Region

Central Bengal

Base in Kolkata; take day trips to Murshidabad, Berhampore and Krishnanagar (2–3 h each).

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Key facts · India

Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Indian rupee (INR, ₹)
Language: Hindi and English at national level
Plugs: C · D · M · 230 V
Time zone: UTC+5:30 all year

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 6

South Asia ↗Trekking regions, border districts and several Indian states need separate permits on top of the visa; check the permit before you book transport into them.
South Asia ↗Remove shoes (and in many Jain and Hindu temples, leather) before entering; cover shoulders and legs; ask before photographing people or rituals.
India ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal (indianvisaonline.gov.in); lookalike sites charge extra. Check the current rules, fees and how far ahead to apply.
India ↗Do not follow anyone who says your hotel is closed, the station ticket office is closed or a road is shut; use the prepaid taxi counter, the metro or an app car.
India ↗Carry Indian rupees in small notes (10, 20, 50, 100); change for 500 is often refused.
India ↗Parts of the Northeast, Sikkim, Ladakh, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and all border belts need a Protected or Restricted Area Permit or an Inner Line Permit for foreigners; check before you book the route.

Central Bengal is the heart of West Bengal along the Hooghly River. Stay in Kolkata and use it as a hub for 2–3 h train day trips to historic towns like Murshidabad, Berhampore and Krishnanagar.

Where to sleep

1 place in this region

KolkataCity guide
Main rail hub, many hotels, easy access to regional trains.
Best Nov–Feb
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Kolkata →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights2 partsNights · Day-trips

Night sequences

3 nights: Base in Kolkata, day trips to Murshidabad, Berhampore, Krishnanagar

Train times can vary; verify departure and return schedules, especially on weekends and holidays.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Murshidabad	Kolkata	150 min	check	Historic capital, palaces and silk market; 2‑3 h by train.
Berhampore	Kolkata	130 min	check	Near ancient city of Gaur; 2 h by train.
Krishnanagar	Kolkata	120 min	check	Rural landscape, terracotta art; 2 h by train.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Kolkata	go	go	ok	×	×	×	×	×	×	ok	go	go
India (country-wide)	go	go	go	ok	×	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	ok	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Central BengalEast bank of Hooghly	hot	hot	hot	warm	warm	rain	rain	rain	rain	warm	warm	hot

hot: short walking windows

Central Bengal: Summers (Apr–Jun) >30 °C (86 °F), monsoon (Jul–Sep) heavy rain, winter (Nov–Feb) mild 15‑20 °C (68 °F).Summers (Apr–Jun) >86 °F (30 °C), monsoon (Jul–Sep) heavy rain, winter (Nov–Feb) mild 15‑68 °F (20 °C).

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes1 partGet in

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Kolkata (Howrah/Sealdah)	Kolkata	Indian Railways long‑distance trains	~2 h from Delhi	Kolkata is the main gateway to Central Bengal; from the airport take a local train to Howrah.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Macher jhol (fish stew)	Murshidabad riverside eateries	Spicy broth with local river fish.
Pitha (rice cake)	Berhampore sweet shops	Seasonal rice flour cakes, often served with jaggery.

Go next

North Bengal

Train north from Kolkata ~6 h

Rarh

planned

Road west from Kolkata ~3 h

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 3, 2 h to 2 h 30
Nights suggested: 3 nights
Ways in: 1 listed
Best months: No month rated best

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

Explore West Bengal Up to India

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

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Sources

secondaryWikivoyage: Central Bengal, revision 5307397 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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