Best Places to Visit in Kolkata Near Me
Are you planning to visit Kolkata? Then please read this article it will tell you about some important places which you simply cannot miss. I assure you cannot finish seeing these places in a day or two. You need a week’s time to see these places. The enriching history of this city is worth seeing. The West Bengal government spends lot of money on tourism and they try to promote it as much as possible. Kolkata had served as the capital of India for a long period of time during the time of British raj. It was the headquarters of the east India Company. The city’s culture, architecture still has the traces of those days.
Some of the tourists have said that Kolkata has its own beauty and every click on your camera will have a vision and a content. The colonial era buildings are a treat to the eyes of the tourists. Once you reach this city you will fall in love with Kolkata.
List of places to see in Kolkata: –
1. Victoria Memorial
The Victoria Memorial is magnificent white building which was completed in the year 1921. In 1906 the British people started building this. Right now, it is a museum and a place to visit for all tourists be it an Indian from different city or an international tourist. It was constructed in the memory of Queen Victoria. The gallery has got lot of books, newspapers, paintings, coins, sculptures of that period. Even at the night this monument is worth seeing. You can spend some time sitting on the well-maintained ground. If you are interested in history then you should come here. Every tourist coming to this city makes it a point to see the Victoria Memorial.
Timings: Tuesday to Friday from 10 Am to 6 Pm
Saturday and Sunday from 10 Am to 8 Am
Mondays closed
Entry fees: for Indians Rs 30
For Foreigners Rs 100 to Rs 500
2. Howrah Bridge
The Howrah bridge is also known as the Rabindra Setu as it was named after the noble laureate Rabindranath Tagore. To honour the poet this name was given in the year 1965. From the year 1943 people started using this bridge to cross the Hooghly river to reach Kolkata. It is one of the longest bridges of the world. More than 150000 vehicles cross this bridge everyday and more than 1 million people walk through it to reach their destination. If you are a tourist you should definitely try to cross the walking, then you can how busy it is and at the same time what a magnificent bridge it is. The Government of West Bengal has maintained the bridge’s aura till now. Howrah bridge is the 4th busiest bridge of the world.
3. Mullik (Malik) Ghat Flower Market
If you are someone who is interested in photography should come here. You will be surprised by seeing the place and the content it will give to your images. The bright flowers will surely bring a smile in your face. This wholesale market is 130 years old (maybe more) selling thousands of different kinds of flowers throughout the week. They do have buyers coming from different part of West Bengal. The long bright garlands of marigold mainly dominate this market and this is because most of the festivals are celebrated with this flower. Once you enter the market you can see 100 of sacks lying around full of flowers.
Location: Along the Strand Bank Road which starts from below the Howrah Bridge.
Timings: From sunrise to sunset.
4. Mother Teresa’s House (Missionaries of Charity)
No one needs an introduction about Mother Teresa. Though Mother was not from Kolkata but she felt in love of the place and stayed back here. She had devoted her life by helping the poor, sick people, orphan kids. If you are in Kolkata you should visit this place. It’s kind of mandatory spot to visit in your itinerary. The Missionaries of Charity is known to everyone throughout the world. See the tomb of Mother Teresa, see the bedroom where she lived, there is a small museum which has collection of her used articles like the sarees she wore, the sandals and so on. This Mother House is a place of complete silence, people do come here to contemplate. You can choose to come here to meditate and be very sure that your vibrations and energy will be uplifted.
Location :54A, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Rd,
Ripon Street,
Kolkata,
West Bengal 700016
Timings: open every day except Thursday.
Closed on special days like 22nd August, Easter Monday and 26th December
5. Dakshineswar Kali Temple
This Hindu temple was built in the year 1855 by Rani Rashmoni. This temple is made for the goddess Bhavatarini (she is known to be saviour of the universe). Rani Rashmoni was a widow but had the powers to look after her husband’s business. Her husband was a zamindar of those days and she alone took care of the ownership by saving it from the hands of Britishers. This temple is famous for Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who was a spiritual leader of those days. People believe that offering puja to this goddess will fulfil all their wishes. This temple is always crowded by devotees but the people working here maintains the decorum of the place.
Timings: it is opened every day
October to march from 6 AM to 12:30 PM then 3 PM to 8:30 PM
April to September 6 AM to 12:30 PM then 3.30 PM to 9 PM
6. South Park Cemetery
Visiting a cemetery is not there in most of the people’s itineraries. However, this cemetery is worth seeing. If you are someone who is interested in colonial history then this place is worth seeing. This cemetery was established during 1767 and was used by the British people. Now it is tagged and protected as a heritage site. Tourists get to see tombs which are designed as Indo-Saracenic and Gothic style. Spend some time to read the tombstones definitely you will get to see tombs of famous people. Right not this place is protected by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). To the common people it is also known as the Park Street Cemetery.
