Home | About Us | Sitemap | Advertise with us  

 

www.raahi.com
Hi Guest! Welcome to
India's leading travel community
Sign in | Sign up

search

Keyword
e.g. Taj Palace, Hotel Himani
Search in section
  
 
 
 
▼ Weekend Getaways
Plan your weekend
 
 

Travel Guides

nothing lonely about the planet
Travel Guide » Asia » Kolkata
Explore: The World | India
Kolkata
book a hotel
(West Bengal)


India's Eastern Metropolis

The city of options and extremes, that's what we would like to call this bustling, bursting at its seams metro. With each trip you make, there's always something new to check out, be it the new found mall culture, or the age old clubs with some delicious food, or a brand new restaurant that's found its way on the busy Park Street, a new coffee house, a new pastry to dig into at Flury's and yet amidst all this freshness the city retains the glory of its age old culture, its awesome book stores, the auction houses, the wonderful trams, the passion in the people, be it for cricket, football or politics.

It's a city with a hand on art, history, culture, music, theatre, food, and Joy. Why even the people here are all joy's like Ajoy, Bejoy, Sujoy! It's the city that makes people smile. Kolkota is certainly a City of Joy! In the true sense of the word.
book a hotel
|
Getting There
|
To Do & See
|
Entertainment & Night Life
|
Entertainment & Night Life
Entertainment
This is the city of art, music, movies, and theatre. Your trip to Kolkatta should definitely include at least one show at the Rabindra Sadan on Cathedral Road, they hold concerts almost every evening. Ananda Shankar Centre for Performing Arts and Nupur Dance Academy are two other organisers of cultural shows. But the best way to track your favourite show is through the local newspapers. Theatre has always been strong in Kolkata and you can catch a play at the Gyan Manch, Nazrul Manch and Kala Mandir. For details and schedules, look up the Telegraph or the Asian Age. Golf is a very big thing in Kolkatta. The best place to tee off is at the Royal Kolkata Golf Club, or the Tollygunge Club. But you need a member to let you in as a guest. It is perhaps the only part of India, where you can witness a Baul recital. Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels whose music is greatly influenced by the Hindu tantric sect .The music speaks of celestial love. The local papers will have a listing on where you can watch a performance. When we talk of entertainment, you really can't leave food out of here, in Kolkatta visiting restaurants does form a large part of entertainment. In fact a lot of people join clubs because apart from the other amenities the food is great there! The Bengal club and Hindustan club are examples. And then there is the Calcutta club, the club for the babus and sahibs with the stiff upper lip, make sure you are suited and booted to get in here, even M F Hussain was not allowed in with his chappals, that was at the Calcutta Swimming Club.
Nightlife
Despite its intellectual overtones, Kolkata has a surprisingly active nightlife. But it comes expensive, as most discs and pubs are in star hotels. Tantra at The Park (on Park Street) has great music and a big dance floor, but at times gets a little too noisy and crowded. Someplace Else for great live music - rock, blues, jazz, also at The Park, is more relaxed, has a dance floor and an interesting menu. Pub Dublin (at ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers, opposite Science City) is not buzzing like the other pubs but has an old-world feel to it. The Big Ben (Kenilworth Best Western Hotel, Little Russell Street) is another place with some great food and music. Big ben has some of the most awesome cocktails, check your favruite mix out, its all made with ample amounts of flair!
Kidding around
<>Eden Gardens Most of Calcutta breathes EDEN GARDENS. This is the only place to house over a lakh of players to watch a cricket match. People are known to spend a bomb to be part of the audience when India is playing a match here. Sports buffs we are sure you remember the time when the complete stadium was kicked into high adrenaline when each member in the crowd lit a candle / piece of paper to celebrate India's victory. This is the place where a lot of local gossip starts and a lot of chaps find their accompaniments. Birla Planetarium this is one of the largest planetarium in India, built like a Buddhist stupa with an internal diameter of 82 feet, that's huge by any standards. This auditorium is air conditioned with proper recliner seats such that you can push them back completely and view the great blue skies. The best way to get here is on the metro rail, the auditorium has a capacity of 500 and has shows in English and Hindi and Bengali. Nicco Park Kolkata's answer to Disney land, here in is an adventure park with a whole range of rides, a rose garden and a food court, it's a great hit with the kids. The park opens at 11 am; the entry ticket includes tickets for a limited number of rides. A litter further down is Aquatica, a water park. Its wave pool is worth a try, a hit with kids and adults. Science City On the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in the Salt Lake area, there is a space theatre with shows on animal world and astronomical events, a time machine that sends you into a world unfamiliar, earthquake and tornado simulators and lifesize dinos that snarl and lash their tails. The Science City opens at 10.00 am. Agri Horticultural Garden Situated in this garden is one of the most beautiful ones, you will come across, it has a large and varied collection of flora varies species and genus. It surely is a gardeners and plant/flower lovers paradise, not just for the flowers but for the way it has been designed too. This garden is adjacent to the Calcutta's Zoological Garden. Catch it between 07:00-11:00 and 15:00-17:00.
Home |  About us |  Feedback  |  Contact us  |  Sitemap |  Disclaimer |  Terms of service  |  Report abuse |  We are hiring |  Book flights |  Advertise with us
  
Best viewed in 1024 x 768 pixels screen resolution and IE 6.0 and above