Kolkata

Victoria Memorial

A white Makrana marble monument built between 1906 and 1921 to commemorate Queen Victoria's reign as Empress of India, designed by William Emerson in an Indo-Saracenic style that blends Mughal, Venetian, and classical European elements.

Timing: Museum – Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Closed Mondays. Garden – Open daily, 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Light and Sound show – Every Wednesday in English, 5:30 PM onwards
Entry Fee: Museum – ₹500 (online pay or cash at counter), Garden – ₹30, Light and Sound show – ₹100
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Indian Museum

Established in 1814, the Indian Museum is the oldest museum in Asia and one of the largest in India. The building — a classical colonnaded structure around a central courtyard — houses 35 galleries across six sections: archaeology, art, anthropology, geology, zoology, and economic botany.

Timing: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Closed Mondays
Entry Fee: ₹500 (online pay or cash at counter)
Open in Maps | Official Booking Site

Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu)

A cantilever truss bridge spanning the Hooghly River between Kolkata and Howrah, completed in 1943. At 705 meters, it is one of the longest cantilever bridges in the world. The bridge has no nuts or bolts in its construction; the entire structure is held together by rivets.

Timing: Open 24 hours
Entry Fee: No entry fee
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Dakshineswar Kali Temple

A 19th-century Kali temple on the east bank of the Hooghly. The temple compound contains 12 identical Shiva temples on the river bank, a Radha-Krishna temple, and ghats where pilgrims bathe in the Hooghly.

Timing: Open daily, 5:00 AM – 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Entry Fee: No entry fee
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Belur Math

The headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, located on the west bank of the Hooghly. Founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1899, the main temple is built in an architectural style that fuses Hindu, Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist motifs.

Timing: Open daily, 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM and 4:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Entry Fee: No entry fee
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Jorasanko Thakur Bari

The ancestral home of the Tagore family in the Jorasanko neighbourhood, built in 1784. Rabindranath Tagore — poet, novelist, playwright, composer, and the first non-European Nobel laureate in literature — was born here in 1861. The house is now part of the Rabindra Bharati University campus and contains a museum.

Timing: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Closed Mondays
Entry Fee: 
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Kalighat Kali Temple

One of the 51 Shakti Peethas, where the right toes of Goddess Sati are believed to have fallen. The current temple structure dates from 1809, though the site has been a place of worship for several centuries. The presiding deity is Goddess Kali in her fearsome form, depicted with a long tongue.

Timing: Open daily, 5:00 AM – 2:00 AM and 5:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Entry Fee: No entry fee
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Kumartuli

A neighborhood in North Kolkata that has been the centre of clay idol-making for Durga Puja and other Bengali festivals for over 300 years. Kumartuli — the potters' quarter — is where hundreds of artisan families (kumors) produce the enormous clay idols of Goddess Durga, Kali, Saraswati, and Lakshmi.

Timing: Open daily
Entry Fee: No entry fee
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College Street (Boi Para)

A street, known as the largest second-hand book market in the world. The pavement stalls and small shops sell new, used, and rare books in Bengali, English, and other languages — academic texts, literary classics, rare out-of-print titles, and contemporary fiction.

Timing: Book stalls — 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Entry Fee: No entry fee
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Metro in Kolkata

Metro is practical in Kolkata. Google the nearest metro station to your starting point and destination. Enter the station, buy a ticket at the counter or vending machine, clear security, scan the ticket at the entry gate, walk towards platform and board the train. Use the same ticket again at the exit gate on destination.

Local buses in Kolkata

Partially practical. City buses cover the city but routes are difficult to navigate without local knowledge.

Ride-hailing apps in Kolkata

Practical. Ride-hailing app like Uber operate in Kolkata. Select the vehicle type and book through the app; fares are shown upfront before confirmation. Drivers may call to confirm the pickup point. Before getting in, verify the vehicle number and OTP shown in the app. Payment can be made by card through the app or in cash directly to the driver at the end of the trip.

Street-hailing auto rickshaw in Kolkata

Practical. For short distances (5 km) or when apps are unavailable. Tell or show the auto driver your destination — they can refuse, in which case move to the next one. Agree on the fare (approx. ₹30—₹40 per km) before you get in. Know the distance to your destination via maps before negotiating.

Durga Puja in Kolkata

Kolkata's defining event — the city installs thousands of designed pandals across every neighbourhood for five days. Competing localities commission designers and artists for pandal structures that draw millions of visitors. All-night pandal-hopping is the defining activity of the festival.
2026 Dates:

Kolkata Book Fair

The largest book fair in Asia and the most attended book fair in the world by visitor numbers. Over 2 million visitors across 12 days. Publishers, bookshops, and cultural organisations from across India and several countries participate. Free entry.
2026 Dates:

Poila Boishakh in Kolkata

Bengali New Year — observed across Kolkata with cultural programmes, music, processions, and the traditional opening of new business ledgers (Haal Khata). Families visit temples and cultural institutions.
2026 Dates:

Kolkata's food is built on Bengali cuisine — rice-based, fish-centred, and defined by a balance of sweet, sour, and bitter notes. Hilsa (ilish) from the Hooghly is the most prized fish. The city's street food tradition — kathi rolls, phuchka, jhalmuri — is as important as its restaurant culture.

Local food to eat in Kolkata

Hilsa (ilish) curry · Kosha mangsho (slow-cooked mutton) · Shorshe ilish (hilsa in mustard) · Kathi roll · Phuchka · Jhalmuri · Aloo tikki · Mishti doi · Rosogolla · Sandesh · Luchi with aloo dum

Food streets in Kolkata

• Dacres Lane — historic breakfast lane, tel bhaja, snacks, central Kolkata
• New Market area — diverse street food, snacks, multiple cuisines
• Park Street — established restaurants, Anglo-Indian food, Flurys, Mocambo
• College Street (Indian Coffee House) — tea, light snacks, intellectual cafe culture
• CR Park market — Bengali street food, fish fry, kathi rolls, jhalmuri
• Tiretti Bazaar (Chinatown) — Chinese breakfast, dim sum, Hakka food

Kolkata is well connected by air, rail, and road. Whether arriving or departing, use the station codes, airport, and bus terminal information below.

Kolkata — Stations, Airport & Bus Stands

Rail Stations: Howrah Junction (HWH) | Sealdah Station (SDAH)
Airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU)
Bus Terminal: Esplanade Bus Terminus | Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus

By Train
Search "Kolkata" as your origin (if departing) or destination (if arriving). Howrah Junction (HWH) is the main station. Choose a train based on journey duration, departure time, and class availability.

By Flight
Search by city name across IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) has extensive domestic and international connectivity.

By Bus
Buses (AC or non-AC) operate from the bus terminal — head to the counter and ask for your destination. Or, use app-based platforms such as redBus to search and book buses on your route. Both state-run (WBSTC) and private operators are listed — prefer buses with ratings of 4★ or higher.

All fees and charges listed on this page are applicable to foreign nationals only.