Is there a black hole?
Kolkata or Calcutta founded by the East India Company as a trading post and the capital of India from 1773 to 1911 is full of colonial architecture, art and culture. Also home to Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity headquarters it is the second largest city in India and has struggled from being run by a communist party for many years only now starting to develop.
To find the famous Black Hole you need to head to Dalhousie Square!
How to get there and Transportation
By Air - international flights from South East Asia and some from Europe with Emirates and Qatar. Taxis available at the airport from the government booth but pay exact rate as they will short change you.
By Bus - to Bangladesh
By Train - to most major cities
Getting around
Taxi - readily available and cheap
Metro - one route connecting north and south from Dumdum to Garia stopping at Esplanade for Chowringhee and Park Street for Victoria Memorial.
Tram - Heritage Tram Tour available
Bus - extensive network, cheap but not comfortable
Best time to Visit
March to May - hot and humid
June to October - monsoon season
November to February - winter is the best time to visit
Where to stay
The Oberoi Grand - the grand Dame of Chowringhee
The Lalit Great Eastern - modern inside
ITC Sonar - gardens and 5 swimming pools to choose from
JW Marriott - stylish luxury 4 miles from the centre
The Corner Courtyard - a boutique hotel with 8 individual rooms.
Read More about The Oberoi Grand
What to See
Victoria Memorial - Perhaps the most famous landmark in the city
St Paul’s Cathedral - built 1847
Chowringhee - market place of the city
Marble Palace - private mansion built in 1835 full of hidden gems
Mother Teresa’s Hospital
South Park Street Cemetery - get a sense of the past
Dalhousie Square - see all the old colonial buildings including the GPO
Indian Coffee House - renowned meeting place for intellectuals.
Where to report animal cruelty in Kolkata
Restaurants
Flury’s - breakfast and cakes
Mocambo - continental fare such as prawn cocktail and chateaubriand steak - 25B Park Street
Fire and Ice Pizza - pizza and pasta
Balaram Mullick & Radharman Mullick Sweets - sandesh and mishti sweets
Kewpie’s Kitchen - Bengali cuisine - 2 Elgin Lane
Paris Cafe - crepes, omelettes and pancakes - 1/1 Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Opp. Ice skating Rink, Ballygunge
Mrs Magpie - afternoon tea with cupcakes - 570, Lake Terrace Road Extension, Keyatala, Near Southern Avenue
Azad Hind - punjabi fare - 12/1 Ballygunge Circular Road
Shopping
Quest Mall - modern with supermarket to stock up on spices and indian cooking items
Weavers Studio - for scarfs, clothes etc
Ekru - Designer clothes
Bombain - indo western clothing and jewellery
The Hangar - collection of known designers including Tulsi
Debashri Samanta - modern indian clothing
Eina Ahluwalia - jewellery designer
Conclusion
Like Kolkata perhaps not as much as Mumbai and Delhi but you consider going back and it is only a 2 and half hour flight from Bangkok. I would recommend a car and driver to take you round the city as everything seems spread out and walking out did not feel that safe.
Kolkata Tourist Board
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