India Travel
Accommodation in Calcutta
As soon as you arrive in Calcutta, taxi-drivers are likely to assume that you’ll be heading for central Sudder Street, east of Chowringhee Road. As the main travellers’ hub in Calcutta, the area is a sociable place to stay with numerous small to mid-sized hotels; in fact, many visitors spend most of their time in this one enclave. Most Sudder Street hotels are m the budget or mid-range brackets. The cheaper options are generally small and grubby so it may well be worth spending a few rupees more for a hotel with a terrace or courtyard.
The many guesthouses now on offer all over Calcutta - usually comfortable private houses or flats, with the use of a “cook-cum-bearer” - provide mid-budget travelers with an alternative to Sudder Street. Be sure to clarify the food arrangements and all costs at the start of your stay. The Guest Agency, a division of Travel & Cargo Service, 23 Shakespeare Sarani, represents guesthouses throughout the city The Government of India Tourist Office, 4 Shakespeare Sarani also runs a paying guest scheme which costs Rs300-500 per night.
Some of the city’s very top hotels are slightly further afield; the luxurious Taj Bengal for example is in Alipore to the south.
Well-heeled travellers might also consider a stay at Calcutta’s most exclusive club, considered one of the best in the world, the Tollygunge Club, at the southern end of the Metro line, at 120 Deshaptan Sasmal Rd. Accommodation, with a choice of exclusive cottages or rooms in one of two newish blocks, includes temporary membership and the use of an eighteen-hole golf course, plus riding, swimming, tennis and squash facilities, as well as open-air and indoor restaurants and a good bar. You will need to contact the secretary well in advance to reserve a room as the club is extremely popular and often full.
Sudder Street, Park Street and Chowringhee
Astoria. Sudder Street. Mid-range alternative with old-fashioned rooms for those who’ve slummed it once too often.
Centrepoint Guest House. 20 Mirza Ghalib St. Friendly and popular, though cramped, with a range of rooms (some a/c) and two cheap clean and cramped dorms (Rs70) - one for men and one for women.
Crystal. 11/1 Kyd Street (Dr Mohammed Ishaque Road. Friendly hotel with decent-sized rooms - some with a/c - and hot showers.
Dolphin, 8 A K Mohammed Siddique Lane. Ten minutes’ walk from Sudder Street, tucked away down a tiny lane. Small clean rooms with TV and cold showers.
Fairlawn, 13A Sudder St,. A famous old-fashioned hotel with exudes a decadent and eccentric Raj atmosphere, chock-full of memorabilia. Nonresidents can sample a drink in the lush garden. From $57.
Galaxy, 3 Stuart Lane. Small hotel with just a few rooms all with TV. Clean and good value.
Lindsay, 8A/B Lindsay St. You couldn’t get closer to New Market. A somewhat dull mid-range option with a forex bureau, restaurant and a bizarre coffee shop.
Lytton, 14 Sudder St. The most modern and comfortable hotel on the street with central a/c but otherwise lacking in character. Facilities include a bar and a couple of good restaurants
Maria, 5/1 Sudder Street. Old building with high ceilings and good-sized budget rooms which are often full; there is also a dorm (Rs70], a good cybercafe and a pleasant terrace upstairs.
Modern Lodge, 1 Stuart Lane. Cramped but reasonably priced hotel with a relaxing roof terrace, popular since the 1960s with budget travellers.
Neelam, 11 Dr Mohammed Ishaque St. Pleasant hotel a couple of blocks from the main drag with reasonably sized rooms.
New Kenilworth. 1 & 2 Little Russell St. Comfortable and plush place with better value in the new block; it has a reputation for good service and comes with a good restaurant, a coffee shop, two bars and a multi gym with steam bath and sauna. From $110.
Oberoi Grand, 15 Chowringhee Rd. With its white Victorian facade which harks back to the Raj, this completely revamped central hotel is very much part of the fabric of the city. Very luxurious with a swimming pool, and Thai and Indian restaurants. From $250.
Oriental, 9A Marquis St, off Mirza Ghalib St. Small clean rooms away from all the touts, with cable TV and cold showers.
Paragon, 2 Stuart Lane. Dark and dingy downstairs rooms but nevertheless a popular and traveller-friendfy place: slightly better rooms are around the rooftop courtyard.
Park, 17 Park St. Modern five-star hotel in a good location on a cosmopolitan street, with all amenities including swimming pool, multi gym, late checkout and good food at the hotel’s two restaurants, Comfortable if characterless, with a bar that’s lively at weekends. From $250.
