IN · West Bengal · 22.57°N 88.37°E

kolkata

Hooghly ferries, old mansions, clay-idol workshops and Bengali sweets.

Best time
November–February is the easiest walking weather. Durga Puja, in September or October, fills the city with huge temporary shrines and crowds. May is hot and June–September is wet.
How long
3–4 days
Getting there
About 4 hours direct from KL. The airport is 45 minutes to 1.5 hours from the centre, depending on traffic. India is 2.5 hours behind KL.
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IN · West Bengalkolkata22.57°N 88.37°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Hooghly ferries, old mansions, clay-idol workshops and Bengali sweets.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingKolkataIN, West Bengal
KLkolkata
≈ 2,594 km from KL, as the crow flies
Kolkata maidan

Photo: NalGup20 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Kolkata rewards slow walking: old bookshops, river ferries, crumbling mansions and a tea stall on every corner. North of the centre, artisans in Kumartuli shape clay idols for the city's festivals.

Makan

  1. Kathi rollKolkata's street wrap: flaky paratha rolled around egg and kebab with onion and chilli.Map ↗
  2. Rosogolla and sandeshSpongy cheese balls in syrup and soft milk fudge from the city's old sweet shops.Map ↗
  3. Mishti doiCaramel-sweet yoghurt set in small clay pots.Map ↗
  4. Shorshe maachFish in a sharp mustard sauce, the classic Bengali lunch.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Victoria MemorialA white marble museum from the British era, in gardens at the edge of the Maidan.Map ↗
  2. KumartuliThe potters' quarter, where clay idols of Durga and other gods take shape in small workshops.Map ↗
  3. College StreetLong rows of second-hand book stalls, and the Indian Coffee House upstairs, where students have argued over coffee since the 1940s.Map ↗
  4. Hooghly ferriesCommuter ferries across the river, with Howrah Bridge and the bathing ghats in view.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Zakaria Street, by the Nakhoda Masjid, is the city's halal food street, known for kebabs, nihari and its Ramadan nights.
  • Kumartuli is a working neighbourhood, so ask before photographing people inside the workshops.
  • During Durga Puja, a few neighbourhood pandals on foot beat crossing the city in traffic.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.