There are lots of places to visit in West Bengal among which are: Heritage Places in Kolkata, Murshidabad, Museums, Sunderban, St. Paul Cathedral, sea beaches and many more. Check the top 10 things to do before leaving West Bengal:
01. Go Back In Time & History
The Heart and capital of the state lies in Kolkata- “The City of Joy”. The city has seen many a rich and glorious days with the British settling here ages ago. Hence the city is spawning with numerous historical monuments. First stop- the Victoria Memorial. The classically opulent columns, finely crafted domes and the colonnade structure are a few of its highlight. The marble statues, sculptures and even the folds of the cloth reflect a lot of finesse.
From Kolkata, you can travel down 236 Kms to the city of Murshidabad. Again a city of rich history, it has a few palaces, mosques and other building built during the time of the Nawabs. Some of the significant places to visit are the HazarduariPalace, the Bada Imambara and the Katra Mosque.
02. Find Inner Peace
If you’re quite the religious person then Kolkata will not disappoint you. It offers many places of serenity and peace even in the crowded and loud city. There’s the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral with its stained glass paintings, the wooden pews and chairs and the trussed ceiling.
03. Family Fun Time at the Museum and the Botanical Gardens
For families with kids, the Indian Museum is a must visit. Give your kids a rich learning experience as you walk through the zoology, botany, geology and various other sections of the museum. You can also fancy paying a visit to the Botanical Gardens which houses the largest banyan tree in the world.
04. Visit The Hills
If you have a love for the hills, then Darjeeling is the place to go!!! Located in the protective bosom of Mount Kanchenjunga and Tiger hill is the beautiful and quite town of Darjeeling.
05. Hop On The Darjeeling Toy Train
You can hop on the Darjeeling toy train or fancy a ride on the cable car down the Darjeeling ropeway or simply take a stroll along the lush green tea gardens. You can also visit the famous Dhirdham temple and St. Paul’s Cathedral a stone’s throw away from Darjeeling. At a short distance of 8kms is Ghum where you can drop by the Yiga Choeling monastery and the Himalayan Zoological Gardens.
06. Explore Exotic Wildlife
For the avid wildlife explorers and photographers, West Bengal offers you the exotic mangrove forest, the largest delta in the world- the Sunderbans.
07. Have An Adventure
For all you, adventure enthusiasts, you’re Goin to absolutely love Tajpur!! Tajpur is the new hotspot for all the adrenaline rush activities like Rafting, Parasailing, Rock Climbing and much more. For the quite ones, there’s also the beautiful beachside to have a stroll or to just soak your feet in the waves that kiss the shore. Tajpur is located at a distance of 170 Kms from Kolkata and can be reached by getting off at Digha where you can get to via a train and then hopping on a bus or taking a cab to get to Tajpur.
08. Go On A Shopping Spree
For all the shopaholics, West Bengal offers you a wide variety of Handicrafts and Textiles. Murshidabad and Digha are known for their Terracotta handicrafts and Burdwan offers you exquisite Dokra metal artifacts. You can also pick up art objects made in Sholapith, a special kind of wood art found only in Murshidabad. The ladies can indulge themselves in some sari shopping by picking up a few Baluchari and Murshidabad Silk saris. Do check out the Kantha work done in these places- a special embroidery thread work done only in the town of Bolpur.
09. Celebrate With Bengal
West Bengal is known as the land of festivals and Durga puja is its major one. The entire city of Kolkata comes alive with colour, music, joy and during this time. Poush mela is also another festival you must take part in to have a unique experience of your lifetime. During you stay at Bengal, do take time out to watch the famous Chhau dance, a beautiful masked dance and also the Gaudiya Nritya – a classical Bengali dance form.
10. Develop A Sweet Tooth
Bengal is synonymous with sweets and is a favorite with food lovers. Do pleasure your taste buds with Rasgullas, Sandesh, Payesh and Patishapta Pitha. One of the major reasons for the popularity of Bengali cuisine is due to its numerous delectable sweet dishes, exclusive only to the state of West Bengal.