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Voykit pocket guide · India
Murshidabad
মুর্শিদাবাদ
Give Murshidabad one full day plus a night: Hazarduari and the riverfront cluster on foot, then Katra Masjid and Khushbagh by auto. Skip it as a day trip from Kolkata.
Murshidabad was the capital of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha under the Nawabs from 1717 until the British moved the seat to Calcutta in 1773, and the surviving palaces, mosques and tombs along the Bhagirathi are the reason to come. The sights sit in three loose clusters — the Hazarduari riverfront, east Murshidabad around Katra, and the western bank at Khushbagh — with thin tourist infrastructure between them. Come for the Nawabi architecture and Murshidabad silk, not for polish.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- মুর্শিদাবাদ
- Best months
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Apr–Jun (pre-monsoon heat), Jul–Sep (monsoon)
- Stay
- 1–2 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.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₹1,200–2,500 excl. bed · Mid ₹2,500–5,000 excl. bed · High ₹5,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- 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
- All services 112 · Police 100 · Ambulance 108 · Tourist helpline (24 h) 1363
- 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.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Tea at a roadside stall | ₹10–20 |
| Thali or rice-and-fish lunch | ₹120–300 |
| Bottle of water (1 L) | ₹20–30 |
| Auto rickshaw, 5 km (3.1 mi)Auto rickshaw, 3.1 mi (5 km) | ₹100–200 |
| Hazarduari Palace Museum entry | check |
| Murshidabad silk or kora sari | ₹1,500–8,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CCU · Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International, Kolkata
- About 200 km (124 mi) by road; most visitors arrive by train instead.About 124 mi (200 km) by road; most visitors arrive by train instead.
Typical fares
- Auto, Murshidabad Junction → Lalbag
- ₹100–150, about 15 min (check)
- Auto, Lalbag → Katra Masjid
- ₹80–120, about 10 min (check)
- Train, Kolkata → Murshidabad Junction
- About 4 h by express; book early (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Autos and hired cars cover the clusters; there are no fixed rates, so agree the fare before you get in. Short hops are also done by horse-drawn carriage. Distances between clusters are 3–8 km (1.9–5 mi), and the Bhagirathi separates east from west, so plan one side per half-day rather than criss-crossing.Autos and hired cars cover the clusters; there are no fixed rates, so agree the fare before you get in. Short hops are also done by horse-drawn carriage. Distances between clusters are 1.9–5 mi (3–8 km), and the Bhagirathi separates east from west, so plan one side per half-day rather than criss-crossing.
See and do
Known for
- Hazarduari Palace and its museum
- Nizamat Imambara
- Katra Masjid
- Khushbagh tombs of Alivardi Khan and Siraj-ud-Daulah
- Murshidabad silk and Baluchari weaving
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Berhampore | Auto or bus south along the highway, about 24 km (15 mi)Auto or bus south along the highway, about 15 mi (24 km) | About 1 h |
| Azimganj and Jiaganj | Auto to the Bhagirathi crossing, then ferry or road bridge | About 45 min |
| Kathgola | Auto from Lalbag, about 3 km (1.9 mi)Auto from Lalbag, about 1.9 mi (3 km) | About 20 min |
| Sargachi | Auto or bus, about 15 km (9.3 mi)Auto or bus, about 9.3 mi (15 km) | About 45 min |
| Rejinagar | Local train or bus, about 25 km (16 mi)Local train or bus, about 16 mi (25 km) | About 1 h |
| Panchthupi | Train or bus, about 40 km (25 mi)Train or bus, about 25 mi (40 km) | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Lalbag, by the Hazarduari complex
- Walk to the palace, imambara and the riverfront ghats; the densest cluster of small hotels.
- Murshidabad Junction area
- Best if you arrive late by train or leave early; a short auto ride from the sights.
- Motijhil
- Quiet lakeside setting with a tourist cottage inside the park; you need an auto for everything.
- Berhampore
- 24 km (15 mi) south with more rooms, restaurants and transport; a base only if Murshidabad town is full.15 mi (24 km) south with more rooms, restaurants and transport; a base only if Murshidabad town is full.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | কত টাকা?koto taka |
| Too much, please reduce | বেশি হয়ে গেছে, কম করুনbeshi hoye gechhe, kôm korun |
| Thank you | ধন্যবাদdhonnobad |
| Where is the toilet? | টয়লেট কোথায়?toilet kothay |
| Stop here, please | এখানে থামুনekhane thamun |
| I don't want it | আমার লাগবে নাamar lagbe na |
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
- Agree auto and carriage fares before boarding; meters are not used.
- Hazarduari Palace Museum is closed on Fridays and on government holidays — check before you build a day around it.
- Summer afternoons from April reach the high 30s °C; do the palace and mosques in the morning.
- Carry cash in small notes: card acceptance is limited outside hotels.
- The riverfront ghats are uneven and unlit after dark; watch your step.
Murshidabad is a small, low-crime town and the usual Indian cautions apply: agree auto fares first, keep to lit streets after dark, and treat the riverfront ghats as uneven ground rather than a promenade.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Murshidabad yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hazarduari Palace and its museum
- Nizamat Imambara
- Katra Masjid
- Khushbagh tombs of Alivardi Khan and Siraj-ud-Daulah
- Murshidabad silk and Baluchari weaving
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- West Bengal Tourism — Murshidabad: www.wbtourism.gov.in/
- Archaeological Survey of India — Hazarduari Palace Museum: asi.nic.in/
- Indian Railways — IRCTC (train booking): www.irctc.co.in/
- Wikivoyage: Murshidabad, revision 5309268 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5309268
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Murshidabadমুর্শিদাবাদ
আমাকে এই ঠিকানায় নিয়ে চলুন
Take me to this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No foreign consulates in Murshidabad; the nearest are in Kolkata, including the US Consulate General.
Numbers are for emergencies; the tourist helpline is in English.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/murshidabad). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.