Kolkata 3-Day Itinerary: Flower Markets, Street Food & Historic Landmarks
Planning a Kolkata itinerary? Here’s how I’d spend three days in the City of Joy, from the flower market and North Kolkata’s old streets to the Victoria Memorial and some seriously good food.
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Earlier this year, I went to India for a wedding, which of course meant the standard ‘India bucket list’ planning ensued. The Taj Mahal was an obvious addition, Mumbai was high on my list, and then there was Kolkata.
I’ll be honest, I knew next to nothing about the city before we booked it, which is incredibly unusual for me given I write about travel for a living and normally have a ridiculous number of places saved before I’ve even left home.
But this time I went without much idea of what to expect. Three days later, I had a very long list of places I wanted to tell people about.
Kolkata isn’t the easiest city I’ve visited. There’s traffic, poverty and an awful lot happening on the streets. But there are also extraordinary old buildings, flower markets, artists making religious sculptures by hand and food I still think about (I didn’t have a bad meal here, not one).
On that note, here’s my imperfect but incredible Kolkata 3-day itinerary, with the places I visited, what I’d order again and all you need to know to plan a visit to this dynamic Indian city for yourself.
Shall we?
About the Author
Hi, I’m Candace — a London-based travel writer and content creator who traded the East Coast of the US for the charm of the UK back in 2016. London’s been my home ever since.
On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of thoughtfully crafted London, UK, Europe and Worldwide travel guides alongside lots of insider London tips, honest hotel and restaurant reviews and advice for content creators.
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P.S. – Travelling around India? I’ve also written a 3-day Mumbai itinerary and a guide to the best Indian cities for your first trip.
My Kolkata 3-Day Itinerary at a Glance
| Day | What I’d Do |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Kwality, Mother House and India Restaurant |
| Day 2 | Mullick Ghat Flower Market, Kumartuli, Jorasanko, College Street and Indian Coffee House, with an optional food tour |
| Day 3 | Tiretta Bazaar and Old Chinatown, New Market, Bengali lunch and a Hooghly River cruise |
Plan Your Kolkata Trip
Where to stay: I personally stayed at and recommend Kenilworth Hotel Kolkata. It’s on Little Russel Street (incredibly central), with lovely service and an excellent breakfast. I’d happily stay again next time I’m in Kolkata.
The food tour I would book: The Bengali Nights Kolkata food tour will take you to several local food spots in the city that’d be near impossible to find alone. Well worth it.
For something a little different: Try learning to cook Bengali dishes in a local home.
Getting around: I used Uber for most longer journeys. Use its fare estimate before negotiating with a local taxi if you’d like to ride in the iconic yellow ones.
Where to Stay in Kolkata: Kenilworth Hotel
Whilst in Kolkata, you’ll inevitably need a comfortable place to stay. I personally stayed at Kenilworth Hotel Kolkata on Little Russel Street and would happily stay there again. It’s close to the Maidan and Victoria Memorial, with plenty of central Kolkata within easy reach by Uber.
The service was lovely, but I have to give a special mention to breakfast. It’s fantastic (daily dosas, anyone?), and the hotel was the perfect place to come back to after a day walking around Kolkata’s busy markets.
Day 1: Victoria Memorial, the Indian Museum & Park Street
Visit the Victoria Memorial and Gardens
As most visits to Kolkata do, I’d start with the Victoria Memorial, Kolkata’s enormous white-marble monument to Queen Victoria.
It’s hard to miss, and the gardens alone are worth seeing, but don’t skip the museum inside. The memorial was Lord Curzon’s idea after Victoria died in 1901. Given Kolkata was the capital of British India until 1911, the building is a reminder of the city’s very complicated colonial history.
Give yourself 1–2 hours for both!
Explore the Indian Museum
Next, take a short Uber ride or walk to the Indian Museum on Jawaharlal Nehru Road. This was another favourite of mine (partly because the building itself is so lovely).
It was founded in 1814, originally through the Asiatic Society of Bengal, making it India’s oldest museum. Inside, you’ll find sprawling collections covering archaeology, Indian art, natural history and much more.
I’d save around 1–1.5 hours to explore. You can buy your ticket at the door in cash. Please be mindful that they’ll charge you a bit extra if you’d like to take photos inside!
Have Lunch at Kwality on Park Street
For one of my many delicious beyond belief meals in Kolkata, I went to Kwality on Park Street. It’s been a part of Park Street’s restaurant scene for decades, and I loved it for a proper sit-down lunch between museums.
We ordered Pindi chana, kulcha, chicken bharta and a special paratha, and the chicken bharta was to swoon for.
