Luxury Tours of East India

India Tours main menu 

One of the world’s great cities, Kolkata or Calcutta (as it used to be known) has been through many incarnations. From an obscure village on the banks of the Hoogly River, it evolved into the capital of Great Britain’s Indian empire. Today this vibrant city with its distinct imperial flavor is the capital of West Bengal.

Possibly the most loved and most maligned city in the whole world, fascinating Kolkata has always enjoyed a love-hate relationship with its visitors. A city rich in art and culture, the former British capital of colonial India, the seat of freedom struggles and revolutionary movements, the inspiration for poets and movie-makers, and this city has so much history and romance that it is hard to know where to begin its story.

Look for the remnants of the British Raj in the lovely old Colonial-style architecture, the clubs and the famous restaurants on Park Street. Home to celebrities like the poet Tagore and moviemaker Satyajit Ray, the city teems with creative energy. Film-making, music, dance, literature and theatre play a vibrant role in the lives of this intensely political, passionate and cultured people.

Calcutta, the state capital of West Bengal, is aptly titled ‘The city of joy’. Even today, this city retains much of the splendor of yesteryears, with a presence that is regal, imposing and memorable. The Trams and the Metro rail at Calcutta are exclusive features of this city.

Gateway Program for Kolkata:

Day – 1 Arrive Kolkata.
Meals Included: None

Arrive Kolkata Airport. Meet & Greet at the International Airport by our representative and then transfer to Hotel. Overnight.

Day 2 : Kolkata
Meals Included: Breakfast

Spend the day exploring the ‘City of Joy’. Start tour with visit to Indian Museum built in 1875. It is an impressive building in the Italian style of architecture, Victoria Memorial is the City’s most celebrated landmark, this monument was the brainchild of Lord Curzon. The domed classical marble structure completed in 1921 is now a Museum. The collection covers a fascinating selection of Raj memorabilia.

Belur Math is the magnificent temple located on the bank of river Ganges is the head quarter of the Ramakrishna Mission. It was conceptualized by Swami Vivekananda, the illustrious disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. The display includes Swami Vivekananda's room, meditation bed, belongings etc. From the temple, one can have a panoramic view of the holy river Ganges.

Mother Teresa House – The city of Kolkata is inextricably linked with Mother Teresa. Your stay in Kolkata would be incomplete without a visit to this building which is today also the resting place of Mother Teresa.

Dakshneshwar Kali Temple – Built in the traditional ‘Nava Ratna’ or nine spires style of Bengal architecture, the three-storey south facing temple has nine spires distributed in upper two levels. It stands on a high platform and rises over a 100 feet. The sanctum houses an idol of Goddess Kali.
Overnight in Kolkata

Day 3 : Kolkata / Next Destination
Meals Included: Breakfast
Begin your day after breakfast with a visit to the wholesale flower market built in 1855, down by the Hooghly river and almost under Howrah Bridge is the Kolkata Flower Market, open 24 hours a day. Watch craftsman stringing long, multicolored flower garlands or the activity of buying and selling bright blossoms framed by ancient stone walls.

Transfer to Airport for your flight to next destination.

Kolkata Hotel Suggestions:
Standard :
Hotel Peerless Inn ( www.peerlesshotel.com )
Hotel Floatel ( www.floatelhotel.com )

Deluxe :
Taj Bengal ( www.tajhotels.com )
Oberoi Grand (www.oberoihotels.com )

BOOK NOW/Request Pricing

KOLKATA OPTIONAL TOURING:
Best of Victoria Memorial and Maiden
This is Kolkata’s signature landmark. It was commissioned by Lord Curzon, the Viceroy to India and designed in the Indo-Saracenic style with Mughal elements in the structure. Now a Museum with over 10,000 artifacts, it is a must for visitors to Kolkata. Accompanied by an expert, explore the Memorials unique architectural and design features along with its impressive collection of antiquities. Form the Memorial we will explore the building and monuments in surrounding areas called the Maidan.

Highlights to include
- Marble dome surmounted by the Angel of Victory
- Statue of young Queen Victoria
- Calcutta gallery and its collection of landscapes painted by 19th century British artists
- Desk owned by Queen Victoria embellished with paintings of Indian birds
- St Paul’s Cathederal
- Shahid Minar (formerly Ochterlony Memorial)

Heritage Walk of Dalhousie Square
The walk takes place in the morning so that you can leisurely take in the architecture and history of the city’s many unique and spectacular buildings without any traffic on the roads. Begin with the Flower Market on the River Hoogly, then on to the site of the terrible ‘Black Hole’…takes you past the famous Writer’s Building, the former Headquarter of the infamous East India Company, around the Square to the magnificent Governor’s House and the almost forgotten Charnock Mausoleum. The whole experience takes you back to the 18th and 19th century when the British ruled the entire subcontinent from Calcutta – at that time the most fashionable city in the world from London. It is also an opportunity to experience a special side of the city as it is waking up in the morning.

Tea & Colonial History
Arrival at Nilhat House on R N Mukherjee Road in the heart of the city’s business district.

This famous building houses one of the largest Tea Broking firms in the world, J Thomas & Co. The late 18th century saw a dominance of the indigo industry on this very site (Nil means blue and Hat means house) and then emergence of the tea industry in the 19th century. J Thomas has a long history, spanning over 250 years.

A Tea Auctioneer and Professional Tea Taster is your host for the morning. The interactive discussion covers how tea is grown, picked, cared for and finally tasted. He dispels myths about tea and the way it should be drunk, talks about current industry trends and guests get an opportunity to individually taste 5 difference types of tea under this expert tutelage.

DURGA PUJA, Kolkata (October)
Durga Puja is one of the largest and most splendid festivals in the country. Community pujas (prayer service) in Bengal are organized in every locality. Families visit each other and spread the communal goodwill. On Bijoya Day (culmination of the festivities), idols of Maa Durga (mother Goddess) are taken in elaborate processions and immersed in the river or sea.

Click to Print Itinerary

Book Now

For more on Kolkata's history, see Colonial Calcutta, Bengali Food & Culture Tours

Add Kolkata to your Orissa tour