Bengal Tourism: Things to do in Kolkata

There are plenty of things to do in Kolkata and almost all travellers will be planning a visit to the famous ancient Kalighat temple and Tagore house, a shrine-like museum to India’s greatest modern poet. We look beyond the guidebooks to find out what else you should do in this vibrant city.

Take part in a night-long celebration in one of the biggest Indian festivals, go tiger spotting in the world’s largest mangrove swamp, spend a day at the race course. October’s great time to travel to Kolkata.

Durga Puja

This is the most important event in Kolkata’s festival calendar. It celebrates Mother goddess Durga. Life comes to a standstill in the city for four days. The atmosphere is like a carnival with all-night crowds, live music sessions, open-air theatre, literary fairs, poetry readings, and lots of food.

Kolkata-durga-puja

Elaborate structures called pandals are constructed all over Kolkata and the idol of the goddess is kept inside these. Go pandal hopping and check out the different styles of Durga idols.

Eid ul Zuha (Bakri Eid)

Celebrate Eid ul Zuha which falls in October with delicious haleem (meat cooked with lentils) at New Aliya restaurant in central Kolkata or with biryani from Arsalan, located at the Park Circus crossing.

Enjoy a city walk

The mild October weather is conducive to long walks around Kolkata. A good place to hang out is Park Street. You can spend the whole day here. Start with the old auction houses that sell old curios. Browse the books at Oxford Book Store. Have cakes and tea at the famous Flury’s cafe. Pick up delicately embroidered bed linen at Good Companions on adjacent Russell Street.

Fun-in-the-streets-of-Kolkata

Play some games

Good weather also means Kolkata’s ardent street chess and carrom players will begin coming out of the woodwork.

Kolkata-chess

Join in and play a game by the roadside, with strangers. Head to Gariahat flyover after sunset for a game of chess.

Mangroves and tigers

Take a trip to the Sundarbans mangrove, home of a number of endangered species including the Royal Bengal Tiger. The mangroves are open to visitors from October, after the monsoon is truly over.

Kolkata-mangroves

The creeks are home to the estuarine crocodile, salvator lizard, water monitor, dolphin and a host of birds like kingfishers, herons, egrets, sandpipers, whimbrels and plover. Foreign nationals have to get a permit in Kolkata from the Wildlife Department or the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) office.There are a number of cruise options for sightseeing on the mangroves.

Other 10 Things to do in Kolkata

1. Cruise down the Hooghly

It is said that great rivers spawn great civilizations. The Hooghly is a perfect example and a cruide down this tributary of the Ganga is great way to see the many influences Bengal has had down the ages. You will come across several pilgrimage spots like Dakhineshwar and Belur (set up in 1899 by Swami Vivekananda, it is the headquarters of Ramkrishna Math and Mission); as well as European colonial towns like Bandel, Plassey and Chandannagore. So get to Millenium Park, buy a ticket for one the many water taxis and embark on a cruise down the river. You can take your pick from long and short cruises.

2. Art matters

Check out an art show at the Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA). They have a shop selling some interesting stuff from prints, art on t-shirts and coasters, as well as some clothing, jewellery and accessories.

3. Idol walks

Spend an afternoon walking around the narrow lanes of potters townships – Kumartuli and Potuapara. Here the potua (potters) community can be seen making idols of various gods and goddesses throughout the year. The lanes come alive in August-September, the months before Durga Puja, Kolkata’s biggest festival. Hundreds of idols in different sizes, and stages with half finished heads and arms and bodies present a rather surreal picture. A lot of the idols are exported to countries abroad.

Kolkata-potters-village

4. High tea at Flurys

Flurys is a Kolkata institution that is a must-do. If you are in the Park Street area between four and five in the evening, head down to Flurys for a cup of Darjeeling tea. Have it with their excellent and iconic Baba pastry, a concoction made of almonds, cashews and cherries that dates back to the days when butter was Re 1 a kilo. It belongs to the ‘heritage category’ of the menu at Flurys. Or ask for their dessert platter. Also recommended are their excellent Englsih tea sandwiches.

5. Take a ride on a tram

Boarding at the Esplanade, crawl through the green canopies of the Maidan, head north on Bidhan Sarani. You’ll have enough time to take in sights as the tram literally crawls through traffic and stops frequently.

