Once the capital of the British Raj, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and human life. Hemming the Hooghly River and home to 15 million people, West Bengal’s capital is a place where stately neo-classical and Indo-Saracenic architecture sits alongside jam-packed streets and teeming markets. Travelers find plenty of things to do and feed their souls here, from discovering the city’s Raj-era monuments to exploring crowded bazaars, temples, pottery-making communities, and bookshop-lined streets.
The rule for visiting Kolkata is to avoid its two periods of challenging weather: the humid heat of April–May when temperatures regularly hit 104°F (40°C) and the drenching monsoon rains of June–October. On either side are the cooler, usually dry days of November through March, which are comfortable for sightseeing. This winter season also coincides with some of Kolkata’s annual celebrations, from the color-splattering religious festival of Holi every March to December’s sparky Jazzfest and Christmas festivities.
Guided tours, taxis, tuk-tuks, and ride-hailing apps are the most convenient option for zipping around Kolkata’s sights. The city’s famous mustard-yellow cabs and buzzy tuk-tuks are inexpensive and easily flagged down at the roadside. Alternatively, follow locals by using the city’s Metro trains or public buses, although their crowds, routes, and fares can be difficult to navigate. If time allows, Kolkata’s street trams are great for fun, cheap, but slow sightseeing.
One of the world’s first non-church cemeteries, Kolkata’s South Park Street Cemetery is a tree-shaded compound that houses 1,600 British souls who died between 1767 and 1830. A wander around its birdsong-filled paths reveals such graves as that of Charles Dickens’ second son, Walter Landor Dickens, and Rose Aylmer, a British aristocrat believed to have died from cholera induced by “eating too many pineapples” at the tender age of 22.