Don’t forget to get a lime water (so refreshing in the heat) and save room for a tutti frutti. You’re never too old…
Stop at Mother Teresa’s Mother House
From Park Street, take an Uber to Mother House, one of the most moving places I visited in Kolkata.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and lived and worked at this house from 1953. It’s where she’s buried, and while here you can see her tomb, the small museum and the room where she lived. There’s absolutely nothing grand about it, which is part of what made the visit so memorable for me.
Entry is free. As a heads-up, the sisters specifically warn you not to pay people outside offering access or assistance. The nearby religious shops aren’t affiliated with Mother House. As always, be respectful during your visit!
P.S. – Mother House is closed on Thursdays. To visit the tomb specifically, go for 9am–noon or 3–5:30pm.
Dinner at India Restaurant in Kidderpore
For dinner, you can settle into India Restaurant in Kidderpore, which I actually visited twice on this trip if that’s any indication.
It’s known for Mughlai food, and I fell head over heels for the mutton, freshly made bread and biryani, of course, with another lime water on the side.
Worth the Uber ride from central Kolkata, especially if you arrive hungry.
Day 2: Flower Markets, Kumartuli & North Kolkata
Start Early at Mullick Ghat Flower Market
The next day, I’d get up early and head straight for Mullick Ghat Flower Market (beside the Hooghly and Howrah Bridge). The market has roots going back to the nineteenth century and is still very much a working wholesale market, with mountains of marigolds, garlands and sellers moving flowers in every direction.
I absolutely loved seeing it, but it’s chaotic. The ground can be slippery, the walkways are crowded and people are trying to get on with their jobs. Go in proper shoes, keep your things close and don’t obstruct people for photographs.
I went with a lovely local guide called Baishaly, and I was so glad to have her there. If you want to arrange a private walk, message Baishaly on WhatsApp at +91 79808 87113 and say Candace said to get in touch. She was wonderful to explore with.
See the Sculpture Workshops in Kumartuli
From the flower market, head north to Kumartuli, around Banamali Sarkar Street.
The neighbourhood has been home to potters since the 18th century and a walk around will give you front-row seats to observe their craft.
We were lucky with our February visit and got to see the craftsmanship up close. The area is especially busy in the lead-up to Durga Puja (Kolkata’s major festival honouring the goddess Durga), but you should be able to get a peek year-round.
Just keep in mind they’re all working studios, so ask before entering or taking photos. Some workshops also charge for photography. I’d spend about 45 minutes or so here!
Visit Jorasanko Thakur Bari
From Kumartuli, head towards Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the Tagore family’s ancestral home. The family settled here in the late eighteenth century, and Rabindranath Tagore was born here in 1861, becoming the first non-European Nobel Prize winner in Literature in 1913.
The house is now a museum, with rooms dedicated to the family’s writing, art and influence on Bengali culture, and it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Browse College Street, Then Have Coffee at Indian Coffee House
If you’ve read Candace Abroad for a while, you’ll know I simply can’t resist a bookshop. So College Street was a given.
Known as Boi Para, or Book Town, it developed around Kolkata’s colleges, including Hindu College, founded in 1817. Here you’ll find second-hand books, textbooks, old editions and stalls piled ridiculously high.
Give yourself a little time to browse rather than treating it as a quick photo stop, then go into the Indian Coffee House. The building was once Albert Hall, dating to 1876, and a coffee house opened here in the 1940s, becoming a hot meeting place for students, writers and artists alike.
Go for the high ceilings, fans and conversations as much as the coffee. The atmosphere is second to none!
End the Evening with a Kolkata Food Tour
If you have to choose between more museums and more food, I won’t judge you for choosing food. The Bengali Nights food tour was one of the best things I did in Kolkata.
Our local guide took us through streets and tiny places I could never have found by myself. We tried fresh breads being made in front of us, mutton, street snacks, fruit, sweets and mango lassis unlike any I’d had before.
It’s roughly a four-hour experience, so save your afternoon or early evening for it. Your second-to-last day in Kolkata, very well spent.
Day 3: Old Chinatown, New Market & the Hooghly River
Explore Tiretta Bazaar and Gee Hing Church
On your last day in Kolkata, it’s time to explore some of the lesser-known parts of the city, including its Chinese heritage. Chinese communities settled here from the late eighteenth century onwards, and around Tiretta Bazaar you can still find old associations, temples and some excellent Chinese food.
We visited Gee Hing Church, a Chinese association hall and temple, then tucked in for a meal at Sei Vui nearby. Highly recommend!
