Kolkata One Day Tour – Things To Do in Kolkata in One Day

In a popular travel magazine that we read recently, Kolkata in India has been listed as one of the top 20 places to visit in the year 2020. Kolkata is popular as a travel destination among tourists but that is mostly around Durga Puja time.  Kolkata is known for its diverse history, arts, theatre, and literature. There’s a lot that one can explore in Kolkata in one day or two days.

Kolkata – the City of Joy is also a city of diversities. Kolkata was the capital of British India until the year 1911. Hence this city is a treasure trove of colonial architecture and the remnants of British and Anglo-India culture in India are still visible in Kolkata. Parallelly, by way of interesting museums, parks, malls, café, discotheques, and a planetarium, the modern pulse of the city adds a refreshing flavor in the cultural fabric of the city. Talking about culture, Kolkata has the title of being the “Cultural Capital of India” as well. In fact, any artist, worth their salt, considers themselves successful after he or she has performed before the discerning audience of Kolkata.

Of late, there is a change in trend. People travel to Kolkata round the year on business or just to experience the city. Plan your Kolkata one day tour by reading this post where we bring to you the best things to do in Kolkata in one day.

Kolkata One Day Tour – Things to do in Kolkata in one day

This is no surprise at all. Calcutta has so much to offer in terms of tourism, food, culture, and shopping that one can comfortably spend a week and still feel that there was not enough time. However, for some of you, it could be just a day. Maybe you are hopping and wish to have a first look at Kolkata or you have Sunday on hand and choose to come east. There is no reason to lose heart since from experience we can say that a lot can be covered in a single day in Calcutta.

There are two major reasons for this. Firstly, the city is not very spread out and places are located a couple of kilometers from each other. The second is that the public transport system, traditionally, has been robust in Kolkata. There are multiple modes of active transport in Calcutta such as yellow taxis, radio taxis, a solid network of buses, the metro rail, local trains, auto rickshaws, electronic rickshaws, ferry, and last but not the least, the tram. Given the plethora of transport options, it is not very difficult traveling from point A to point B in this city.

Here is a small guide as to how you can utilize these advantages, and if you have just a single day for Kolkata, you make the most of the Kolkata one day tour. It is just what we think can be covered in a day and is by no means exhaustive. If you would want to add something to this guide, we would love the recommendation. Read on to find out what to do in Kolkata one day tour.

What all can I do in a day in Kolkata – One day Kolkata city tour

Given that you have just a day, it is best to start bright and early for the Kolkata day tour. Kolkata traditionally wakes up early and one can see small stoves lit inside tea stalls even before daybreak. Most workers start their day with a cup of tea and a French heart cookie, renamed “Projapati biscuit” (Projapati means butterfly) from these tea shacks. The city wakes up to tung tung sound of hand pull rickshaw bells as rickshaw pullers also like starting early before the sun gets hot.

In terms of transport, you can call for a radio taxi since the popular cab aggregators have a solid network in Kolkata. But we suggest taking the famous yellow taxi of Kolkata and heading towards the first destination.

Chinese breakfast at Tiretti Bazaar

Kolkata is the only Indian city with a bright China Town complete with Chinese temples and shoemakers. The earlier China Town was at the centrally located Tiretti Bazar. While China Town in Kolkata has now relocated to Tangra in a different zone of the city, Tiretti Bazar has still retained the Chinese breakfast market. The market starts by 6 or 6.30 a.m. and gets over by 7.30 – 8 a.m. The dumplings, meatball soup, unique bread, red bean stuffed bao buns, pork-stuffed buns, and sticky rice pudding and almond pie are a must-have. While most food options are non-vegetarian, items like bread, vegetable momos, rice puddings and so on cater to vegetarian dietary choice. To the best of our recollection, breakfast for 3 people cost us Rs. 500 here and we were full to the brim. Given the variety of food items at the most affordable prices here, it is not difficult to fill oneself up and keep digesting the grub in the next couple of hours.

Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

You can fly a taxi again from Tiretti Bazar to Victoria Memorial, or you can use the metro rail too.

Victoria Memorial is a magnificent marble palatial building in the heart of Kolkata. The structure was built in the memory of Queen Victoria, the monarch of the United Kingdom. She was also known as the “Empress of India”.

