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Capital of West Bengal, India
Photo: Saprativa Bhattacharjee, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kolkata (Bengali: কলকাতা Kolkātā, Hindi: कोलकाता Kolkātā), formerly and still fondly called Calcutta, is the largest city in eastern India and the capital of the state of West Bengal. Once the capital of the British Raj till 1911, Kolkata is said to have been built on three villages along the Hooghly River, a distributary of the mighty Ganges. The city has seen tremendous growth during and after the partition of India in 1947. Greater Kolkata has a population of over 22.5 million (2025), making it one of the world's largest cities.
The colonial district is still the city's central administrative district, with one of the best remnants of British colonial architecture in the world.
The modern heart of Kolkata, and the city's central business district.
A urban space with numerous festivals, sports, rallies and protests.
The posh and new part of the city.
The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on.
The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population.
The large industrial area to the north of the city with a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. Also a major transport hub in the city where air travel and rapid transit converge.
Rapidly developing, especially the IT and finance sectors. Home to many shopping malls, five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks.
By train
Kolkata is served by five major railway stations across the metropolis, which connects the city to almost all the major stations in India.
By bus
Kolkata is well served by buses from destinations both inside and outside India. There are buses from Bangladesh, North-Eastern India, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Sikkim and Bhutan.
By car
National highway numbers 12, 16, and 19, and the Grand Trunk Road radiate from the city, providing links to most parts of the country.
By boat
Ganga Vilas, India's luxurious river cruise, has a stop at Kolkata. Besides, there are various ferry options from Howrah, Serampore and Uttarpara.
By taxi or cab
Kolkata no longer looks the same without the plethora of yellow Hindustan Ambassador taxis that once plied on the streets.
By metro
The oldest rail rapid transit system in India, the Kolkata Metro is the fastest, cleanest, most reliable, least crowded (though still rather crowded) and most efficient of all the transportation…
By tram
Kolkata has the only tram service in all of India and the oldest surviving electric tram network in Asia.
By train
Most daily commuters to Kolkata rely upon the electrified suburban rail network of the Eastern Railway (ER), commonly referred to as "local trains".
By bus
The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India) and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport.
By rickshaw
There are four types of rickshaws in Kolkata: human-pulled rickshaws, cycle rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and electric rickshaws.
By ferry
The river offers a less crowded but slow traffic medium.
By rental car
Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car.
By foot
Except in Maidan and newly developed areas, much of Kolkata is not so pedestrian-friendly. In the more tourist-oriented areas, you'll be constantly accosted by beggars and touts.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Kolkata · International · CCU
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