Where: Calcutta (aka Kolkata), West Bengal, India

When: 2-4 nights from October to March

• Accommodation: For Classic and Grand – The Oberoi, for Boutique Luxe – The Penthouse and for Affordable Quirky Boutique – The Corner Courtyard and The Calcutta Bungalow.

 

• Food: Bengali cuisine is fantastic. Aside from the mouthwatering Street Food (suggest doing a food tour with Calcutta Walks), the variety of places to eat are abundant.
  • Street Food – 10 Epic Street Foods That Make Kolkata The Gastronomic Capital of India
  • For local low key classic Bengali food – Kwality
  • For yummy Indian Deserts – Haldirams
  • For Old School British High Tea and Cakes – Flury’s
  • For very Retro and a Total Time Warp serving Indian and Continental Classics – Mocambo
  • For an authentic and exquisite Bengali home dining experience, and not just any home but an extraordinary elegant home (Elle Décor) of collector of Bengali Art, Bomti Iyengar. Book weeks in advance booking Bomti Iyengar (bomtiyengar@yahoo.com).

 

• Shopping: Local handicrafts – A few suggestions include Byloom, Sienna, Tia Pakhi and Weaver’s Studio. For exquisite Indian Haute Couture, visit Anamika Khanna and Sabyasachi Mukherjee even just to gaze at the sheer beauty and craftsmanship. Jewelry – only two kinds – the ornate giant gems made for queens – Raj Mahtani or the shabby chic and tribal pieces at New Market. Try Chamba Lama but there are plenty of little stalls.

 

• Museums: The Indian Museum – home to an incredible collection of Buddhist relics dating as far back as the 2nd Century as well as collections of ancient Indian paintings, masks, sculptures and textiles. Random, but there is little salon on ancient Mesopotamia is also very impressive. The building itself is a sanctuary with grand staircases, expansive marble verandas, and soaring ceilings.  It is lovely to see so many Indian tourists visiting and appreciating their own heritage. Beware that they charge rps 20 for Indians and rps500 for non-Indians. The Victoria Memorial –  a magnificent marble building in Kolkata was built between 1906 and 1921. It also houses a museum.  The Tagore’s House is a stately 1784 family mansion of Rabindranath Tagore which has become a shrine-like museum to India’s greatest modern poet.

 

• Bazaars: New Market – a destination unto itself – Medium has done a detailed insider report on how to navigate this great big chaotic but delightful market.

 

• Tours: Calcutta Walks – aren’t just a conventional tour company, these entrepreneurs and very well informed Calcutta lovers, give you a layered, fun, informative and immersive experience of the city’s history, heritage, culture, cuisine and community. It’s just your party and the guide. They have a variety of tours so figure out what most resonates. Suggestions are the Confluence of Culture, Street Food Tour and Calcutta to Belur Math, where Ramkrishna Paramhansa set up his ashram. Swami Vivekananada spent the last years of his life working here.

 

• Festivals: There are plenty – this concise List by The Medium is a good reference. The most important and jaw droppingly elaborate is the Durga Puja – a celebration of Mother Durga, the embodiment feminine force that governs all cosmic creation, existence and change. Kolkata celebrates by resurrecting elaborate and ornate pandals, or temporary temples made of bamboo and cloth, are created to house the idols.  The idols are worshiped for five days and then carried in magnificent procession to a local river for immersion. It’s a city wide initiative that is truly one of a kind. Advise would be to get a guide – it can be manic and better to get an insider to view the best pandals and avoid masses of people. Hotels can arrange this or you can ask Calcutta Walks to arrange. It happens in October.

 

• Art: The person and place to truly appreciate the history and significance of Bengali Art (classic and contemporary) is by meeting Bomti Iyengar. His apartment is an artistic treasure trove, adorned with beautiful ceramics, antique colonial furniture in dark wood, vintage clocks and eclectic works of art by young Bengali artists. As an art dealer and collector himself, Bomti is well placed to advise guests on where to visit to purchase or view works of art by rising stars.  There is something wonderful to buy for all budgets. E-mail him for a visit (bomtiyengar@yahoo.com).

 

• Books: A city in love and in great respect for all things literary. Here is a guide to India’s first city of books by CNN. Recommended books featuring Calcutta. 1) Walking Calcutta by Keith Humphrey 2) Bribery, Corruption Also by H. R. F. Keating 3) The Sleeping Dictionary by Sujata Massey 4) The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 5) Bengal Nights by Mircea Eliade 6) City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre.

 

• References: Every visitor must get Love Travel guides by  Fiona Caulfield. Fiona is an avid traveller with a keen eye for what makes a destination truly special. Born in Australia and now a resident of India, she takes an intimate, personal approach to travel. These clothbound, incredibly detailed guidebooks provide a truly local perspective on a range of India destinations, with recommendations that stray far from the tired tourist path.
  • Further reading:
    • The Guardian: Kolkata Holidays
    • The Telegraph: India: Calcutta, the capital of culture
    • Conde Nast Traveller: Literary Inspiration and New Books from Kolkata
    • AFAR: Chaos Theory