3 Days in Kolkata: The First-Timer Itinerary
Three days is the sweet spot for the core city: Day 1 and 2 stay the same colonial-core-then-North-Kolkata split as our 2-day version , and Day 3 adds the spiritual side, Kalighat and the free Motherhouse, plus a proper street food evening. Need more time? Move up to 4 , 5 , 6 or 7 days .
Book these before you go
- Hotel near Park Street or New Market: check current listings on Agoda
- Kolkata heritage walking tour: browse dates on GetYourGuide
- A street food tasting crawl: search options on Viator
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Victoria Memorial, the Maidan, Indian Museum, Park Street |
| Day 2 | College Street, Marble Palace, Kumartuli, a tram ride |
| Day 3 | Kalighat, the Motherhouse, Howrah Bridge view, street food |
Day 1: Central Kolkata
- Land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and take a prepaid taxi or app cab to a hotel near Park Street or New Market
- Victoria Memorial: go late afternoon for the dusk light on the marble, entry Rs 50 Indian nationals, Rs 500 foreign nationals, gardens Rs 30 separately
- Walk the Maidan, the park surrounding the Memorial, then St. Paul’s Cathedral, an easy 10-minute walk further on
- The Indian Museum, India’s oldest (founded 1814) and largest, entry Rs 75 Indian adults, Rs 500 foreign nationals, 10am-5pm, closed Mondays
- Evening on Park Street: tea and pastries at Flurys, sizzlers at Peter Cat or the old-school Continental menu at Mocambo
Day 2: North Kolkata
- College Street, known locally as Boi Para, Asia’s largest secondhand book market, stalls running roughly 11am-7pm, mostly shut on Sundays
- The Indian Coffee House inside College Street’s 1876 Albert Hall building, an adda institution since 1947, worth it for the atmosphere over the coffee
- The Marble Palace, an 1835 mansion still lived in by its founder’s descendants, free entry, no photography allowed inside
- Kumartuli, the potters’ quarter where artisans hand-build the clay Durga idols used citywide, busiest roughly July through September ahead of Puja
- Evening: ride Route 5 (Shyambazar-Esplanade) or Route 25 (Gariahat-Esplanade) if a tram is running that day, one of only two surviving routes in 2026
Day 3: Kalighat, the Motherhouse and street food
- Kalighat Kali Temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, free entry, roughly 5am-2pm and 5pm-10:30pm
- Mother Teresa’s Motherhouse next door, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, genuinely free, her tomb and personal effects on show, closed Thursdays
- Prinsep Ghat or the riverbank near Howrah Bridge for photos, officially you cannot photograph the bridge itself, so shoot from the ghats instead
- New Market for an afternoon of shopping and bargaining
- Evening street food crawl: phuchka (Rs 20-50 for six to eight pieces) and a kathi roll (Rs 60-150) from a stall or an institution like Nizam’s
Is 3 days enough for Kolkata?
Enough to cover the city’s core comfortably, both the colonial monuments and the spiritual side, without sprinting through any of it. What it skips is Dakshineswar and Belur Math, and a slower North Kolkata pace with time for a proper sit-down thali. The 4-day version is the next real step up if either matters to you.
What should I skip if I only have 3 days?
Skip a second Park Street evening in favor of the street food crawl on Day 3, it covers more of what actually makes Kolkata’s food scene distinct. If New Market doesn’t interest you, swap that slot for a longer, unhurried sit at the Indian Coffee House instead, most first-timers rush it.