Travel to Kolkata

gateway to Kaziranga, Assam and Darjeeling

Kolkata is located around 100km up the Hooghly River from the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side of India.

Known up to 2001 as Calcutta, it is the seventh largest city in India, with a population of around 14 million people.

Although there were ancient villages here for many centuries, the modern city was truly initiated by the British East India Company, who started operations in the area in 1690, which grew in strength over the first hundred years until it was able to assume sovereignty of the whole region in 1793. Calcutta served as the main hub of British interests in India from then until 1911, when the capital was moved to New Delhi.

For over a century the British demonstrated their power in the region by constructing a hugely ambitious and architecturally impressive city. Great buildings of the period include the Governor’s Mansion (Raj Bhavan), the Town Hall, various large churches, the enormous Howrah Railway Station and the most recent and arguably most impressive Victoria Memorial.

Following its demotion as the capital of the country, Kolata fell into a long and steep decline, accelerated by the painful partition of Bengal in 1947 and a violent Maoist uprising during the 1970s. Unfortunately the city became synonymous with the phenomenon of urban decay.

Modern Kolkata is a chaotic mass of humanity, where abject poverty rubs up uncomfortably against colonial splendour and modern wealth. Getting around can be something of a struggle, with early morning tending to be the best time to be out and about.

As well as the various historic buildings, there is a good range of museums and galleries to explore. There is also a vibrant street life and lots of markets, of which the enormous flower market is perhaps the most attractive.

Heading out on a boat on the Hooghly River is a rather less hectic way of getting around and provides opportunities to witness the local tradition of casting floral offerings out onto the water. It’s also possible to undertake multiple day cruises up the river, as listed in the Where to Stay section below.

Kolkata is the gateway to eastern India, with options to fly north to the tea plantations of Darjeeling and the Himalayas, or northeast to the exotic landscapes and wildlife areas of Assam.

The best time of year to visit the Kolkata area is generally considered to be during Nov-Apr, although there are considerable climatic variations over that period.

November is the transition period between the end of the monsoon rains and the start of the cool dry season. During November the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 33C/91F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 20C/68F. However the rainfall is much lower, dropping to around 25mm (1”) during the month. Sunshine is around 6 hours per day (around 60% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are quite often overcast.

Dec-Mar is the main cool dry season. During Dec-Mar the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 28C/82F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures plunge to around 16C/61F. Rainfall remains quite low, at around 25mm (1”) per month. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 70% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear. During Dec-Feb it can become quite foggy and flights can be disrupted.

Apr-May is the hot season, the often uncomfortable build-up to the main monsoon. During Apr-May the daytime temperatures can climb steeply to around 35C/95F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures are up around 26C/79F. Rainfall remains low, increasing from almost nothing in March to around 75mm (3”) in May. Sunshine is around 7 hours per day (around 60% of daylight hours), indicating that showers tend to be occasional, set against a usually clear sky.

Jun-Oct is the main monsoon season and is generally considered to be the least favourable time to visit. During Jun-Oct the daytime temperatures drop off slightly to around 32C/92F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at a stifling 26C/79F. Rainfall climbs to a very high 350mm (14”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 3 hours per day (around 25% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are very often heavily overcast.

Getting there

The Kolkata area can be accessed in a number of different ways…

By air

The main international airport in Kolkata (CCU) is located 10km to the northeast of the city centre.

There are extensive international connections east across Asia, but far fewer connections to Europe and the Americas than either Mumbai or New Delhi.

There is a very wide range of domestic connections, although to reach some of the more popular areas of the country it may be necessary to transit via New Delhi, Hyderabad or other hubs.

By train

The main Howrah Station is located on the western side of the river, the other side from the city, with which it is usually connected by boat.

There are connections to a vast range of locations across India, but the distances to the more popular areas are very long, meaning that most international visitors tend to fly instead.

By road

Very few international visitors connect in or out of Kolkata by road, the distances to most of the places of interest are just too great.

Where to stay

The range of accommodation in Kolkata is rather limited, but fortunately there is at least one large historic hotel and one decent boutique hotel.

rarely features in first time trips to India