A Tour of Kolkata; A 3-Day Travel Experience
Kolkata; is a name of a unique city in India. This former capital of the British colony always stands aside from other cities of India in terms of tradition, culture, and values. Kolkata (Calcutta is the previous name) is a middle-class-driven city which is maintaining a modern lifestyle in a vintage endeavor; old British structures, yellow ambassadors, human-pulled rikshaw, teas in a mud-cup, hundred years old recipes, rosogolla, and so on.
I always love to travel to Kolkata. Kolkata attracts me in the summer with its evening cool breeze that comes from Ganga. It calls me in the monsoon to see the beauty of the old city on a rainy day, and I like to go in the winter also to see the city in a clear landscape view. In my view, the main charm of the city is hidden in its day-to-day life- the rush, the crowd, the bells from the mandirs, the trams, the food, the Ganga, and a lot more.
The current capital of west Bengal; Kolkata is easily accessible through air, road, and rail from any major city in India and connected by air internationally (several land borders are available with its neighboring countries). On my last visit, I traveled from Delhi by Rajdhani express, a satisfactory journey. It was a 3-day and 3-night tour in this dream location. If you are passionate about travel, it is for sure that you will visit Kolkata again and again but for a startup, 3 days is enough. However, it is my personal opinion, if you want to discover Kolkata more deeply it will take more time.
Below is a 3-day tour plan as per my practical experience.
Day 1- Visit nearby places: After arrival in the morning at Kolkata you may check in to your hotel to get fresh and keep your belongings in the room (also you can keep your luggage in the locker room available).
It is advised to grab a taxi or Uber to cover more places in a scheduled manner. You may use Google Maps to select your places considering the distance and direction between one another. If you want to enjoy loneliness in a peaceful place or want to get lost in nature you can visit the botanical garden or Eco Tourism Park.
To experience the historical value of the city, you may visit Tagore House, St. Jons`s Church, Prashanth Jain Temple, Netaji Bhabhan, Birla temple, and Victoria memorial. Take your lunch in a random restaurant.
You may become tired in the afternoon. Take a ride to Howrah railway station by crossing the famous Howrah bridge. There is a place opposite the station called fairly place from where you can take a ferry ride to cross the River; Halda crossing. Once you complete the short and amazing journey you may take a bit of rest by sitting at the bank of the river- a park is there. The sunset, the shadow of Howrah bridge, and the wind are going to blow your mind by taking you back in time to the mid of the last century.
Now you are fully charged. There are lots of pubs and clubs to enjoy the nightlife of the city. It is good if you go to the park street area and walk around. There is a big street market for all types of items. You have to be an experienced shopper to get value for money; hard bargaining is advised! You can enjoy street food over there also- egg rolls, chawmeen(noodles), fuchka, chotpoti, etc. are the favorite ones. There are cinema halls also in Park Street if you like movies on the big screen, it can be a good option.
Go to your hotel and get fresh. Take a small tour by walking to find your desirable food. Hoping now the stomach is quiet; sleep!
Day 2- A day to discover modern Kolkata first. You may visit Birlaplanetarium, Nicco Park, Science City, and Salt Lake to get an idea of the modernist context of the city.
Take lunch in a random restaurant or you can try street food also.
At the beginning of the afternoon, go to the New Market. Though the name consists of new, it is still with more than 2000 modern shops in an 18th-century building named Hogg`s market. You may buy some gift items for your friend and family (a bargain is necessary).
Go to a live music bar or pub. With a drink enjoy jazz, local music, and so on.
Now, it’s time for your dinner. Select a restaurant according to your desired food for today`s dinner.
Then resting; a pillow below the head.
Day 3- You are going to discover the old Kolkata. North Kolkata is considered old Kolkata. Take a 2 to 3-hour walk through the narrow roads with buildings with vintage architecture. You can hire a human-pulled rickshaw to discover through Chithpur, Bagbazar, Belgacchia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktola, etc.
Don’t miss taking a tram ride from Shovabazar to College Street. Tram is consisting of two train compartment which runs through the rail track lying on the road. In the starting period (1804) it was horse driven but now runs by electricity.
Spend some time on College Street; a place where you can get a particular book which you couldn’t find in other places in the world. Try to manage some time for the historic Coffee House with a cutlet and a cup of coffee; the Coffee House was the birthplace of lots of legendary intellectual people including poets, politicians, writers, filmmakers, and so on. Each table was a discussion board for various topics from the beginning; lots of ideas and thoughts originated here towards importing the change of society, life, and culture in India.
After evening snakes, you may enjoy a long drive through VidyaSagar Setu. Drive back to Kolkata after midnight to see how it looks in scintillating light.
Get your dinner in a 24/7 restaurant. Have a peaceful sleep.
N.B.: It is written on basis of my tour. You can change as per your budget, time, and desire. The result should be getting the essence of modern India in a historical dimension.
Must-see places in Kolkata
1. Howrah Bridge
2. Jorashako Thaqur Bari
3. Park street
4. Museum
5. Victoria Memorial
6. Newmarket
7. Old Kolkata ( North Kolkata)
8. Birla Temple
9. Kalighat
Some of the places have a weekly closing date and entry fees. Please check in advance.
Foods you must try
1. Rosogolla
2. MacherJhol
3. MistiDoi
4. KoshaMangsho
5. Chomchom
6. Shukto
7. Sondesh
8. Alu Curry
9. Luchi
This is a list to give you an idea. So far, there are a countable number of foods that are always the best attraction for foodies.
Places to stay
There is a choice between budget hotels to star hotels available in the city.
Budget hotels:
1. AT Rest House
2. Modak Guest House
3. Red Velvet Inn.
3 to 5-star category hotels:
1. The Westin
2. Hotel Swissotel Kolkata
3. Novotel Kolkata
You can always find a place to stay in your range. No worries about the stay.
Transportation through the city
In the case of city transportation, depending on your budget you can use local transport like a bus, metro, or tram to roam around the city. For comfort, you can hire a taxi or Uber which is available throughout the city. You also can rent a car through your hotel reception or rental agencies- it is expensive for budget travelers.
Money matters: Considering Budget hotel and taxi fare your expenditure can be as below,
Hotel — 3 days X 2000.00 INR=6000.00INR
Food- 3 days X 1000.00 = 3000.00 INR
In city transportation — 3 days X 2000.00 INR =6000.00
Others -1500.00 INR
So, with the total amount of 16500.00 INR, it is going to be a lavish trip. Upon personal interest and taste, expenditure can be more or less.
Nearby Places of Kolkata to visit
1. Digha: A sea beach town with natural beauty.
2. Sundarbans: The forest and villages of Sundarbans.
3. Murshidabad: The kingdom of the last independent king of Bengal- Nawab Siraj ud-Daula.
4. Mandarmani: A beach town with natural beauty and fresh fish.
5. Sonajhuri Forest: Quiet and peaceful place.
6. Shantiniketan: Culture and folklore education institute, established by Rabindra Tagore.
Safety and security
Women should avoid roaming around alone in remote places and after 10.00 PM. Pickpocketing is a regular happening in the crowd and on public transport. Muggings used to happen in quiet and dark places at night. However, tourists usually do not become victims of capital crimes. Book tours and transports from reputed travel agencies or hotels.
Useful links
Train Timetable: www.railyatri.in/time-table
Clock Room: In Airport and Howrah railway station you can keep your luggage at a cheap price.
Metro Timetable: http://www.kolkatametrorail.com/time-table-metro-train
Tourist Information: https://www.indiacom.com/yellow-pages/tourist-information-centres/kolkata(calcutta)/
