Here we present you with the top 30 go-to places you must set your foot in Kolkata

1. Victoria Memorial

Abode of the blue skies, white commemorative marble, sixty-four acres royal garden, extensive green lawns, and pathways; this place in Kolkata was built in loving memory of Queen Victoria by Lord Curzon. The spacious yet nostalgia-inducing monument stands high by the banks of the Hooghly River and houses the very statue of Queen Victoria inside the hall. The quadrangle houses the statue of Robert Clive, Arthur Wellesley, and many more. You can experience the joyous royalty with a minimal entry fee of Rs 10 per person for the Garden Tour and Rs.20 per person for the Museum Tour for Indian Citizens and Rs.30 for foreigners.

2. Birla Planetarium

Identified from far with its striking white marble dome-like structure, it is the largest of its kind all around Asia. This is a must-see for students interested in astronomy, astrophysics, or even adults who love stargazing. You can lay back your head, rest your shoulder on the back chair, and delve into the extra-terrestrial world with your friends and family. The storey of the building also contains telescopes available for sale! Visit the dreamworld for sure whenever you visit Kolkata.

3. Science City

The biggest science hall in Indian history taking science to millions, the Science City in Kolkata has built-in the shape of planet Saturn, the Indian Navy Ship, or a dome. Its garden has 3D labyrinthic structured trees, bull’s eye caricatures, never-ending fountains, touch-enabled auditoriums, and what not! It hosts shows like Space Theatre/Digital Planetarium, Laser & 3D Shows, Earthquake and Flight simulators, and Climate Change Theatres. You can gain entry by paying a ticket of Rs.155 for adults and Rs.105 for students.

4. Nicco Park

The most famous water park of Kolkata, the joyride entry gates open at 10:30 AM and close by 06:30 PM. Reimagine the blue water attraction here with the main park, Wet-O-Wild, Nicco Super Bowl, and Bowler’s Den. They have serene rides like Caterpillar and Vortex, and crazy heart-pumping rides like Cyclone Flying Saucer and Bull Ride!

5. New Alipore Zoo –

You get to witness the beauty of animal kingdom, consisting of Asian Openbill Storks, Crocodiles, Striped Hyenas, Cockatoos, Fishing Cats, and even the plant kingdom. Due to littering issues, people are not supposed to feed the animals, but they are free to attend different shows and competitions organized by the zoo. The ticket price ranges from Rs.5 to Rs20.

6. National Library –

If you’re a bookaholic, then the National Library of Kolkata is a place for you. It is India’s largest book library. It houses manuscripts, books, maps on nearly every subject matter possible. You can donate, borrow, or lend a wide variety of books with minimal membership fees.

7. Indian Museum –

It is the oldest and largest museum of India and ranks the ninth oldest in the entire world. Here you can galore museums on coins, insects, Egyptians, birds, paintings, textiles, masks, archaeology, and many more! The ticket price ranges from Rs.20 to Rs. 500 on an average.

8. St. Paul’s Cathedral–

Having Reverend Paritosh Canning as its bishop, this is the ultimate place to find solace in Jesus’s fatherly arms. You can also drop your handwritten letters to the box meant for Jesus and the Virgin Mary. No one can hesitate to go to such a tranquil place at least once in their life.

9. Birla Mandir –

Ballygunge has this wonder of Hindu temple, constructed by the Birlas, fully devoted to Radha & Krishna. It witnesses juggernaut crowds on the special occasion of Janmashtami, but on the other days, the deities’ feet are relatively attainable.

10. Dakshineshwar Kali Mandir –

An eight-pillared Hindu Navratan structure! The only one you’ll find of this kind. Here Adi Shakti Mahalakshmi, an avatar of Kali is worship.  It’s normally open any day.

11. Kalighat Kali Temple –

This is Another temple that is devoted to goddess Kali. This form of the structure of the temple denotes 51 ominous Shakti Peethas. The one thing you need to be aware of while visiting is don’t respond to people offering lotteries of any sort (popular scams). A must place to visit if you are a religious kind!

12. New Empire Cinema Hall –

If you are a movie binge-watcher, here’s your chance. Watch all the latest Bolly hits you want at this single screen premier cinema hall with the company of KFC, Dominoes, and Wow! Momos. The ambiance upholds a reasonable ticket price.