Victoria Memorial is now a museum with an extensive collection of marble sculptures, relics, old coins and manuscripts, and watercolors and oil paintings. It also houses a Calcutta gallery which showcases the history of Kolkata from the days of Job Charnock, an officer of the East India Company, who is also credited for being the founder of the city of Kolkata. The Memorial is surrounded by well maintained sprawling lawns and these spaces are like the lungs of the city. If you are succor for old-style, a horse-drawn carriage or tanga ride around Victoria Memorial is highly recommended.

The Victoria Memorial opens at 10 a.m. and can take you half a day. However, the place can be covered comfortably in one and one and a half hours.  That would leave you enough time for another activity before lunch.

Indian Museum, Kolkata

The Indian Museum is not far from the Victoria Memorial. It is the 9^th oldest museum in the world and the oldest not only in India but also in Asia. The building, dating back to the year 1814, is a very art deco style with ornamental pillars and a huge central courtyard. It has many galleries and the anthropology, botany, and zoology galleries are very popular. We recall, as children, we would tend to get very excited with the dinosaur skeleton and the remains of the Egyptian mummy that are on display here. But we change with time and now, we tend to gravitate towards Indian arts, textiles, and ancient history galleries.

We are museum buffs and can easily spend a day here. However, you can have a first impression in an hour to an hour and a half in your Kolkata one day tour.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, Kolkata

St. Paul’s Cathedral is a beautiful sample of Gothic architecture, the way it manifested in India in the colonial era. The cathedral was completed in the year 1847 and has a most impressive façade. It is adjacent to Victoria Memorial and you can pass by St. Paul’s on your way from Victoria Memorial to Indian Museum. One can also enter the Cathedral and it is gorgeous from inside too, what with all the solid wood pews, beautiful stained-glass paintings, and a grand organ. Given the tight timeline, maybe that can be kept for a later leisurely trip.

Lunch – Shiraz biryani, Kolkata

Wajed Ali Shah was exiled to Kolkata from Awadh. He brought along his chefs and bawarchis and their Awadhi style of cooking. The biryani was a hit with people from Kolkata, and now, peppered with local tastes, it is a dish for which aficionados do not mind traveling back to the city. It is mild and subtly flavored with saffron, rose water and aromatic spices. The rice melts in the mouth and meat is cooked to softness.

If you are a biryani fan like us or like Mughlai food, the biryani in Kolkata is a must-try since it is very different for biryani available in any other part of India. One of the early bawarchis in Shiraz drew lineage from a chef in Wajed Ali Shah’s kitchen and that explains their mastery on the craft.  Till some years back, Shiraz was synonymous with biryani in Kolkata. Many other biryani joints have opened in the last decade or so and we have recced some of them. Our unanimous opinion – Shiraz is the best. You can order some side dishes – like chicken chaap or raita with biryani or have the biryani on its own. They have opened a few branches in the city. However, we recommend the one on Park Street. This is the oldest Shiraz and the nearest to the Indian Museum / Victoria Memorial.

Walk along Park Street, Kolkata

Park Street is somewhat the pulse of Kolkata. It is an arterial road that has a host of beautiful shops as well as some of the most iconic restaurants in the city. Park Street is a mélange of tradition and modernity and the correct reflection of the multi-faceted pulse of Kolkata. We have been to Peter Cat for Chelo kababs. And I schooled here in St. Xavier’s, Kolkata, so a little nostalgia is normal. Come Christmas or New Year, Park Street is done up with lights and festivity spills on the streets. To digest the lunch at Shiraz, you can take a walk on Park Street, check out the lifestyle as well as sari shops on the road. One of our much-loved crafts shops – Sasha is also in the vicinity so you can visit that as well. The Oxford Book Store on Park Street also draws heavy footfall and you can potter in. Book worm or not, the book store is a beautiful space, like a book gallery. They have the Kolkata branch of the tea room Cha Bar here as well.

Flury’s, Kolkata

Talking about tea rooms in Kolkata, if you are on Park Street, you cannot skip Flury’s. They have years of heritage, and unfortunately, still no significant presence outside Kolkata. Their open sandwiches are a rage and we find that very tasty. But that can be filling and we do not want to miss dinner. Hence, we suggest you go for their rum balls with tea. You will thank us later.

Tram ride in Kolkata

A must-do in Kolkata is a tram ride. Kolkata has been the only city in India that has tram transport. Dating back to the year 1902, it is still an active mode of commute in the city. The tram cars, like mini trains, meander on their tracks through the heart of the city. It is sheer romance and cathartic experience to see the busy world pass by. You can take a tram from Park Street and reach our next halt – Gariahat Market.