Timings: everyday from 10 AM to 5 PM
No entry free but if you carry large digital cameras then you need to pay Rs 50
7. Kalighat Kali Temple
Kalighat is one more scared place of Kolkata. Goddess Kali is worshipped here. it is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. The word Kolkata was derived from the Kalikata Devi who is present in this temple. There are several small temples around this place, please take your time and see all the ‘Natmondir.’ Kalighat was situated on the Adi Ganga banks but unfortunately the rive has moved away from this temple over the period of time. Right now, the temple is on the bank of small canal which is connected with the Hooghly river. It is near the Kalighat metro station so reaching this place will not be a problem.
Timings: 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and again from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
8. Indian Coffee House
Obviously, there are good places to spend time with friends. If you one to visit one of the historic restaurants of India then you should come to the Indian Coffee House. This was the place for freedom fighters to come and discuss their meetings and so on. This place is still meant for people who are into revolutions and like to discuss on intellectual topics. College students do visit this place a lot. this place was founded in the 1876. Later the coffee board had decided to use this place as a coffee joint in the year 1942. After than in 1947 the central government of India renamed this place as ‘Coffee House’.
Timings: everyday from 9 AM to 6PM
9. Princep Ghat
This was built by the Britishers in the year 1841 along the bank of Hooghly River. This Palladian porch was built in the memory of an eminent Anglo-Indian scholar named James Prinsep and it was designed by W Fitzgerald. This is one of the oldest spots of Kolkata where people like to visit. Young people go there to spend time with each other, click photos and have a nice time. Try to enjoy the boat ride on the river. This is an experience which everybody enjoys. This place is beautiful throughout the day, even the nights have its own beauty. You might have seen this place in many Hindi movies and daily soaps.
10. Marble house
Tourists should see this palatial 19th-century mansion situated at North Kolkata. It is really beautiful and the house itself is elegant. This house is famous for its marble floors, walls and beautiful sculptures. This house was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in the year 1835. He was a wealthy merchant of those days who had a passion for collecting different art works. This palace was built with 126 different kinds of marbles which was brought from various place of the country. The mansion is divided into 5 halls namely the reception hall, sculpture room, billiards room, painting room and a thakur dalan (this was the place for worship).
Location: 46, Muktaram Babu Street,
Kolkata
West Bengal 700007
Timings: Monday and Thrusday it is closed and rest of the days it is opened from 10 AM to 4 PM.
11. Jorasanko Thakur Bari
Visit to Kolkata will be incomplete if you do not visit the house of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore. This beautiful mansion was the birthplace of the poet. He had spent his life here. This Thakur Bari was also the house of Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore. This house is spread over an area 35000 sq. meter. This maroon building has a museum in it which has articles that were used by Tagore. It also has China Gallery, US Gallery, Japan Gallery and Hungary Gallery as because these countries were explored by the poet. Some rare pictures of the galleries are worth seeing. Camera is not allowed inside the house. See the cars used by Tagore which are kept inside the garage.
Address: Ganesh Talkies,
267, Rabindra Sarani,
Singhi Bagan,
Jorasanko,
Kolkata,
West Bengal 700007
Timings: 10:30 AM to 5PM
Monday closed
Entry fees: Rs 20 for Indians.
12. Indian Museum
This is the 9th oldest museum present in the world today and it is the largest museum of India. This museum was built in the year 1814. It is also called as the ‘Jadughar’ and has beautiful collection of ancient sculptures, sacred relics of buddha, contemporary paintings, Egyptian mummies and so on. Some exquisite collections of antiques, skeletons, fossils, ornaments, vessels and many more are present here. this museum has 35 galleries which are divided into 6 categories and they are Geology, Economic Botany, Art, Anthropology and Archaeology. In 2014 this museum has celebrated its bicentennial anniversary. With the beautiful collections you will seriously have a good time with the past.
Timings: Tuesday to Friday 10 AM to 6:30 PM
Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 8 PM
Mondays are closed
Entry fees: Rs 50 for Indian tourists
Rs 500 for foreign tourists
Extra charges for camera
So, the next time you get a leave for 4 to 5 days please do come to the city of joy. Kolkata should be there in everyone’s bucket list. This city will not disappoint you in anyways. The food and the culture are lovely. People staying in this city are very welcoming and they do love guests. This city is very safe so feel free to come and stay here. It is one of the historic places of India. People of Kolkata takes lot of pride in their city and tries several means to conserve it. This is one place which should not be missed. If you have not come to this place then you are surely missing out on some beauty.
Also Read: BEST BEAUTY PARLOUR IN KOLKATA