Kolkata-tram

6. Take a bibliophile’s tour of Kolkata

When in Bengal, do as Bengalis do – hang out with a book at one of the bookstores and stalls in the city. Visit the excellent Seagull Book Store in Bhowanipore; the old College Street book lanes (though they have somewhat lost their sheen with most selling only adcademic books); and Oxford Book Store on Part Street which also has a cha bar serving great tea.

7. Sample chimney soup at Chinatown

Kolkata used to have a sizeable Chinese community at one time. It has dwindled somewhat but the city still has the only Chinatown in India at Tangra where, for the past 50 years, restaurants owned by mostly Hakka people (a Chinese community tracing its origins to the Han ethnic group) have served up delicious Chinese food. At the shops here, you can also pick up momo steamers, jasmine tea, shiitake mushrooms and Chinese sauces from shops in the area. If you are an early riser, try the morning breakfast fare of dumplings, noodles, and soups on weekends.

8. Get a taste of decadent Kolkata

Marble Palace, the home of the Mullick family, houses a strange and kitschy mish-mash of sculpture, Victorian furniture, and paintings by European and Indian artists, large chandeliers, clocks, and busts of kings and queens. The collection is supposed to have two paintings by Rubens and works by John Opie. In his book Calcutta, Geoffrey Moorhouse says it looks “as if they had been scavenged from job lots on the Portobello Road on a series of damp Saturday afternoons.”

Kolkata-marble-palace

9. Try a sambusa at Nahoum’s

Take a side trip to this Jewish bakery in New Market. The Nahoum family came to Kolkata from Baghdad bringing the cheese-filled delight to the shores of Kolkata.

Sambusa-in-Kolkata

10. Watch the sunset at Princep Ghat

Your images from Kolkata will be incomplete without an iconic shot of the sunset and Howrah Bridge from Princep Ghat on Strand Road. It was built in 1841 as a memorial is a memorial to James Princep, a scholar who was the secretary of The Asiatic Society.

Kolkata-howrah-bridge

Travelling To Spain - The Spanish Regional Travel Guide

Up to 60 million visitors travel to Spain every year to delight in the country’s 315 sunny days and its rich and diverse history and culture. As a result the Spanish government spend millions of Euros per year on the travel and transport infrastructure to service the country’s growing population and its ever growing numbers of visitors.


Therefore Spain has to be one of the easiest and most affordable of the world’s popular destinations in terms of its accessibility - particularly from the UK and Northern America. For example there are cheap flights available from all British airports to main and regional airports across Spain daily and direct flights from the main Spanish hubs to the US daily. As an alternative for British and European travellers there are fantastic countrywide train, coach and ferry links and great access for those who prefer to travel by car.

This article breaks down the main Spanish travel options by region.

Northern Spain – The easiest way to access this region is by plane from one of the main UK airports flying directly to Bilbao or from the US to Malaga with transfer to Bilbao. It’s possible to connect with Iberia flights for connections across the North and throughout Spain. Alsa and Eurolines have sophisticated coach networks and it’s possible to travel all the way across Europe to Bilbao or San Sebastian and then pick up local coaches or rail connections. You can also sail from the UK port of Plymouth to Santander with Brittany Ferries, or you could take the P & O route from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

Castile and La Rioja – The cheapest way to access these regions is possibly to fly to one of the main Spanish hubs – Barcelona, Bilbao or Madrid for example, and then either drive or get connecting flights. You can connect with Iberia for flights to Logrona in La Rioja or Valladolid in Castile. Castile, Rioja and Navarre are serviced by an excellent road network which makes getting around simple and again, Alsa coaches will connect you with major and minor destinations across the regions and the entire country.

Aragon, Navarre and the Pyrenees – As these regions are easily accessible by car or coach from Madrid it may be best to get a cheap flight to Madrid and then drive the E90 to the heart of the region. You could consider getting a connecting flight to Zaragoza in the middle of the region which is a good jumping off point for explorations in this stunning part of Spain. Alternatively access to this region can be made by rail or coach. Eurolines coaches will connect you with Pamplona or Zaragoza; Eurostar rail will take you from the UK to Paris and from Paris you can catch an overnight high speed rail link to Madrid…from Madrid the options are varied, from local rail and coach connections, car hire, and local flight connections with Iberia.

