Street Food Calcutta Tours
New Market and around
You get to experience some of the best food in the world at a fraction of the cost that you’d pay anywhere else. While some food items developed indigenously most have been brought it by the many settlers who came in attracted by the prosperity of this colonial city. Without further ado let’s plunge in and find out the best available street food in the city and the many locations and outlets that will leave you craving for more.
From the famous Kati rolls, a unique Calcutta style wrap, to street side masala cha, from varieties of fried fish to the unending list of delectable sweets. The range that you will experience will be a delight for all foodies.
Depending on where we go the tour may include a taste of:
Jalebis, Soota Kababs, Dahi Papdi Chaat, Gaathia, Dalpuri, Chai, Chilla, Chowmein, Bhel Puri, Jhaal Muri, Puchkas, Paw Bhaji, Shinghara, Aloo Puri, Fish Fry… and so on.
Confluence Of Cultures / The Melting Pot Walk
Bow Barracks to Burrabazar
Our city has witnessed many more cultures in its past than most others would even in this globalised present. Here we will trace for you the origins and remains of the varied communities that hung their boots and called Calcutta home. Lets check out why Chinese breakfast still rules Tiretta Bazar, where the Parsis are dwindling in numbers with each passing day and how the Armenians gave the city its oldest surviving Christian church while we pass the Anglo-Indians, the Muslims, the Marwaris, the Biharis and many more that made this city a great melting pot of diverse cultures. This is one of our most popular tours and highly recommended to get an idea of the melting pot that Calcutta is.
Kolkata City Tours
Colonial Calcutta | Bazaars | Rennaisance Bengal | Kali Temples
We set out early morning, much before the rules against bicycles kick in, on an exploration of the old city of Calcutta – through its unique and interesting localities. Comfortable clothing, average biking ability, hugging corners while riding and listening to directions should give you a great exploration of the old city.
In case you want to see much more in far lesser time then we have car and coach based Kolkata city tours for you. In about 4 hours from pickup to drop we can offer you glimpses of our city along the following themes:
Colonial Calcutta
Flit around the city taking in the legacy left behind the former colonial power.
As you explore this side of the city you understand why they said that the sun never sets on the British Empire and how they reached the peak of their prowess and made more than enough show of it.
Rennaisance Bengal
This is why they used to say, “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.”
Just like Europe, Bengal had its Rennaisance too, which took it out of the clutches of the ‘dark’ age and threw away the old to create a new world order. Some of the most important proponents of the Bengal soil reached the peak of their individual talents thanks largely to the friction between the East and the West.
Bazaars of the old city.
‘Coz the city emerged from one – Sutanuti
The many Calcutta markets give the city its distinctive character. From its emergence at Sutanuti, a bazaar of cotton thread, Calcutta developed along the lines of its many bazaars and the localities like Kumartulli, Shyam Bazaar, Radha Bazaar, Colootola, and the like. Explore the various markets of the old city from the oldest to the newest.
Myriad Calcutta Cultures
There had been quite a few, as exemplified by the Confluence of Cultures Walk
Hundreds of cultures made Calcutta its cosmopolitan self. Among the most prominent of them being Armenian, Jewish, Chinese, Islamic, Jain, Buddhist coupled with the old influence of the Portuguese, the Scottish, the Greek and so on. We show you the same through a tour of their various worship and cultural centers.
Kali’s Calcutta – Temples and around.
They never said ‘Jai Kali Calcutte-wali’ for nothing.
Calcutta, in a way belongs to Kali, and the fact that city came up along the pilgrimage route between the most sacred place of Kali worship at the Kalighat Temple and one of the oldest at Chitpur Chitteswari Temple, stamps the final seal on it. Explore how Goddess Kali pervades the lives of the people of the city.
In Calcutta, do as the Calcuttans do. / Public Transport Tour
Chowringhee to Riverside
One of the best connected cities of the world, Calcutta has a plethora of options to take you from place to place. The International Association of Public Transport ranks this city among the top 40 cities in urban mobility.
Trams were introduced in the 1860s. Horse-drawn at first, they were electrified early in the 20th century. Tram routes have been cut back at a time when our gasping city needs this means of cleaner transportation.
Taxis – A veritable tank that barrels through our streets, the Ambassador is based on an old Oxford Morris design not in production in England sadors serve as taxis and remain vehicles of choice for our much-since the 1950s. The best cars for the crater-pitted roads here.
Autos – Unlike in other cities the auto rickshaws ply only on fixed routes. A fun crazy ride if you can find one with music and disco lights.
Metro Rail – India’s first and Calcutta’s cleanest – the metro serves millions who traverse from north to south. An East-West Metro and several other routes are now being added.
Rickshaws – Officially banned, this archaic mode of transport still plies through old Calcutta’s streets. They become indispensable on days when it rains cats and dogs and the city is flooded with knee deep water. Fares need to be agreed to in advance.
Buses – The popular joke is buses don’t ply in Calcutta, they ‘fly’. You will come to realise this when you see them hankering after passengers and overtaking each other, often with less than pleasing results. There are various kinds, including air conditioned services.
