Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Back to Kolkata

In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.

Voykit pocket guide · India

Kolkata

কলকাতা

Give Kolkata two nights for colonial architecture, food and literary culture, travel between November and February, and book hotels early if your visit lands on Durga Puja.

Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal and was the capital of British India until 1911. It has colonial-era buildings, a large tram and metro network, and a strong food and arts tradition. It sits on the Hooghly river in eastern India.

MumbaiJaipurAgraVaranasiBengaluruKolkata500 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
India
Local name
কলকাতা
Best months
Nov–Feb (cool and dry, best for walking)
Avoid
Apr–Jun (hot and humid), Jul–Sep (monsoon and waterlogging)
Stay
2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
INR
Money
Indian rupees (INR, ₹) in small notes for autos, street food, tips and entry tickets.
SIM and data
Jio, Airtel and Vi sell tourist SIMs at airport counters and their shops; passport, visa and a photo needed; activation can take a few hours.
Emergency
Emergency (all services) 112 · Police 100 (now routed to 112) · Ambulance 108 (most states) or 102 · Fire 101 · Women's helpline 181 / 1091
Plugs
Types C, D, M · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin C plugs fit most sockets; D (three round pins) is the common wall socket; hotels often have universal sockets. UK and US plugs need an adapter.
Tipping
Street food and dhabas: Nothing.; Restaurant: 5–10% if no service charge is on the bill.; Car and driver: ₹300–500 a day at the end of the trip.; Guide: ₹300–500 for a half day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₹50–100.; Auto or Uber: Round up.
Water
Not drinkable from the tap. Buy sealed bottles (check the cap), or use RO-filtered refill stations in hotels and cafés; avoid ice from street stalls.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels, malls and airports; squat toilets with a water jug or hose in stations and villages. Carry tissue and sanitiser; paid public toilets (Sulabh) cost ₹5–10.

Get in

By air

CCU · Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International
About 17 km northeast of the centre; metro or taxi into the city.

Get around

The metro is quick along its lines; yellow taxis and app cabs fill the gaps. Trams still run on a handful of routes and are worth riding once for the experience rather than speed.

See and do

Known for

  • Victoria Memorial marble monument
  • Howrah Bridge
  • Vintage tram network
  • Bengali sweets (roshogolla
  • mishti doi) and fish dishes
  • Durga Puja festival pandals
  • College Street second-hand book market

Sleep

Park Street area
Central, restaurants and easy taxis.
Near Maidan and Victoria Memorial
Green space and main colonial sights.
Salt Lake (Bidhannagar)
Modern business district, closer to the airport.

Language

Hindi is spoken or understood across the north and centre, English is the language of business, signs and educated conversation everywhere, and each state has its own language and script. In the south, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu replace Hindi — English is the better bridge there.

  • Head wobble: a side-to-side tilt can mean yes, OK, or I heard you — check with words.
  • WhatsApp is how hotels, drivers and guides communicate.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Namaste (palms together) or a handshake between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging or kissing strangers
  • Hands and feet: Give and eat with the right hand; apologise if your foot touches someone; avoid: Pointing feet at people or shrines; touching books or food with your feet
  • Temples: Shoes off, walk clockwise around shrines, accept prasad (blessed food) with the right hand; avoid: Leather in Jain temples; entering sanctums that say Hindus only
  • Home visit: Bring sweets or fruit; accept tea at least once; avoid: Refusing all food; wearing shoes inside
  • Questions: Expect personal questions (married? job? salary?) as friendliness; avoid: Taking offence; answer vaguely if you prefer
  • Saying no: A firm, polite 'nahi, dhanyavaad' (no, thank you) and keep walking; avoid: Long explanations to touts
  • Dress: Loose clothes covering shoulders and knees; kurta tops are cheap and cool; avoid: Swimwear or shorts away from Goa beaches

Scams and watch-outs

  • Heat and humidity are intense before the monsoon.
  • Heavy Durga Puja crowds fill hotels and roads in autumn: book well ahead.
  • Agree taxi fares or use the meter/app.
  • Low-lying streets can waterlog quickly in monsoon downpours.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Kolkata yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Victoria Memorial marble monument
  • Howrah Bridge
  • Vintage tram network
  • Bengali sweets (roshogolla
  • mishti doi) and fish dishes
  • Durga Puja festival pandals
  • College Street second-hand book market

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Kolkataকলকাতা

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/kolkata). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.