11 Best Sights in Kolkata (Calcutta), India

Rabindranath Tagore's sprawling and well-maintained mansion is a pilgrimage site for his fans and followers. A poet, philosopher, and Renaissance man, Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. The nerve center of Calcutta's intellectual activity around the turn of the 20th century, Tagore's abode now holds memorabilia, including beautiful sepia photographs of the poet, his family, and his contemporaries.

Home to hundreds of clay artists, this neighborhood is the most famous producer of idols of popular deities in the Hindu pantheon. The skilled craftsmen are especially in demand during the immense Durga Puja, which is usually held in the autumn. A walk around the maze of potters' settlements can be full of surprises.

One of the strangest buildings in Kolkata was the inspiration of Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur, a member of Bengal's landed gentry. Mullick built the palace in 1855, making lavish use of Italian marble. It's behind a lawn cluttered with sculptures of lions, the Buddha, Christopher Columbus, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Hindu gods. Near a small granite bungalow (where Mullick's descendants still live), a large pool houses some exotic birds with large headdresses. The palace has an interior courtyard, complete with a throne room where a peacock often struts around the seat of honor. The upstairs rooms are downright baroque: enormous mirrors and paintings cover the walls (including works by Reynolds, Rubens, and Murillo), gigantic chandeliers hang from the ceilings, and hundreds of statues and Far Eastern urns populate the rooms. The floors bear multicolored marble inlay on a giant scale, with a calico effect. Even the lamps are detailed creations, especially those on the staircases, where metal women are entwined in trees with a light bulb on each branch. Movie producers use the palace for shooting films. Guides here expect tips and sometimes they can get adamant about it.

This is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, a reform movement inspired by the mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa, who died in 1886. Having forsaken his privileged Brahmin heritage, Ramakrishna preached the unity of religious faiths and an adherence to altruistic values for all people. His disciple, Swami Vivekananda, established the mission in 1898. The serene Belur Math Shrine, on the banks of the Hooghly, resembles a church, a temple, or a mosque, depending on where you're standing. Somber aarti (chants and hymns) are sung in the immense prayer hall every evening; visitors are more than welcome. Simple vegetarian meals, offered at the shrine, are then served to visitors who make a nominal donation.

This erudite destination smells of old books and history. This was the hotbed of the Bengal Renaissance movement, and it eventually became a symbol of revolutionary ideals and radical youth movements. Several walking tours are available around the elite Presidency College University, Kolkata University, Sanskrit College, Baptist Mission, Theosophical Society, and Hindu School. The pavements are dominated by bookstalls that are treasure troves for those with the inclination and time to discover a rare (and usually quite inexpensive) title. At Indian Coffee House, at 15 Bankim Chatterjee Street, you can grab a quick bite over a leisurely cup of coffee and get a whiff of the languid airs of the historic neighborhood.

Far north along the Hooghly, this 19th-century complex with 13 temples is a major pilgrimage site for devotees of Kali, as well as other deities. The variety of temples makes this site a good introduction for the uninitiated to the Hindu pantheon. It was here that the 19th-century mystic Ramakrishna had the vision that led him to renounce his Brahmin caste and propound altruism and religious unity. His most famous disciple, Swami Vivekananda, went on to be a major force in the intellectual and spiritual growth of Kolkata, and founded the Ramakrishna Mission, headquartered in the Belur Math Shrine. Ramakrishna's room here is a museum. Don't miss the chance to spend some quiet moments on the banks of the river. Stalls selling local fast food line the busy street up to the temple.

One of the most enduring icons of the city, the Howrah Bridge was commissioned and built by the British between 1936 and 1943. The tall cantilevered bridge links Kolkata to Howrah and its bustling railway station, which serves as a gateway to the northeast of India. The web of girders stretches 1,500 feet over the Hooghly, crisscrossed with small and big fishing boats, ferries, and steamers. Now renamed Rabindra Setu, after Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who hailed from the city, the Howrah Bridge has fascinated poets, painters, writers, filmmakers, and tourists.

Bordered by thin walkways, the bridge's eight lanes of chaotic traffic bear 2 million people each day in buses, rickshaws, cars, scooters, bicycles, and pushcarts. A walk across the bridge provides terrific people-watching.

This massive red sandstone mosque, which can hold 10,000 worshippers, was built in 1926 by the Sunni Muslim community as a copy of Akbar's tomb in Agra. Each floor has a prayer hall. The top floor has views of the streets below, which are crowded with stalls selling everything from paperback Korans to kebabs. The tailors in the bazaar are known for their skillful embroidery and can craft traditional kurtas on short notice.

Built in 1867 and dedicated to Pareshnathji, the 23rd of the 24 Jain tirthankaras ("perfect souls," meaning sages who have achieved Nirvana), this Jain temple is an uncharacteristically ostentatious one, with inlaid-mirror pillars, stained-glass windows, floral-pattern marble floors, fountains, a gilded dome, colorful fish in sparkling reservoirs, and chandeliers from 19th-century Paris and Brussels. The garden holds blocks of glass mosaics depicting European figures and statues covered with silver paint.

The promenade between the restored Prinsep Ghat (steps leading into the river), north to Outram Ghat and then Babu Ghat, has been spruced up to attract tourists and others seeking some spectacular photo ops. You'll find it under Vidyasagar Setu, the newer bridge that crosses the Hooghly. The stretch has sweeping views of the riverbanks, old warehouses, the beautiful cable bridge, and steamers and smaller ships. There's a park at one end, with some food stalls favored by families; privacy-starved couples head to the quieter sections. The area is well policed and illuminated in the evenings, so if you feel adventurous, try a joyride in an oar-boat, as much an icon of the old city as the Howrah Bridge itself. Avoid late nights, though—stick to sunsets and sunrises.

Chinese settlers in Kolkata have given the city a few things to fall in love with, and the breakfast served at Tiretta Bazaar is one of them. Every morning, kiosks come up along the streets, catering to the dwindling Chinese population, as well as call-center employees, pub crawlers, and foodies. With the younger generation of Chinese migrants leaving the city, the market has shrunk considerably, as has the menu, though you can expect meatballs, fish soup, pork buns, and Chinese sausages. There are plans of reviving the neighborhood and turning it into a tourist hub. Until that happens, a quick trip here is a great way to sample authentic, even if a tad rustic, Chinese fare. Note that the vendors all disappear by 10 am.