Kolkata which was the capital of India during the British era is now the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is also said as the cultural capital of the country has many attracts in it. Though it is attractive to the business people and tourists, it is also one of the most polluted cities of India. With great commercial and industrial growth, this has emerged as one of the biggest financial hubs of eastern India. The old name of Kolkata was Calcutta.

North Kolkata is the ancient city with many colonial buildings and the south city has the skyscrapers and other modern buildings. The southern part is well planned and has many luxury hotels and shopping complexes. The climate of Kolkata in winter months is conducive to the tourist industry. However it is better to avoid summer season when the climate is highly humid with scorching heat.

If you want to get into the city by air, then regular flights are operated daily to and from all the major cities of India. The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is located at a distance of 20 kilometers from the city. If you want to reach the north eastern parts of India, you have to go through Kolkata and so the city serves as a gateway. There are many railway stations in Kolkata and the prominent ones among them being the Howrah railway station and Sealdah railway station and other stations are located at Santragachhi, Shalimar and Kolkata.

To get around the city you can hire taxis, auto rickshaws or human rickshaws or board public buses. Ferry service is also available to cross the river to reach Baby Ghat and Failie Place. There are many restaurants located in the Esplanade area of Kolkata and many of them were started during the British era. The Indian dishes and the Mughlai dishes are served here. Apart from them you can find many street side stalls selling various tasty snack foods such as egg rolls and chicken rolls.

Kolkata is famous for its Bengali sweets that include popular rasagulla, rasamalai and kaju sweet varieties. There are also many Chinese restaurants that serve Chinese varieties with an Indian touch. The hot and sour soup varieties and chili chicken and chicken manjurian are some of the famous dishes.

There are many budget hotels found in the Sudder Street area and you can find the grand colonial buildings in ruins are converted into places of stay. The deluxe hotels are found near Science city and Russel street area while the medium range hotels are found near Howrah railway station. Many clubs also offer rooms but could be accessed only through the members of the club. If you could find out the right hotel that will serve your needs and fit into your budget then you can spend your time joyfully. So do not forget to refer the right Kolkata travel guide to find out the right Kolkata hotel and Kolkata restaurant.

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On July 26, 2012lView All Articles

I am Suhaina Mazhar working on India travel guide features. Writing is my passion, writing is my hobby and writing is my career. I want to write till the last moment of my life.

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Kolkata travel guide , Kolkata hotels , Kolkata restaurants