How to Reach Kolkata

How to Reach Kolkata by Air

Kolkata has an International Airport that has regular flights to Europe, the United States of America and the Orient. Major cities in India are connected to Kolkata by domestic flights. The Dum Dum Airport is only 17 km away from the city centre. There are taxis, airport buses and public minibuses to get you to the city centre from the airport. The best way to get into the city is to take a prepaid taxi to your destination in town, or to have a rented car meet you at the airport.

How to Reach Kolkata by Rail

Howrah on the west of Hooghly River and Sealdah to the east of the river are the two rail stations and both are very crowded and frenetic with activity. All trains to India’s north-eastern region originate and end at Sealdah and trains to west, central and south India operate from Howrah. One needs to be careful against pickpockets at the stations. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and other major Indian cities are connected with Kolkata.

How to Reach Kolkata by Bus

It is possible to get to Kolkata by road. One can drive or take a bus from anywhere to Kolkata, be it Delhi, Bombay or Guwahati. Gas stations dot the routes and there are numerous options for eating and resting along the way. Distances are however great and it is better if one opts the rails or the skies.

Getting Around Kolkata

Taxis operate within the city. The fare is double of what shows on the meter. The catch is that you have to really badger the taxi driver into taking you and have to agree to on a price because the meter is often ignored.

Most convenient and comfortable way to get around - rent a chauffeur driven car from a car rental agency or a travel agent.

The city buses are hopelessly crowded and rife with pickpockets. If you want the experience of a city bus in Kolkata then you may board one but generally try to avoid them.

Kolkata has a tram service, a slow paced travelling mechanism on dilapidated machines the subject of much debate over their relative practical uses.

The city however boasts of an excellent underground rail system, the Metro, clean and efficient. Its service starts at 8:15 am and ends at 9:15 pm except on Sundays when it operates between 3:00 pm to 9:15 pm. Air conditioned and tastefully decorated the Metro is the easiest mode of travel within the city. However there is one line and it connects only certain areas of the city.

Cycle rickshaws are available and in some parts of central Kolkata there are rickshaws pulled by men.