Trains – Hundreds of trains bring in loads of passengers seeking their livelihood in this city. Then there’s the circular railway network that can be used to go to different localities within the city.
Ferries – Another super-cheap mode of transport, this one is great to bypass the traffic-clogged Howrah Bridge.
In this tour we will try and get you inside as many of the transport systems as possible thereby decoding for you the way the city moves. More than half of all journeys in the city are made on public transport which jostle with each other on the less than 6% road space that our city offers.
Little Europe Motorbike Tour / Little Europe Motorbike Tour
Barrackpore to Bandel
On regal Royal Enfield motorbikes this tour takes you to all the different European colonies that existed around the Ganges. We start with Barrackpore, once home to British army and site of the beginning of the 1857 revolt and end at Hooghly, once home to the earliest Portuguese settlement, now best remembered for the Bandel Church. Serampore of the Danes, Chinsurah of the Dutch, Chandernagore of the French and Hooghli of the Portuguese. It’s a full day trip that will give you a deeper understanding of the European colonies that neighboured Calcutta.
The Himalayan Sojourn – 15 Days – 1200 kms
Sikkim, Darjeeling, Dooars
Ride with us on classic WWII style Royal Enfield motorcycles through one of the most isolated, picturesque and mountainous regions in the world. The eastern Himalaya is a taste of paradise for adventure-seeking motorcycle travelers. Ride through alpine meadows, glacial lakes, the verdant thickly forested mountainsides; take in the serenity of small villages, terraced fields and Buddhist Gompas. Go off the beaten path to pristine and breathtakingly beautiful scenery, awe inspiring views of snow covered peaks including Mt. Kanchenjunga, and interactions with the warm and hospitable indigenous hill tribes; all combine to give you a unique and matchless holiday experience in the Himalayas. Explore the hidden kingdom of Sikkim and the mist covered mountains of Darjeeling with an intoxicating mix of adventure, culture and history that comes together to give you an experience of a lifetime.
Stop to drink from the pristine water streams,(mountain springs) ride through winding roads that beg to be ridden, interact with the locals and experience their isolated yet contented way of life, savour their fresh organic produce, learn the intricacies of their cuisine and indulge in many more such authentic journeys both within and without.
Pedalling through the Old City / Bicycle Tour
White Town | Black Town | Grey Town | Riverside | Wetlands
We set out early morning, much before the rules against bicycles kick in, on an exploration of the old city of Calcutta – through its unique and interesting localities. Comfortable clothing, average biking ability, hugging corners while riding and listening to directions should give you a great exploration of the old city.
Based on the morning’s choice we can do:
Colonial areas / the Black Town / the Grey Town / Localities By The River / East Calcutta Wetlands or a mix of everything.
City Of Learning
College Street - Bengal Renaissance Walk
Calcutta is a city where the east and the west met and this meeting of such great forces could not have been devoid of friction. We will try and give you a glimpse of this in the course of our walk through arguably the largest books bazaar in the world. In the course of this journey you will learn how religions, sciences, societies, technologies and above all individuals underwent a sea change. From the first university of Asia to the hub of all adda, from religious experiments to scientific calculations, from booksellers that deal in old and rare books to eateries that only catered to nationalists – you will see all that went into the awakening of a new order.
Reminiscence and Resurgence
Chowringhee - Buzzing Calcutta Walk
We will circumnavigate the Grand, an iconic Calcutta landmark which has weathered changing tastes and turbulent times to retain its status as one of Calcutta’s most beloved luxury hotels. Take in the frenzied economic activity that occurs all around its periphery, and find out why savvy shoppers have never given up on New Market, where it was said one could buy anything – from pins to pachyderms. Ponder the loss of such great establishments as Whiteway-Laidlaw, Bourne and Shepherd, and Firpo’s and their ironic replacement by the ubiquitous hawker and his wares. Once known as the most fashionable street and earning Calcutta its epithet as the ‘city of palaces’ you will see how Chowringhee still has a lot of charm on offer.
As The Muezzin Calls / Ramzan Food Walk
Nakhoda Mosque and around
The holy month of Ramazan is extremely special for Muslims for a variety of reasons. It’s a month where they learn to abstain — abstain from excesses – excesses in food, drink, entertainment and everything else that is taken for granted throughout the year. This month makes them pause and reflect about everything that is consumed.
From sunrise to sunset, roza is all about battling hunger and thirst every day. Different people pass their days in different ways with varying levels of activity but everyone is united by that fact that come sunset when the muezzin stands to give the call to prayer (azaan), everyone waits with bated breath to thank the Lord for the enormous bounty he has provided us by way of food.
This is where we trace what goes into the making of the Iftar and all the special goodies that are rustled up for the devout.
Depending on availability the tour may include dates, fried stuff, fruits and sweets.
For reading the article on the Ramzan Walk 2017 in click here The Telegraph, Kolkata on the Ramzan Walk by Calcutta Walks
For further reading check out Explorer Ifte’s articles in The Telegraph, Kolkata and the Wall Street Journal, India.