13. South City Mall –

This is a six storeyed shopping mall complex where you can relax your heart out with comfort food at Food Court, action and 3D games at TimeZone, shopping at Zara and Pantaloons. There’s no entry fee, so you can roam around in summers enjoying the sweet air conditioning and even if you don’t buy anything, no one will bat an eyelid.

14. New Market –

Famous for shopping essentials, electronics, and anything in Kolkata, this is the only place you’ll find fancy food like Kalimpong Cheese and Bandel Cheese. Even after suffering a setback due to World War II, it survived and now offers the best flowers.

15. Eden Gardens –

If you are a fan of cricket, there’s a high chance that you have already heard of this place and just can’t get over it! Yes, the oldest and second-largest stadium of India is this one. It has served as a venue for IPL, ODI, T20 matches innumerable times.

16. Netaji Indoor Stadium –

Having a capacity of 12 thousand people, this place is one you would surely not want to miss. Named after our immortal leader Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, it has an ambiance of basketball, cricket, football, table-tennis, and even musical performances and award functions.

17. Rabindra Sarovar Stadium –

Mostly organizing football matches, Rabindra Sarovar stadium has hosted ISL and AFC cups in the past. It’s a Must go-to place if you get thrilled when you hear “football”.

18. College Street –

Also nicknamed “Boi Para” or “Book Neighbourhood” of  Kolkata by this street’s lovers. This place has books all around, literally, every way you turn. You make your way from engineering books, to fine arts’ books, to International Entrance Exam Books, and finally, more books, with no end in farsight. Here you can never get away with telling someone that you didn’t find the book you wanted to buy without getting ghosted.

19. Karunamoyee Book Fair –

Hosted once every year in summer on the large grounds of Karunamoyee at Salt Lake, you’ll find the fanciest books on interior designing, 100 facts on healthy cooking, rare and obsolete Russian radiology books too.

20. Park Street –

You need to get a headstart on this street because it is the heart of Kolkata. It has the Queen’s Mansion, the Park Hotel, schools and more. Just pick a day to chill out with your friends when you go to Park Street.

21. Indian Coffee House –

One of College Street’s oldies finds a lot of bookworms, office-goers, celebrities, college students, and emotionally overwhelmed people in this Coffee House. Feels like home.

22. Shaheed Minar –

Esplanade has the Shaheed Minar, which means “Martyrs’ Monument” in English. If you go at night, you’ll find the entire illuminated structure breaking out into a plethora of colors.

23. Nehru Children’s Museum –

Meant for children, appreciated by all. In its childish innocence, it caters to the minds with four storeys of dolls imparting education. Some cite the Ramayana, while some do it for Science. They host contests too.

24. Academy of Fine Arts –

They offer painting, drama, and dance lessons for the enthusiasts. The Academy of Fine Arts hosts contests as well. A very insightful place to visit in Kolkata.

25. Eco Park –

Situated in New Town of Kolkata, you can enjoy some water splashes while rowing boats and competing with your friends, riding ropeways in boxes up in the skies, duo-cycle, kayak, drive remote-cars while sitting in them, bounce on the trampoline, or go on a cruise!

26. British Library –

Established by the British Council, this is different than your regular library – it has DVD collections, magazines along with 20 thousand books! You can even avail of English classes there on Sunday mornings and evenings. What more can you ask for from a library?

27. Mother’s Wax Museum –

The largest wax museum houses wax figurines (person and apparel) of the always-to-be-remembered Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Einstein, the Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, everyone’s favorite footballer Lionel Messi, Salman Khan, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, missionaries like Swami Vivekananda, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and more personalities.

28. Citicenter Mall –

The best one on this list, we promise you. It isn’t a shopping mall; it’s an emotion of Kolkata. Here you can find a beautiful horse, truck, and canon models in the lobby, amazing food like noodles and phuchka (panipuri in Bengali), KFC, Pizza Hut, and amazing dresses along with handbags, shoes, and deities with water fountains! Ain’t it dreamy?

29. Calcutta Jain Temple

Also famous as the Pareshnath Jain Temple in Kolkata, this Jain temple has lovely embroidered structures across its walls and pillars, with colorful carved marble pieces. It also has religious stalls where you can purchase items. This famous Kolkata destination has no entry fee and is open seven hours including mornings and evenings.

30. Nakhoda Mosque

Being the largest mosque in Kolkata, you would find tourists flocking here all the time. An awesome place situated in Rabindra Sarani to visit in Kolkata to worship God. The entry fee is free for everyone and it closes at 9 PM sharp.