Calcutta, the city of joy was established in the year 1686, as a result of the expansion plans of the British Raj. It was during those times that European powers were heading their way towards capturing the small villages of Sutanati, Govindpur, and Kalikata. Calcutta derived its name from the last of the village settlements of kalikata.

The capital city of West Bengal is located on the east bank of the Hooghly river. It is the Cultural Capital of India.

Best Time To Visit Calcutta : Talking about Kolkata peak travel time, it can be said that period between October-march is the best time to visit Calcutta. This is the perfect time to savor the autumn season that is in its full bloom. Not only the weather is pleasant, but also, it is the time of festivities. Durga puja is a festival that is celebrated with great pomp and show. Laxmi puja and Diwali follow it. January-February is the period that witnesses the conduct of Calcutta book fair that acts as a platform for bringing people from all over the world together under one roof. Thus, if you have an option to choose the time period, then plan out your tour during October-March, as it is the ideal time to visit Calcutta.

Attractions :

Fort william:

Fort William is a must visit tourist attraction place of Calcutta.Situated at the banks of river Hooghly, it was named after King William III of England. Fort William of Kolkata, India, was established during the tenure of British Raj in 1696. It was the guardroom of this two-storied building, where the black hole tragedy took place. During the Plassey war in 1757, Siraj Ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal attacked on the fort and defeated the Britishers. This paved way for the construction of a new fort by British.

The new fort was initiated by Robert Clive, which got completed by 1780. The basic purpose of setting up Calcutta Fort William was to prevent attacks from Muslim invaders. The area that was cleared around the fort became maidan, where several exhibitions and fairs take place. The foundation of the old fort is still intact. Till date, it is a military area and the Arsenal inside it is worth watching, but for that prior permission of the commanding officer is required.

VICTORIA MEMORIAL:

Calcutta Victoria memorial hall is a fabulous museum that was established in the year 1921. The credit for designing and drawing the plan for this monument goes to Sir William Emerson, President of the British Institute of Architects. Victoria Memorial of Kolkata, India is a fantastic place that will take you into the world of past history, where you can view the photos and effigies of prominent personalities, who made an incredible contribution in the glory of India. Today, Victoria memorial is one of the finest art museums in Kolkata. It is a 184 ft tall edifice that was constructed on 64 acres of land. The museum houses a group of mind-blowing figures above the north porch that epitomize prudence, learning and motherhood.

EDEN GARDENS:

Eden garden of Kolkata, India is one of the major tourist attraction places of the city of joy. Eden gardens is basically a cricket stadium, where people have witnessed the history of Indian cricket. It is the oldest cricket playground in the country and also the finest one. Calcutta Eden Gardens Cricket Club came into existence in the year 1864. e. It has undergone a tremendous modernization and infact, today it boasts of its large accommodation that can capaticitate about 1,00,000 persons. Eden gardens of Calcutta definitely falls into the category of must see places.

BIRLA PLANETARIUM:

Birla planetarium of Kolkata, India is one of the largest museums in Asia. It came into existence in the year 1962.It is situated at the Eastern metropolitan bypass of Calcutta. Birla planetarium provides useful piece of information about our solar system, galaxies, life span of stars, space, planets and other heavenly bodies in the most interactive manner via audio video aids. Usually the lectures are given in English, Hindi, and Bengali and occasionally in Oriya, Tamil & Gujarati. Calcutta Birla planetarium is a single storied circular edifice designed in the typical Indian style. It is a must see place for those interested in astronomy. Its astronomy gallery maintains a huge collection of fine paintings & celestial models of renowned astronomers.

HOWRAH BRIDGE:

Howrah Bridge, located over the Hoogli River in West Bengal, India, is said to be the busiest bridge of the world. It got its name owing to the fact that it connects the city of Howrah to Calcutta. Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, India, also known by the name 'Rabindra Setu', was set up in 1874. It stands on two 270 feet high pillars. Calcutta Howrah Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that was constructed without using any nuts and bolts. Though, earlier it had a tram route, but presently, it is serving mainly as a Road Bridge. Howrah bridge has got two sister bridges also, namely, Vidyasagar Setu and the Vivekananda Setu that are situated at different points over the hoogly river. This bridge acts as an important symbol of Kolkata.

MARBLE PALACE:

Marble palace of Kolkata, India is a must visit tourist attraction spot. Built in the year 1835 by Rajendra Mallick, it is an exquisite art gallery. Marble palace houses the marvelous objects of art, sculptures, pictures & oil paintings. Its major highlight includes the Reuben's masterpieces. You can also find the original paintings of Rembrandt, Reynolds and Van Goyen etc. Calcutta marble palace is the one of its kinds and consists of exquisite pieces of art. It also has a zoo, where you can find different kinds of birds and animals. Infact, it has a rare collection of birds. It is located in C.R. Avenue in north Calcutta at Muktaram Babu Street, Chorabagan.

WRITER'S BUILDING:

The construction of Writers building began as early as in 1690. It got its name owing to the fact that it served as the dwelling place for the junior writers of the East India Company. The original Writers Building of Kolkata, India did not have any architectural beauty. It was on the same site that another Writers' Building was created later on. This Gothic structure came into existence during the tenure of Lt. Governor Ashley Eden (1877). The present Calcutta Writers' Building is located at the northern end of Dalhousie Square. Today, it serves as the Secretariat of West Bengal Government. This gigantic building is also known as 'Mahakaran', where all the important documents and other records of the West Bengal Govt are preserved.

