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Short time in Kolkata - need advice

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I will be traveling through Kolkata to & from my way to Bhutan. On the way there, we arrive at 11pm and fly out at 8am. Can we stay in the airport or do we need to get a hotel? On the way home - we have a 36 hour layover so need advice on where to stay, what to do, and where to eat. Any advice will be helpful. This will be our first time to India. Thank you!
13 years ago, April 27th 2011 No: 1 Msg: #134749  
I will be traveling through Kolkata to & from my way to Bhutan.
On the way there, we arrive at 11pm and fly out at 8am. Can we stay in the airport or do we need to get a hotel?
On the way home - we have a 36 hour layover so need advice on where to stay, what to do, and where to eat.
This will be in late May/early June.
Any advice will be helpful.

This will be our first time to India.
Thank you! Reply to this

12 years ago, April 30th 2011 No: 2 Msg: #135124  
In response to: Msg #134749
Hi,

If you are arriving at 11 PM and leaving at 8 AM ideally the best place to crash would have been at the airport, since it would take about one and a half to two hours for you to complete your arrival formalities as well as you have to be in the airport at around 5:30 AM for your departure. But the Kolkata international airport is a small one and you would have only chairs to spend the night in. If you wanna rest its better to shift to a nearby hotel for the night.

For your 3 day stopover, you can visit the various colonial heritages of Kolkata. Hotels and restaurants range from the absolute luxury to budget ones so it depends on how much you wish to spend. Do let me know what your budget would be and I can suggest you some good options.

Thanks! Reply to this

12 years ago, May 8th 2011 No: 3 Msg: #135755  
Thank you so much! I double checked our flight times and on the first layover we don't leave until Noon, so that gives us a little more time. I think we will try to find a close by hotel, ideally. However, I have a new concern about our visas.
We didn't get a transit visa as they are only good for 14 days from when they are issued which means it would have needed to be issued the day before our trip. So we went with a tourist visa. But when we got our passports back the other day, it says we can't enter India twice in less than 2 months. So we may not be able to leave customs on the first layover. Are you or anyone else out there familiar with this new issue?

As for our 2nd layover. Looks like we will arrive in Kolkata at 10am on a Sunday and leave at Midnight on Monday night/Tuesday morning. So we will definitely want to get a hotel and want to check out the city. We haven't determined our budget completely, but we don't have to stay in the least expensive option. But probably not ultra luxury too. Ideally moderately priced, comfortable place.

Thanks so much for your help! Reply to this

12 years ago, May 17th 2011 No: 4 Msg: #136424  
Yeah I guess that is the rule with the Indian tourist visas. It allows you to enter once every two months or so. Anyway if you have some other option (for which I am guessing it is too late), I would advise you to switch your tickets through Delhi or somewhere as staying a few hours within the Kolkata international terminal is not worthwhile.

For the next leg of the trip, my suggestion would be to put up in a hotel around Park Street where you can enjoy the nice restaurants as well as go to the various tourist places which are very nearby. Park hotel is a nice hotel with its own restaurants, pubs etc. Reply to this

12 years ago, May 19th 2011 No: 5 Msg: #136659  
Kolkata has long been known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage. It's the Indian metro city along with Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Reply to this

12 years ago, May 20th 2011 No: 6 Msg: #136693  
In response to: Msg #134749

i would recommend you that you should go to hotel. Calcutta is a big city and also cheapest city in India. The rent of hotels are very cheap. Dumdum is the nearest place from the Calcutta airport and you can get all type of facilities. Reply to this

12 years ago, May 21st 2011 No: 7 Msg: #136780  
Thank you everyone! Yes, it is too late to change our tickets, but we are excited about visiting Kolkata. We will look into the Park hotel / Park Street area. Thank you for that suggestion.
Is Dumdum a city or a hotel? I will look into that as well.

Thanks again - we appreciate any and all advice! Reply to this

12 years ago, May 30th 2011 No: 8 Msg: #137453  
Calcutta is a awesome city of India. It has its own natural beauty. I would recommend to you that you should go to hotel. There are so many cheapest hotel near at the Calcutta airport. At hotel you can take rest. Reply to this

12 years ago, May 31st 2011 No: 9 Msg: #137499  
Kolkata is a one of the metro city of India. It is located at the bank of Hugali. It is a very cheap metro city. There are many cheap hotels near Kolkata airport. I would recommend you that you should take hotel and take rest. Reply to this

11 years ago, March 4th 2013 No: 10 Msg: #166982  
With all respect to other suggestion i also suggest you to search out for a hotel where you can get
sangfroid and you don't have to worry about your luggage , services and comfort

Reply to this

10 years ago, July 23rd 2013 No: 11 Msg: #173186  
enjoy durga puja there, its a big festival and the crowd is awesome. Reply to this

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