Kolkata (formerly called Calcutta) is located on the eastern side of India and is the capital city of West Bengal. Kolkata is also known as the City of Joy. Kolkata has a rich history spanning over 200 years and it still hosts many colonial buildings and structures. The best time to visit Kolkata for sightseeing, exploring its heritage structures and places to visit in Kolkata is during winters or autumn season. If you are planning for a holiday trip to Kolkata and want to know about the best places to visit in Kolkata then you are at the right place as today we will be talking about some of the famous places to visit in Kolkata where tourists across the world love visiting. Also, make sure to confirm your stay with Taj Bengal Kolkata for a comfortable vacation.
Sightseeing in Kolkata is incomplete without visiting the Victoria Memorial, Eden garden and Indian museum. These three most visited sightseeing attractions located within a one-kilometre radius makes it easy for the tourist to cover all major points on their first day itself before they carry on with enjoying their holidays. By this, we mean that these places can be visited very early morning or late evening hours around 5:00 pm before sunset time.
Victoria Memorial:
The most visited place in Kolkata, Victoria memorial is a must-visit during your holidays to Kolkata. Also known as Victoria Or Glorious Memorial, the building is located in heart of the city and is built during 1919-21. The memorial was erected in honour of Queen Victoria who had ruled India from 1837 to 1901. Today, this architectural marvel built in white marble stands majestically on 90000 sq meters of land amidst vast green lawns with beautiful water fountains surrounding its premises. Besides being a major attraction for tourists, it also houses Museum inside which has numerous paintings related to Indian history including rare archaeological remnants from the past, sculptures etc. You can spend at least an hour here and even more if you wish to move ahead for an audio-video show related to history.
Opening Time: Open all days from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm (for ticket collection only)
Eden Garden :
The second place in our list of places to visit in Kolkata is the biggest cricket stadium in India located nearby Victoria memorial within less than a one-kilometre radius. This well maintained international standard cricket stadium is managed by The Cricket Association Of Bengal and it has hosted many international matches since 1987 when test cricket was last played here before shifting elsewhere. Today, Eden Garden is home to some of the most popular domestic cricket tournaments including IPL, ICL etc.
The stadium was built during 1911-22 and has a seating capacity for more than 1,20,000 people which makes it one of the biggest cricket stadiums in Asia. You can visit Eden garden during match time or you can just take a walk on its vast green turf lawns surrounding the Stadium with beautiful water fountains. The best season to visit Eden Garden would be the Monsoon period as there would not be any match going on then making your sightseeing easier. You can also spend some time hereafter visiting Victoria memorial around 5:00 pm after sunset time when the ground turns into cool shades and you will get an opportunity to see this magnificent structure illuminated.
Opening Time: Open all days from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm (for ticket collection only)
Indian Museum :
The third place in our list is the Indian museum which opens for the public during 1814-19 and is the oldest in the whole Asia continent. The building has an impressive staircase with Corinthian columns, large halls with high ceilings decorated with beautiful fresco paintings evoking memories of the Mughal era. If you are interested in knowing about past civilizations then this could be the second-best place to visit after Victoria memorial as big part of this mammoth structure houses Archaeology section, Botany section, Zoology section, Numismatics section etc where you get an opportunity to see a rare collection of incredible archaeological treasures from past. You can spend 3-4 hours here and even more depending on your interest in knowing about the history.
The museum has received numerous old coins, weapons, stone sculptures etc related to over 7000 years of Indian history which is amazing for a tourist who likes to read and know about history. Not only this, but you will also get an opportunity to see some live animals inside a museum like stuffed Tiger, Lion etc as well as live snakes in the Biology section where they keep different species of snakes along with their food items including rats etc for them to feed on those during different time intervals through the out day.
Opening Time: Open all days from 10 am to 5 pm for ticket collection only)
Birla Planetarium :
The fourth place in our list is the Birla planetarium which was opened in the year 1988 and has a seating capacity for more than 500 people with its large dome-like structure giving a real lifelike view of the sky when it’s dark outside after projectors installed inside paint the whole ceiling with different images to give the close experience of what we see during night time. The entry ticket is very cheap and you can spend at least an hour here just gazing at stars and listening to detailed information about planets, solar systems etc.
Opening Time: Open all days from 11 am onwards for ticket collection only till 5 pm
Entry Fee: Rs.10 per head (Indian Nationals), Rs.100 per head (Foreign Nationals) + Camera Fees of Rs 100
Science City: The fifth place on our list is Science city which was opened in the year 2010 and is located inside Salt Lake city, nearby to Vigyan Bhawan metro station. It’s an amazing place for families where they get the opportunity to learn about science through interactive experiments, workshops etc at nominal fees. You can spend around 2 hours here if you are interested in knowing more about science hands-on instead of just reading it from books or watching videos online because this place has got everything for everyone who wants to experience science first hand by doing different experiments with pressure.
Conclusion:
If we look at the list of places to visit in Kolkata, they are so many and there’s no chance you will be able to visit every place all at once . So it’s better to plan your trip in such a way so that you get an opportunity to cover maximum places and enjoy yourself thoroughly. Every place is unique in its manner with different things that attract tourists from around the world, so don’t miss out on anything which you haven’t seen yet in your life. Also, booking resorts with Taj Bengal Kolkata will be worth the money spent.
