 Kolkata (কলকাতা, Calcutta) Travel Guide
Kolkata, India
Author: Peter Andersen (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
Kolkata (Bengali: কলকাতা, formerly Calcutta) is the third biggest city in India. It is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located on the east bank of the Hooghly River. It served as the capital of India during the era of the British Raj from 1702, when the British completed Fort William, until 1912, when the capital was relocated to New Delhi.
Guide to Kolkata Hotels
It's never easy finding the hotel that's just right for your stay. Still, by taking a little time to do your research, you increase your chance of getting a good hotel at the best price. Go through the list of hotels in Kolkata which we've put together, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Pick the hotel of your choice and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Yes, we show you prices from different websites, so you don't have to visit them one by one.
More on Kolkata
Today the Kolkata metropolitan area has a population of over 15 million people, making it the 8th biggest metropolitan area in population in the world.
Victoria Memorial, Kolkata
Author: Biswarup Ganguly (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Many of the palatial public buildings that are standing in Kolkata today were the work of Richard Wellesley, the Governor General of Calcutta from 1797 to 1805. Calcutta was the centre for opium trading of the British East India Company in the 18th and 19th centuries. The local company that traded in opium, J. Thomas & Company, is still in Kolkata today, albeit having evolved into the largest auctioneer of tea in the world.
The name of Kolkata has always been Kolkata or Kolikata in the Bengali language, although the British anglicized it to Calcutta. The official English name Calcutta survived until 2001 when the name Kolkata was officially adopted.
Kolkata street scene
Author: Biswarup Ganguly (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Kolkata enjoys a tropical climate with wet and dry months. The hottest months are May and June, when the maximum temperature can rise to above 40°C. The coolest months are December and January, with temperature around 9° to 11°C. Kolkata gets heavy rainfall from the Southwest Monsoon, which lashes the Bay of Bengal from June to September, with heaviest rains expected in August.
St Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata
Author: Sarindam7 (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Budget Travel to Kolkata
Kolkata is served by the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport which receives domestic as well as international flights. The airport is located some 20 km from downtown Kolkata. You reach the city, you would take a prepaid taxi which costs around Rs. 150-250 depending on your destination.
One of the galleries of the Indian Museum in Kolkata
Author: Nomad Tales (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Budget Travel within Kolkata
By Taxi
There is an army of yellow Ambassador taxis plying the streets. They would be your first choice of transport. The fare starts at Rs. 22. To reach the taxi meter, multiply what you see with 10 and then add 2. So if the meter shows 10, the fare is 10x2+2= Rs22. You can call a taxi at the following numbers:
Orix: (033) 4422 2222
Megacabs: (033) 4141 4141
By Trams
Kolkata is the only city in India that still has a running tram system. It is in fact the oldest electric tram in Asia. You would take it today more for its novelty than for practical purposes.
By Metro
Kolkata is the first city in India with a subway system, albeit there's only one line that runs north to south through the city. The fare is between Rs4 to RS8 depending on distance. Work in progress to extend the line further south, and to build a new east-west line.
Kolkata street with Nakhoda Mosque in the background
Author: Dipanker Dutta (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
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Places of Interest in Kolkata
- St John's Church
The first church to be built by the British in Kolkata.
- Memorial to the Black Hole Tragedy
Memorial to those who died in the Black Hole of Calcutta - actual site is now the present General Post Office.
- Nilhat House
Tea auction centre of Kolkata.
- College Street
The heart of Bengal intellectural life, with pavement stalls selling textbooks, exam guides, classics and second-hand books.
- Nakhoda Mosque
The largest mosque in Kolkata.
- Armenian Church of St Nazareth
Church built by Armenian traders in Kolkata in 1724.
- Maidan
400-hectare (988-acre) parkfrrom the Hooghly River in the west to Chowringhee in the east.
- Fort William
A squat, irregular octagonal fort built in 1781. Since it is still used by the military, it is not open to the public.
- Burmese Pavilion
Pavilion brought here by Lord Dalhousie from Prome in Myanmar in 1854.
- Shahid Minar
48-meter high fluted Doric column, originally built as a memorial to Sir David Ochterlony.
- Victoria Memorial
The most famous landmark of Kolkata, erected by Lord Curzon, the most flamboyant viceroy of British India.
- St Paul's Cathedral
Cathedral built in 1847, modelled after Britain's Canterbury Cathedral.
- Chowringhee
The most fashionable promenade in Kolkata, now named Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
- Oberoi Grand
Luxury hotel housed in the elegant Victorian style building erected in the 1870's.
- New Market
Market and bazaar in Kolkata.
- The Asiatic Society Museum and Library
Society with museum holding some 60,000 old and rare manuscripts.
- Indian Museum
Oldest and largest museum in India.
- Mother House
Headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by the late Mother Teresa.
- Park Street Cemetery
Final resting place of 18th and 19th century Europeans in Kolkata .
- Alipore
Kolkata's most fashionable suburb.
- Alipore Zoological Gardens
Zoo established in 1875 with large collection of birds and mammals.
- National Library
The largest library in India, with over 2 million books and manuscripts.
- Agri Horticultural Society
Botanical garden established in 1820 to develop and promote agriculture and horticulture in India.
- Kalighat
The oldest pilgrimage site in Kolkata with the Kali Temple.
- Nirmal Hridaya (Pure Heart)
Home for the destitute established by Mother Teresa.
- Tangra
New Chinatown of Kolkata with Chinese restaurants and shoe shops.
- Marble Palace
Mansion built in 1835 by wealthy landowner Raja Rajendra Mullick.
- Jorasanko
Ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore and a centre of art and culture in Bengal.
- Kumartuli (Area of the Potters)
A district of alleyways where the images of Hindu deities are made.
- Buro Shiva
Old Shiva temple near Kumartuli, probably the only extant terracotta temple in Kolkata.
- Howrah Bridge
Now called Rabindra Setum, this is the famous landmark of Kolkata across the Hooghly River.
- Botanical Gardens
Gardens in the Shibpur suburb of Howrah established in 1787, today housing a fantastic collection of flora.
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