Costa Brava and Costa Dorada – As we move east to the beautiful Northern Catalonian coastal regions of the Costa Brava and Costa Dorada, so accessibility increases. Barcelona airport is the main airport for these regions and it welcomes cheap UK and US flights. You can then connect to Girona in the Costa Brava region or Reus in the Costa Dorada region. Barcelona itself has an underground train network for access throughout the city, and if you want to travel further afield the Spanish rail service RENFE has many mainline and local services servicing both regions. The main coastal road in Costa Brava is the A7, with the A2 taking you west away from Barcelona and the C32 taking you south from Barcelona into the Costa Dorada. Barcelona has a port with ferry services to Genoa, Rome, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza.


Central Spain and Madrid – Central Spain’s main airport is Madrid and it welcomes direct flights from all the major UK and US airports and some of the smaller ones as well. As Madrid is such a major city you can imagine it acts as an important travel hub for the whole of Spain. Coach and rail networks and main auto routes all radiate from the city. Madrid has two main stations with trains departing for regional and international destinations, and the city has an underground metro system as well.

Costa del Azahar – The main travel hub of this region is Valencia with the city’s airport enjoying direct UK flights. To access the rest of the region you can take advantage of the RENFE services from Valencia or enjoy the city via the FGV trams and underground trains. If you want to travel from the coast to Madrid take the N430 and A3; to explore the coast take the A7. Again, Eurolines coaches operate connections to towns and cities in this region including Valencia, Sagunt and Vinaros. And last but not least, Valencia is a port city and has ferries running across the Mediterranean with destinations including Malta, Ibiza, Italy etc.

Costa Blanca – Most visitors for this region enter via Alicante airport. With the Costa Brava well serviced by roads and Alicante airport offering great car hire opportunities many people prefer to access the rest of the region by road, though RENFE, Eurolines and Alsa offer excellent rail and coach alternatives.

Costa Calida – Murcia is the main airport for this region, though Alicante airport is also accessible affording visitors and residents an extra opportunity and advantage. From Murcia there are a number of major train services including direct links to Madrid. In terms of roads, again the Costa Calida is a region with an excellent network of major roads and routes: the N340 runs from Alicante through Murcia to the Costa del Sol, the A7 hugs the coast and local, national and international coach lines service the area. In the port town of Cartagena a passenger terminal was built in 2003 which now serves as a destination for some of the major cruise liners on their way to and from destinations around France, Greece and the Black Sea Coast.

Costa de Almeria – You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to airports serving this region, you can fly to Alicante or Murcia and travel by road or rail into the region or you can fly direct to Almeria airport. The cheapest flights are often to Alicante. RENFE have mainline train services from Almeria to the city of Granada, Eurolines, Alsa and Enatcar all offer coach services across Costa de Almeria. The major routes in the region are the N340 which runs from Costa Calida through the town of Almeria and on south to the Costa del Sol, the A92 which connects with Granada and the A348 which connects Almeria with the Alpujarras. In terms of sea access, Transmediterranea have ferries from the port of Almeria to Northern Africa.

Costa del Sol and Andalucia – If you can’t get a flight to this region of Spain you must be doing something wrong – or maybe just hoping to travel during peak season! The main airport is Malaga and nearly every single airline you can think of flies from almost every single UK and US airport you can think of! If you can’t get a flight and you’re in the UK you might consider driving to the Costa del Sol! In which case your best bet would be to sail from Plymouth to Santander or from Portsmouth to Bilbao and then travel the 900 or so kilometres south. If you start off in Bilbao you’ll need the A68 and A1 to Burgos, or from Santander take the N623 to Burgos – then from Burgos travel via the N1 to Madrid. From Madrid head to Granada, from Granada head for Malaga…phew! Alternatively get a Euroline coach all the way from the UK to Estepona or Malaga or travel from Paris on the fast night train to Madrid and connect with the AVE fast train to Cordoba which in turn connects up with regional Costa del Sol services.

Costa de la Luz and Gibraltar – You can either fly to Gibraltar or Jerez in the region or make use of the many cheap flights to Spain that land in Malaga. There are ferry services between Tarifa and Algeciras in Spain and Tangiers in Morocco, bus and rail services across Europe and through Spain to the Costa de la Luz and strong road links with the E15 serving Gibraltar from the mainland.

Whatever your final destination you should be able to find cheap flights to some of Spain’s main airports and then use local and regional travel services to access your destination of choice; as I hope I’ve shown, the whole of Spain is incredibly easily accessible.

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