NICCO PARK :

Calcutta Nicco Park, situated at Salt Lake, is an amazing amusement park. It is like the Disneyland of West Bengal with lots of wonderful games and rides. It is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and it was opened in the year 1991. Nicco Park is more popularly known as Jheel Meel. It is the ultimate fun and entertainment destination for kids as well as adults. To name a few, we have the Toy Train, Cable Car, Tilt-a-Whirl, Water Chute, Water Coaster, Flying Saucer, Pirate Ship and Moonraker.Its most recent addition is the Cave ride.

For nature lovers, it is truly a feast for eyes. Its main highlights include the beautiful rose garden and the food park, where you can enjoy the mouthwatering yummy dishes. Popular cuisines include North Indian, Bengali, South Indian and Chinese fast food.

SAHEED MINAR:

Saheed Minar, situated near Esplanade on the Kolkata Maidan, was initially known as Octerloney Monument. It was named after its founder, Sir David Ochterlony. This magnificent monument was established in the year 1848 so as to mark the founder's victory in the Nepal War (1814-1816). Its foundation is based on the Egyptian style, whereas the main Shahid Minar in Calcutta and its dome follow Syrian and Turkish designs respectively.It was in 1969 that the Octerloney Monument got the name 'Sahid Minar'. It was renamed in the honor of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of our country. If you stand at the top of the minar, you'll get an excellent view of the hub city of Kolkata.

NATIONAL LIBRARY:

National Library in Kolkata, India is the largest library of our country. It is constructed on 30 acres Belvedere Estate in Kolkata. National library has a huge collection of books and periodicals received from different parts of the country. Here, you can find books in almost all the Indian languages.

BELUR MATH :

Belur Math was founded in 1938 by Swami Vivekananda, the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, paying homage to his guru. It is situated at a distance of about 6.4 kms from Howrah Station on the banks of the Hooghly River, in belur. Belur math houses a beautiful monastery, several temples and also has the headquarters of Ramakrishna mission. This international tourist attraction place is based on the principle of religious fraternity, as was advocated by Ramakrishna Paramhansa. This is also reflected in the architectural design of Math, which exhibits a blend of temple, church and mosque patterns.

KALIGHAT TEMPLE:

Located on the banks of river Hooghly, Kalighat Kali temple is a very famous temple of the city of joy i.e.KOLKATA. It is dedicated to Goddess KALI, who is believed to be the destroyer as well as liberator. Every year, it has been attracting more and more crowds. Infact, Kolkata Kalighat Kali temple has come in the top list of must see tourist attraction places. For Hindus, Kali temple at Kalighat, Kolkata is one of the most sacred pilgrimage destinations. It is during the months of Bhadra, Paush and Chaitra (according to the Bengali calendar) that Kali temple at Kalighat turns into a convergence point for devotees from al over the world.

Dakshineshwar Temple:

The construction of this fabulous temple was initialized in the year 1847 and got completed in 1855. The credit for the formation of Calcutta Dakshineswar Kali temple goes to the queen Rasmani of Janbazar. Located on the bank of the Ganges, north of Belur Math in Kolkata, it is dedicated to Goddess kali. It is a spacious temple covering an area of about 25 acres.Ramakrishna Paramhansa, the famous spiritual leader is also associated with this temple, as it was over here only that he had worshipped Goddess Kali and formed a rare form of love for her, which is popularly known as maha-bhava in Hinduism.

Nakhoda Mosque :

Nakhoda Mosque is the largest mosque within the city. It can capacitate about 10,000 persons. Located in Jacquaria Street, near the junction of Chitpore Road and Mahatma Gandhi Road, its foundation was laid by Abdar Rahim Osman, a resident of Cutch, in the year 1926. Nakhoda mosque is constructed on the lines of Akbar's tomb in Sikandra.
There are lots of other places to visit like Botanical gardens at Shibpur, Alipore Zoo,Parasnath Jain Temple, fire temple & Armenian Church , St.John's Church, St.Paul's Cathedral , etc which every year is crowded by thousands of people from all over the globe.

Best Time To Visit Calcutta :The best time to visit Kolkata is between October and March when you will conveniently miss the sweaty, humid and suffocating Bengal summer. You will also be in time for the frenzied celebrations of Durga Puja the worship of the goddess of strength, symbolising good over evil. It is a ten-day ritual held in the month of October.

What to eat in Calcutta India ?? Bengali traditional food, especially the yummy mouthwatering sweets are popular all over India. Bengal boasts off its cottage cheese based sweets like sandesh, rosogolla and chanar payesh. Other must try delicacies consist of Misti doi (sweetened curd) and Patali gur confectionery (date palm jaggery). When it comes to Calcutta cuisine, it can be said that each district of Bengal has its own unique dish to offer like Langcha and mihidana-sitaabhog of Bardhaman, sharbhaja of Krishnanagar, chanabora of Murshidabad etc.Below is given a list of some foods one can indulge in Luchi, Cholaar dal,Kochuri and alurdom,Chop-cutlet,Telebhaja,Macher jhol( Fish Curry)

How To Reach Kolkata??

By Air:

It is completely accessible by air. There are a number of domestic airlines that connect Kolkata with other major cities of India like Ahmedabad, Bagdogra, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Port Blair. It is also well-linked with many international cities as well.

By Rail:
Kolkata is well linked to other parts of the country by railways. There are super fast trains like Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express , Duranto Express that join Calcutta from Delhi and other nearby places. Calcutta consists of two major railway stations; one is located in Howrah and the other at Sealdah.

By Road:
The city of joy is well linked with almost all the cities of India by road. The Esplanade Terminus is the main bus terminus that lies in the heart of the city. The latest development is the starting of Dhaka-Calcutta buses, which are fully air-conditioned and also very comfortable.