Peerless Inn, 12 Chowringhee Rd. An expensive four-star hotel with a very upmarket Bengali feel. The restaurant specializes in local cuisine, and there is also a 24hr coffee shop. From $95.
Plaza, 10 Sudder St. Friendly, clean and popular with visiting businessmen.
Salvation Army Red Shield Guest House, 2 Sudder St. Good budget option, which is often booked up and has changed little over the years. Dorms (from Rs60] and a few doubles including a couple of a/c; passing through its large gate is a welcome relief from the noise and pollution outside.
Shilton. 5A Sudder St. Large old building set behind a gateway. Reasonable rooms popular with visiting Bangladeshis.
Times Guest House, Sudder Street, near the Blue Sky Cafe, Small, friendly place with a dorm (Rs60] and a few cramped double rooms.
Timestar, 2 Tottee Lane. Fair-sized rooms in old villa with a/c and hot water by the bucket. TVs in some rooms.
VIP International. 51 Mirza Ghalib St. Good location and decent-sized carpeted rooms with cable TV, but expensive.
YMCA, 25 Chowringhee Rd. Once a grand nightclub near the Indian Museum. now a faded but popular meeting place with a range of rooms, some with a/c, on a half-board basis. Temporary membership (Rs40) allows access to a well-kept snooker table and table tennis.
YWCA, Middleton Row. For women who plan to stay in town a while, there is no better place. Just off Park Street, it is built around a pleasant courtyard with an immaculate tennis court. Minimum stay is one week and meals are included.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
From Calcutta to Bangladesh
Calcutta is the main gateway to Bangladesh from India; you can reach Bangladesh by air, train or road. The Bangladesh Consulate is at 9 Circus Ave; visas must be obtained in advance. There are at least two flights daily from Calcutta to Dhaka and a return ticket costs around $100. Biman flies daily to Calcutta and twice weekly to Chittagong. Indian Airlines have five flights a week to Dhaka and two to Chittagong. Although there is no direct line from Calcutta into Bangladesh, trains from Sealdah take you as far as Bongaon. From here you can take an auto-rickshaw to Haridaspur, 5km
Information about Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-lpm, is your best bet for information on Calcutta,'West Bengal and destinations further afield, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours.The Government ofWest Bengal Tourist Bureau. 3/2 BBD Bagh East, arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same services. English-language newspapers such as the
Information on Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, 4 Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1 pm;) is your best bet for information on Calcutta, 'West Bengal and destinations further a field, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours. The Government of West Bengal Tourist Bureau, 3/2 BBD Bagh East (©033/248 8271), arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same
Around Calcutta in Calcutta
The River Hooghly served for centuries as a lifeline for foreign traders; north of Calcutta, its banks are dotted with the remains of tiny European settlements such as Serampore and Chandernagore. All these sites, together with the Hindu temples of Dakshineshwar. Belur Math and Kalna, and even the great Vaishnavite centres of Nabadip and Mayapur further north, can be taken in as day-trips on local trains from Calcutta's Sealdah and Howrah stations. Simple hotels are always available should you want to stay.
Cultural centres in Calcutta
Cultural representatives of overseas countries in Calcutta, typically with reading rooms and facilities for performances and film shows, include: the British Council. 5 Shakespeare Sarani; the Russian Gorky Sadan, Gorky Terrace, near Minto Park: and ttie German Max Mueller 8havan, 8 Pramathesh Barua Saram Similar facilities can be found at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in Gol Park, and USIS, American Centre, 38A Ciiowringhee Rd. Hospitals Cheap, government-run hospitals (notoriously mismanaged) include Calcutta Hospital
