After your 2:35 pm arrival, allow time for baggage and the drive into central Kolkata: the airport-to-Maidan journey can take about 45–90 minutes, depending on traffic. Head first to St. Paul’s Cathedral for a quiet 30-minute look at its Gothic architecture. It’s generally free to enter, though a donation is welcome; visiting access can vary around services, so check at the gate and keep this stop brief if you’re running late.
From the cathedral, walk into Maidan for an easy 45-minute wander beneath the trees and past the open playing fields. Then take a taxi or app cab to Prinsep Ghat—usually around 15–25 minutes in traffic—and spend about an hour along the Hooghly promenade. Sunset is around 5:20 pm in late September, so aim to reach the riverfront by roughly 4:45 pm; the light and breeze make this a lovely place to pause.
Finish at Peter Cat on Park Street, about a 15–25-minute cab ride from Prinsep Ghat. Allow 1–1.5 hours and roughly ₹700–₹1,200 per person; it’s popular, so expect a queue at peak dinner time and go a little earlier if you can. Try the Chelo Kebab, the restaurant’s signature, and enjoy an unhurried first evening in the city.
Aim to reach Mallick Ghat Flower Market around 5:30–6:00 am, when the stalls are busiest and the flower heaps glow in the first light beneath Howrah Bridge. Give yourself about an hour to wander; it’s a working market, so watch your footing around wet, crowded lanes and ask before photographing people. From central Kolkata, a taxi or app cab is simplest this early; allow roughly 30–45 minutes, with traffic and your starting point making the difference.
Take a cab north to Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home and museum. Set aside 1–1½ hours; it’s generally open Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10:30 am–5 pm, but check for holiday or special-event changes before you go. Then continue to Kumartuli—about 15–25 minutes by cab, depending on traffic—for an hour among the sculptors’ workshops. You’ll see artisans shaping clay figures, though workshop activity varies; be respectful, and ask before taking close-up photos.
Head to Mitra Cafe in Shobhabazar for a relaxed Bengali-style snack or meal; budget around ₹200–₹500 per person, and expect a casual, no-frills stop. After lunch, take a cab or walk-and-taxi combination to Indian Coffee House on College Street, allowing around 20–30 minutes for the ride. Settle in for a leisurely coffee and the café’s old-school, intellectual buzz—about an hour is ideal, with roughly ₹150–₹350 per person to spend. The north Kolkata lanes can be confusing, so use a map pin for each stop rather than relying on street names alone.
Start at Kalighat Kali Temple around 7:00 am, before the queues and heat build. Allow about an hour, though darshan can take longer on a busy day; follow the official queue and politely decline unsolicited “puja” offers. From Kalighat, take a taxi or app cab to Birla Industrial & Technological Museum in Ballygunge—roughly 15–25 minutes in light traffic. It generally opens at 10:30 am; check the day’s hours before setting out, and allow 1½–2 hours for the exhibits. Entry is usually modestly priced, with some galleries or activities potentially charged separately.
Head to 8th Day Café & Bakery in Elgin for a relaxed brunch or coffee; it’s a short cab ride from the museum, though traffic around Ballygunge and Elgin can slow things down. Budget about ₹400–₹800 per person. Afterward, take a cab to Mother House in Beniapukur (around 15–30 minutes, traffic depending). The chapel, tomb and small museum are a quiet, reflective visit; allow about 45 minutes. Visiting hours are typically split between morning and afternoon, so confirm the afternoon opening before you go—Wednesday is usually a visiting day.
With a 6:00 pm departure, keep this final stop brief and leave Mother House by about 3:30–3:45 pm for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The drive can take 45–90 minutes in Kolkata traffic; book a cab in advance if possible, and aim to reach the terminal by 4:00–4:15 pm rather than relying on a best-case journey.
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