Have a Look Around New Market
Next, go to New Market near Lindsay Street and Esplanade. It opened in 1874 during British rule.
Today it’s a maze of stalls and shops selling everything from clothing to divine spices.
I really enjoyed wandering through the surrounding bazaar streets as much as the main market, although this is another place where I’d keep my phone and belongings close and agree prices before buying anything.
Have a Bengali Lunch at The Bhoj Company
For lunch, head to The Bhoj Company in the Dalhousie area for Bengali food.
Bengali cooking is famous for its fish, particularly ilish (hilsa), which has an almost legendary place in Bengali food culture.
Look for dishes such as shorshe ilish (hilsa with mustard) or bhetki paturi (fish cooked in a banana leaf), and thank me later.
Also don’t be shy to ask them to take the bones out!
Take the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise
I’d suggest ending your Kolkata trip nowhere but on the Hooghly River, one of India’s most sacred waterways and part of the Ganges!
We got on a night boat near Millennium Park, with music playing and lots of local families onboard. It was one of my favourite memories from the trip.
It’s called the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise, a historically affordable (and fun) river cruise that lasts about 90 minutes and departs from the Millennium Park area. It’s particularly worth doing around sunset. You can pay in cash at the pier—just be mindful, it gets loud!
If you’d rather finish with a drink, Polo Floatel on Strand Road is worth a look. It’s a floating hotel with a riverside bar, and fabulous for a chic end to your trip.
More Things to Do in Kolkata If You Have Time
Marble Palace
Built in 1835 for art collector Raja Rajendra Mullick, Marble Palace is one of North Kolkata’s grand nineteenth-century houses, known for its marble interiors, art and statues. Honestly, it’s not reliably open, but it’s worth passing by along your Day 2 route!
Pareshnath Jain Temples
The Pareshnath Jain temple complex in Gouribari is another beautiful one built in 1867 by Rai Badridas Bahadur Mookim with colourful glassworks and several shrines. It’s a place of worship, so dress respectfully, remove shoes where required and always ask before photographing anything.
A Bengali Cooking Experience in a Local Home
One of my favourite food experiences was being welcomed into a local home to learn how Bengali dishes are made, then sitting down to eat together! This is the Bengali home-cooking experience I booked and recommend. Just be sure to save around a half-day for it all.
Visit Manicktalla Fish Market
We also visited Manicktalla Fish Market with our local guide, which was fascinating, but definitely not for everybody: think crowded, wet floors, birds and the occasional rats. I’d only recommend it if you’re comfortable with that kind of environment and have a local who can take you.
My Top Kolkata Travel Tips
- Getting around: Uber is super easy to use here for short and long journeys. Kolkata’s iconic yellow taxis are worth trying too, but if you’re negotiating a price, check the trip on Uber first and settle the fare before setting off. The Metro is also handy around Esplanade.
- Cash: Always bring some rupees in small notes for markets and the riverboat. And use bank ATMs, not the ones on the street!
- Markets: Keep your belongings close, wear practical shoes and ask before taking photographs of people. Especially at the flower market.
- Poverty: In Kolkata, you’ll see stark inequality and may be asked for money. Be kind, don’t turn people’s circumstances into content and remember it’s okay to say no to someone pressuring you. If you want to help, look into reputable organisations locally like The Hope Foundation.
- Food and water: I didn’t have a bad meal in Kolkata, but use bottled or properly filtered water and be sensible about food hygiene. A local food tour helped me try places I wouldn’t have chosen alone.
- Plan around closures: Museums tend to shut Mondays and Mother House closes Thursdays.
Is Kolkata Worth Visiting?
I went to Kolkata knowing very little and left wanting to come back.
Would I recommend it for someone who wants a relaxing, perfectly planned city break? Probably not. But if you like getting to know somewhere through its food, its history and the things people are actually making and doing, Kolkata has so much to offer.
I’m still thinking about Kumartuli’s sculptures, College Street’s bookshops and the local boat with music playing on the Hooghly. And the food, oh the food…
Have the best trip!
Happy travels,
Candace x
FAQs: Planning Your Kolkata Itinerary
Is three days enough for Kolkata?
Yes, for a first visit. Three days lets you cover the main museums, North Kolkata, its markets and some excellent food. I’d stay longer only if you want to explore at a slower pace or do more food experiences (worth it to be honest).
Is it Kolkata or Calcutta?
Kolkata has been the official name since 2001. But you’ll still see Calcutta, particularly in historical references and the names of older institutions.
What’s the best way to get around Kolkata?
I used Uber most often, alongside walking and the occasional Metro trip. For local taxis, check an Uber quote before negotiating.
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