Music and dance in Calcutta
Calcutta music audiences have a reputation as the most discerning in the country. The main concert season is winter and spring, with the huge week-long Dover Lane Music Festival, held under a marquee in south Calcutta around the end of January and early February, attracting many of India's best musicians. Other popular venues for single- and multi-day festivals include Rabindra Sadan on the junction of AJC Bose Road and Cathedral Road and Kala Bhavan on Theatre Road. Sangeet Research Academy. Near Tollygunge Metro Station, one of India's leading north Indian classical music research institutes, offers long-term courses in various music
Travel details of Southern Orissa
Trains Bhubaneswar to: Agra (1-2 daily; 29-37hr 30min); Balasore (10 daily; 4hr); Bangalore (2 weekly; 31lir); Berliampur (7 daily; 2hr 30min-3hr); Calcutta (6-3 daily; 8-13hr); Chennai (2-4 daily; 20hr 45min-26hr); Cochin (4 weekly: 36-38hr); Cuttack (11 daily; 30-55min); Delhi (3-4 daily; 25-43hr); Hyderabad (3 daily; 20-24hr): Mumbai (1 daily; 38hr); Puri (7 daily; 2-3hr); Varartasi (3 weekly; 23hr). Puri to: Agra (1 daily; 38hr 40min}; Balasore (5-6 daily; 4hr 30min-6rir); Bhubaneswar (5-6 daily; 1 hr 3Qmin-2hr); Calcutta (2 daily: 11hr 30min); Delhi (3 daily; 32-44hr); Varanasi (3 weekly; 22hr). Balasore to: Bhubaneswar (7-9 daily; 3hr 45min-6hr); Calcutta (6-8 daily; 4-Shr); Puri
Travel details in the Northeast
Trains Guwahati to: Calcutta (2-3 daily; 23-24hr); Chennai (6 weekly; 54hr); Delhi (4 daily; 28-41 hr); Dibrugarh (2 daily; 14-15r»rr); Dimapur (2 daily; 6hr); Jorhat (1 daily; 12hr); Mughalsarai (2-3 daily; 23-29 hrs); Mumbai (3 weekly; 43-46 hr). Jorhat to: Guwahati (1 dailly; 12 hours). Buses Agartala to; Guwahati (1 daily; 24hr); Neermahal (every 30min; 2hr); Shillorag (1 daily; 20tir); Silchar (2 daily; 11hr); Udaipur (every 15min; 2hr). Aizawl to: Silchar (2 daily:; 12hr). Guwahati to: Agartala (1 daily; 24hr); Imphal (1daily; 18hr); Itanagar (2 daily; 11 hr); Jorhat (12daily; 6-7hr); Kaziranga (12 daily; 4hr 30min);Kohima (1 daily; 12-14hr>; Shillong (12 daily;3-4hr); Silchar
Sports in Calcutta
Calcuttans are big sports fans. Football matches, especially those between the two leading clubs, Mohan Bagan and East Bengal, and cricket test matches draw huge crowds. There are two major stadium complexes, the Ranji Stadium at Eden Gardens and the new Salt Lake Stadium on the edge of the city. The Maidan, home to the Calcutta Bowling Club and the Ladies Golf Club, is a favourite venue for impromptu cricket and football matches, and the scene in winter and spring of regular race meetings. These are run by the Calcutta Turf Club, and bets can also be placed at their premises
The beach resorts in Coastal Bengal
The popular seaside resort of DIGHA. 175km southwest of Calcutta and almost halfway to Pun in Orissa, with its immense silted hard beach, was originally conceived as a health sanatorium. Direct buses run from the Esplanade terminus in Calcutta; trains from Howrah station run to Kharagpur from where you can take a bus. Alternatively you can get here on a WB tourist bureau bus. If anything, the casuarina-lined beach at BAKKHALI, 80km south of Diamond Harbour on the east side of the Hooghly, is even harder than the one at Digha. However, it's much less developed and far more attractive, and
Serampore In Calcutta
In 1799, the Englishman William Carey set up a press in Danish SERAMPORE, 25km north of Calcutta, and began to produce Bengali and Sanskrit bibles. He also pioneered Indian-language dictionaries, and established the Serampore College in 1819, which later became Asia's first modern university. Built on a high bank overlooking the river, the large Neoclassical building houses a small museum dedicated to Carey's life and work. Books in the accompanying library date back to the eighteenth century.