Shopping in Kolkata – Gariahat Market

We love the diversity of handicrafts and handloom in India. In fact, local arts are an integral part of experiencing a culture. It is just not the visual appeal; markets provide insight into the ethos of the city. Kolkata shopping scene is a harmonious fusion of colonial tastes with contemporary styles and Non-Bengali influences all peppered with the inherent Bengali penchant for art.

Bengali handloom is very famous all over India. Muslin from Bengal, historically, was a priced commodity all across the globe. We now move to the southern part of the city and Gariahat Market here is a one-stop zone. Be it Bengali handloom, famous as Tant saris, or terracotta, jute items or Khadi weaves, clay pottery, Batik art, Kantha embroidery, and even conch shell craft items – one can find all of that in this market. Also, if you wish to try some Bengali sweets or Mishti, or get some packed, you will find many confectioners here. And you can safely walk into any sweet shop here. Given the heavy competition in the sweet business, every shop is standard and does not disappoint. Sweets are mostly sold by the piece and not by weight in Kolkata.

It is still old-style shops in Gariahat with a lot of interaction between the customers and shop keepers. The chatty atmosphere has a very homely feel. While Bangla is the local language, people in Kolkata are well conversant in Hindi and communicate in workable English as well. Different shops in the market have different closing hours. However, the market is busy till between 9 to 10 p.m. so – no rush.

Dinner at Bengali restaurant

Bengalis eat late dinner so restaurants are open till late. You should have worked up a healthy appetite by now and we suggest a sumptuous Bengali dinner. There are many popular places in the Gariahat zone either in the market or in the proximity. Of the cuff we can think of three decent places that are most convenient – Bhajahari Manna; Sudipar Rannaghar and 6 Ballygunge Place. You can visit any of these places and if you are not familiar with Bengali food, do ask the ordering staff or the chef for recommendations. The other way to do it is by ordering a platter. Bengali meals are typically served in course and are consumed in a specific order depending on the kind of taste. The servers can help you with that.

It behooves that we break a myth here about Bengali food. While non-vegetarian food is the more popular part of Bengali cuisine, there is a rich repertoire of vegetarian fare as well. No offense to paneer lovers, but vegetarian food here goes way beyond paneer and many such dishes also eschew onions – garlic. If you prefer a vegetarian diet, be a little adventurous and try something new.

And last but not least on this – fish is NOT considered vegetarian in Kolkata or anywhere in Bengal.

Howrah Bridge – Kolkata

That’s how you can spend a day in Kolkata. If you are taking a train out of the city on your way back, you may be traveling out of Howrah station. In such a case, you would be traveling on Howrah Bridge. It is a beautiful piece of engineering and rather stunning from a distance. You needn’t stop though; you can probably take photos from your vehicle window.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We would want to take you to so many more places in Kolkata. In fact, there are some great places outside Kolkata but in convenient proximity. Maybe next time!

Pro – tips on Kolkata

First, Kolkata is quite humid major part of the year so light cotton clothing really helps.

Second, like the greater part of India, the best time to visit Kolkata and cover most of the city is between the months of October to March. The weather is really pleasant during this period.

Third, Durga Puja is huge in Kolkata. It is like a carnival and a must-see. However, most other places remain shut since the whole city is on holiday for these 5 days or so. If you visit for a day during the Durga Puja period, you would get to experience the spectacular festival but not much of Kolkata otherwise.

Kolkata Tourism

How to reach Kolkata

Kolkata is well connected by air, train, and road. One can either fly to Kolkata or take a train or bus to reach Kolkata. You can book flights right here to reach Kolkata in Bengal, India through TripAdvisor or Agoda or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline.

Where To Stay In Kolkata

If you are planning for a stay in Kolkata, India then there is a wide choice of hotels in Kolkata to suit your budget and preference. You can book your hotel in Kolkata right here through TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or Agoda or Makemytrip or Priceline and save huge.

Planning Kolkata one day tour – Best things to do in Kolkata

Kolkata points of interest and attractions are many and if you are trying to decide on what to see in Kolkata or what to do in Kolkata, then look no further. Kolkata attractions pass are available for the most recommended Kolkata tours. You can now book tours in Kolkata as well as activities in Kolkata.

Driving Around Kolkata, India

Places to visit in Kolkata are plenty. If you have a valid Indian driving license then you could rent a self-drive car.

We hope you liked this post on one day tour in Kolkata. If you were to plan Kolkata sightseeing then what would you include in one day trip in Kolkata? Please let us know in the comments section.

All the photos in this post are contributed by Sundeep and Bedabrata. 

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