Kolkata in one, two or three days

Day 1: the centre, the Maidan and Park Street

1. Morning: the Maidan and Victoria Memorial

   Walk the Maidan, about a thousand acres of grass where the mornings bring cricket, football and horse carriages, to the Victoria Memorial. The galleries open at 10:00; tickets are also sold online.

2. Late morning: St Paul's Cathedral

   Opposite the Memorial's east gate, the Gothic Revival cathedral of 1847 is cool and quiet inside; more in churches of Kolkata.

3. Afternoon: the Indian Museum or the cemetery

   The Indian Museum on Chowringhee, opened in 1814, is India's oldest and largest: pick two or three of its 35 galleries in advance. Or walk the South Park Street Cemetery, about 1,600 colonial graves under old trees.

4. Evening: Prinsep Ghat or Park Street

   Watch the sunset from Prinsep Ghat under the Vidyasagar Setu; wooden boats take half-hour rides for about ₹400 a boat. Then dinner on Park Street.

Day 2: the river and North Kolkata

1. Dawn: the flower market and Howrah Bridge

   The Mullick Ghat flower market works from about 4:00, and 4:00–8:00 is both the trading peak and the best light. Climb up to Howrah Bridge and walk across (about fifteen minutes); photography on the bridge has been restricted, so take your pictures from the ghats or a ferry.

2. Morning: across the river and Kumartuli

   From the Howrah side, take a commuter ferry north to Sovabazar (₹5–10 a crossing), near Kumartuli, the lanes where potter families shape Durga and Kali from river clay. Ask before photographing.

3. Midday: Tagore's house and the Marble Palace

   Jorasanko Thakurbari, the Tagore family mansion, keeps the room where Rabindranath was born and died, and his paintings. The Marble Palace, a merchant prince's house of 1835 still lived in by the family, needs a free permit from West Bengal Tourism at BBD Bagh, arranged a day or so in advance.

4. Afternoon: College Street

   Work the kilometre of book stalls on College Street, best on a weekday afternoon (many shops close on Sunday), then sit in the Indian Coffee House.

Day 3: Dakshineswar, Belur Math and the south

1. Morning: Dakshineswar

   The Dakshineswar Kali Temple by the river, where Ramakrishna lived and served for some thirty years. The morning arati is sung before daylight, around 4:00 in summer and 5:00 in winter.

2. Late morning: the ferry to Belur Math

   A ferry links Dakshineswar with Belur Math on the far bank, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission. It is open roughly 6:30–11:30 and again from 16:00; shoes off, shoulders and knees covered, no photography in the main temple. The two banks make a half-day.

3. Afternoon: Mother House and Kalighat

   The Mother House on A.J.C. Bose Road, where Mother Teresa lived and is buried, reopens in the afternoon after a long midday break (closed on Thursdays). End at Kalighat, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas: the lanes around the temple, full of murti sellers, are at their liveliest at dusk.

With more days

Plan around these

• Mondays and Thursdays — On Mondays the Victoria Memorial galleries, the Indian Museum, the Botanic Garden and the Currency Building are closed; on Thursdays, the Mother House. The Marble Palace closes on both days.
• The season — November to February is the best time: a mild, dry winter. April to September is hot, then monsoon-wet; see the best time to visit.
• Durga Puja — During Durga Puja (17–21 October 2026) the city turns into a pandal circuit, the centre closes to cars and this plan stops working; see festivals of Kolkata.
• Getting around — The metro is the quickest way between the stops above; for cabs, the state app Yatri Sathi has no surge pricing.