State tourist offices in Calcutta
The most useful of the many tourist offices representing other states in Calcutta are those that cover trie northeastern states, and issue whichever permits may be necessary (details of permit requirements can be found on p.1043), and that of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Andaman and Nicobar, 3A Auckland Place; Arunachal Pradesh, 41B Chowringhee Place; Assam, 8 Russell St; Manipur, 26 Rowland Rd; Meghalaya, 9 Russell St; Mizoram, 24 Old Ballygunge Rd; Nagaland, 11 Shakespeare Sarani; Orissa, 41 Lenin Sarani; Sikkim, 5/2 Russell St;
Central Bengal
Central Bengal offers little in the way of major sights to tempt tourists off the Calcutta-Darjeeling route. It is a low-lying rural region where the pace of life is in stark contrast to that of its frenetic capital, Calcutta. Shantiniketan, built on the site of Rabindranath Tagore's lather's ashram, is a haven of peace, and a must for anyone interested m Bengali music, art and culture. The other highlights of the region include a cluster of exquisite terracotta temples in Bishnupur, the rums of Gaur, the region's seventh-century capital, and the palaces of Murshidabad. capital of Bengal's last independent
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in North Bengal
Apart from Darjeeling and the hills, most of North Bengal is well off the beaten track; few travellers venture off the Darjeeling-Sikkim-Nepal road. Probably the best reason to do so is to visit the small Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, roughly 124km east of Siliguri. The sanctuary was established in 1943 to help protect wildlife against the encroachment of tea cultivation. Consisting of tracts of tali elephant grass on the banks of the River Torsa, and set against the backdrop of forested foothills, it now shelters around fifty highly endangered greater one-horned rhinoceroses, wild elephants, sambar and hog deer. jaldapara is open from
Malda and around in Central Bengal
The large, unattractive commercial town of MALDA. 340km north of Calcutta, straddles the highway co the north and is renowned for ins local mango harvest. A natural port, at the confluence of two rivers, it was once a prosperous trading post for silk and cotton: in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it housed Dutch, French and English factories. Little of interest has survived from that period, but Malda makes a good base to explore the historic sites of Gaur and Pandua, both earlier capitals of Bengal, which can be reached by either bus or tonga. Malda is on the main line
Police (100) in Calcutta
The central police station is on Lai Bazaar Street, BBD Bagh. Postal services Calcutta's imposing GPO. on the west side of BBO Bagh, houses the poste restante and has a philatelic department. The Central Telegraph Exchange is nearby at 8 Red Cross Place, close to Telephone Bhavan. the headquarters for Calcutta Telephones. If you're staying in the Sudder Street area, the New Market Post Office, Minza Ghalib Street, is much more convenient. Sending parcels is easiest from the large and friendly post office on Park Street, where enterprising individuals will handle the entire process for you for a negotiable fee.
South Calcutta
South of the Maidan and Park Street, Calcutta spreads towards suburbs such as Alipore and Ballygunge, both within easy distance of the centre. The thoroughfare that starts life as Chowringhee proceeds south from Esplanade past Kalighat to Tollygunge, following the Metro line which terminates near the luxurious Tollygunge Club, the mansion of an indigo merchant now surrounded by immaculate golfing fairways and bridle paths. Northeast of Tollygunge, beyond a white-tiled mosque built in 1835 by descendants ofTipu Sultan, the vast open area around the Rabindra Sarobar lakes leads to Ballygunge, the home of Calcutta's Bengali middle classes.
Travel details to Bihar and Jharkhand
Trains Gaya to: Allahabad (4 daily; 4hr 20min-6hr 30min); Calcutta (6 daily 6-9hr); Dehra Dun (1 daily; 26hr); Delhi (9 daily; 12-15hr); Haridwar (1 daily; 23hr|; Kalka (1 daily; 27hr); Lucknow (3 daily; 10-13hr); Mughal Sarai (13 daily; 3-5hr); Mumbai (1 daily: 31 hr); Patna (4 daily; 2hr 30min); Puri (3 weekly; 17-40hr); Ranchi (3 daily; 8hr 20min); Sasaram (10 daily; 1-3hr); Varanasi (3 daily; 4hr-5hr 30min). Patna to: Agra (1 daily; 17hr 35min); Allahabad (8 daily; 6-8hr); Calcutta (6 daily; 7hr 30min-12hr); Chennai (2 weekly; 44hr); Delhi (8 daily; 12-24hr); Gaya (4 daily; 2hr 30min); Guwahati (3 daily: 21-26hr); Lucknow (3
Kalighat paintings of Calcutta
Early in the nineteenth century, Kalighat was in its heyday, drawing pilgrims, merchants and artisans from all over the country. Among them were the scroll painters from elsewhere in Bengal, who developed the distinctive style now known as Kalighat pats (paintings). Adapting Western techniques, they used paper and water-based paints instead of tempera, and gradually moved away from religious themes to depict contemporary subjects. By 1850, Kalighat pats had taken on a dynamic new direction, satirizing the middle classes in much the same way as today's political cartoons. As a result, their work serves as a witty record of the
Culture and entertainment in Calcutta
Calcutta's lively arts scene is well known for its music and Bengali theatre, though the latter is of limited access to most tourists as performances are in Bengali. A handful of galleries hold exhibitions of fine art, and the cultural centres of the various consulates also play an important role in the life of the city. Of the many nonreligious festivals each year, the Ganga Utsav. held over a few weeks around the end bf January at Diamond Harbour, involves music, dance and theatrical events. Rabindra Sadan is Calcutta's theatre and concert hall district, with numerous venues including Nandan next