7 Things to Do in Kolkata (Top Kolkata Tourist Attractions)

Being a city of a millennium Kolkata, the capital of west Bengal has not only 7 but 700 places to visit. We have tried and listed up the most important places to visit and things to do when you are on Kolkata without getting confused with the multitude of spots all around the city.

About Kolkata

With the history spawning through ages and the once capital of the British empire in India Kolkata is a city of ever grandeur and charm. It was home to the Bengal Renaissance and has also gifted poets, Nobel laureates, eminent writers and many other eminent people to the country. Today Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. 


List of hotels in Kolkata - compare hotels, photos, rates, reviews and online booking of Kolkata hotels.

Top 7 Things To Do in Kolkata

Here is the list of 7 things to do when you are in Kolkata.


1. Visit the Victoria Memorial that is officially the Victoria Memorial Hall. It is a memorial building dedicated to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and the then Empress of India. It currently serves as a museum and a tourist attraction. It was built in Italian Renaissance cum Saracen style. It was planned by Lord Curzon and opened by the Prince of Wales in 1921. This was the British attempt at building a second Taj Mahal. It houses a fantastic collection of rare memorabilia from colonial days. A light and sound show recreates history every evening. It the foremost visit whenever you are in Kolkata.


2. Take a walk along Chowringhee Road where you’ll find huge lush green open parkland called the Maidan, centering on Fort William, the massive British Citadel built in 1773. The Maidan has nurtured sports like Polo, and has been the home of equestrianism, horse racing, football, cricket and rugby in Kolkata. The Chowringhee Avenue, Eden Gardens and the waterfront Millennium Park border the Maidan. The Elliot Park and the Victoria Memorial complex are two parks which are situated in the Maidan area.


3. Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a venue for Test, One Day International and Twenty20 International matches. The largest cricket stadium in India and second-largest in the world by seating capacity, it is acknowledged to be the most iconic cricket stadium in India. Eden Gardens has also been called "cricket's answer to the Colosseum".


4. The Howrah Bridge and the Vidyasagar Setu form the skyline of the riverfront. Historically Dalhousie Square was the administrative centre for British India. On one side is the General Post Office that is another British building, which is a majestic specimen of Edwardian architecture. On the other side stands the Writers’ Building that is a massive Gothic structure with laconic pillars. It is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. Today it houses the office of the Chief Minister of West Bengal


5. Kalighat was a Ghat sacred to Kali on the old course of the Hooghly river (Bhagirathi) in the city of Calcutta. The name Calcutta is said to have been derived from the word Kalighat. The river over a period of time has moved away from the temple. The temple is now on the banks of a small canal called Adi Ganga which connects to the Hooghly.


6. Shopping in Kolkata - The Park Street, Camac Street and Shakespeare Sarani are considered to be a high street of Kolkata with many commercial establishments & high end shopping destinations, with lots of shopping malls, boutiques, restaurants and stand alone retail outlets. Gariahat and Shyambazar are two shopping districts catering mostly to the middle class and lower middle class of Kolkata. College Street is a area famous for its bookstores


7. Dining in Kolkata - Some of the best restaurants in all over the city are: Flury's on Park Street, Nizam's at 23-24 Hogg Street in New Market, Arsalan, Anadi Cabin. You can also try some of the Bengali sweets like Roshogolla, Sondesh, Roshomalai that are popular all over the country. You can also have Bengali recipes at Kewpies or the Oh! Calcutta! Restaurants. 

Hotels in Kolkata

Some of the top rated hotels in Kolkata are Lytton Hotel (Rs. 5000), Hotel Gulshan International (Rs. 1895) and Hotel Park Inn (Rs. 1200). Lytton Hotel is one of the best rated hotels in Kolkata with a rating of 4.1 stars out of 5 and from 24 reviews. Lytton Hotel is located in the Sudder Street area in Kolkata. Govt. approved 3 star hotel with all modern facilities, warmly decorated rooms and great services. Lytton is located on Sudder Street, Kolkata, and is equidistant from the city's pulsating business district and its charming tourist attractions. Provides great dining options with a Chinese restaurant and a multi-cuisine restaurant and a bar. 

Most of these hotels are affordable and provide good service at a modest price. Find out more information about these 3 and other top rated  Kolkata hotels. Online booking of a nice hotel in Kolkata will ensure a comfortable and enjoyable stay. One can also read reviews of Kolkata hotels before making an online booking.

Other things to do in Kolkata

Take a walk along the river and you can find a good promenade near Eden Garden. You can also take a stroll down memory lane at Princep Ghat or even go on a boat cruise in small boats under the starlit sky at Outram Ghat. You can also take an auto rickshaw/Tuk Tuk ride from Chandni Chowk to Lohapool, the driver will take you through some unseen back alleys and narrow roads of Kolkata. Several modern cinemas are dotted around the city, including INOX at the Forum Shopping Mall and the City Centre in Salt Lake, 89 Cinemas at Swabhumi near Salt Lake City and Fame at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park etc. all showing Indian and American blockbusters.

How to reach Kolkata?

Reaching Calcutta is not at all cumbersome, as this city is very well connected. Read to know more about traveling to Calcutta:


By Air: The city is completely accessible by air. There are a number of domestic airlines that connect Kolkata with other major cities of India like Ahmedabad, Bagdogra, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Port Blair.


By Rail: Kolkata is well linked to other parts of the country by railways. There are super fast trains like Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express that join Calcutta from Delhi and other nearby places. Calcutta consists of two major railway stations; one is located in Howrah and the other at Sealdah.


By Road: The city of joy is well linked with almost all the cities of India by road. The Esplanade Terminus is the main bus terminus that lies in the heart of the city. The latest development is the starting of Dhaka-Calcutta buses, which are fully air-conditioned and also very comfortable.