR 450 per person
- Nizam's Mughlai, Street Food · about INR 200 per person
- Oh! Calcutta Bengali, Seafood · about INR 1,100 per person
Getting around
- Auto Rickshaw main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Metro main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Ride Hail main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.
Safety and scams to avoid
Pre-paid taxi "broken meter"
Airports, train stations, popular squares
Driver insists meter is broken, quotes ~3x the fair price; or detours via "shopping" stops earning commission.
How to avoid it: Use pre-paid taxi counter at airport, or Uber/Ola/Rapido apps. Insist on meter or agree price upfront.