Kolkata is one among the four metropolitan cities of India. It is located on the banks of Hooghly. It was capital city of British India apart from being the Gateway to India last in 1912. Kolkata is the perfect resemblance of India's 'unity in diversity' factor as various lingustic communties including Tamils, Telugus and Punjabis co-exist. Hence, it is regarded as 'capital culture of India'. It is also home to some of the international establishments such as Bata India and Birla Corporation. On the literature front, Kolkata has produced internationally renowned figures such as Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda.

There are numerous tourist attractions in Kolkata, which is a major contributor to India's foreign exchange reserves.

Victoria Memorial

Victoria Memorial Hall, a memorial of Queen Victoria, is a scenic museum of historical importance established in 1921. Sir William Emerson, the then President of the British Institute of Architects, has been instrumental in building the white marble structure on a massive 26 hectares of land and has been credited for the unique design of the building. The bronze statue of Angel of Victory adorns the hall, which appears at its best during the morning hours of the winter season that leaves an eternal impression in the hearts of the tourists. The hall houses rare collection of artworks belonging to the colonial period of British Empire.

Eden Gardens

Eden Gardens, one of the best tourist attractions of India, is the oldest cricket stadium of India having historical significance and is considered as the Mecca of world cricket and Lord's of Asia. The stadium has a magnificently layered ground, which has hosted many deciding cricket matches in the past. The stadium was built in 1864 and can accommodate 1, 20,000 people. Apparently, the first one day international match was hosted in February, 1987. Legends from cricketing world including Charlie Griffith, Sir Gary Sobers, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev have all played at the Eden Gardens who credit the stadium in shaping up their careers.

Birla Planetarium

Birla Planetarium, one of the largest museums of Asia, is situated at the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass of Kolkata. The museum is the visualization of Birla Education Trust, which established it in 1962 with a view to cater knowledge to students in the fields of science, technology and environment. It imparts intrinsic details of our solar system to future scientists.  A detailed analysis will be made about celestial bodies apart from stars, meteors and planets. It possesses a large gallery of excerpts of astronomical value. On the academic front, the planetarium offers post graduate diploma course in Astronomy & Planetarium Science.

Howrah Bridge

Howrah Bridge is located on Hooghly River, which establishes a connection between Howrah and Kolkata. Built in 1874, the bridge is alternatively known as 'Rabindra Setu', a term coined after the famous poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Howrah Bridge itself constitutes of two sister bridges, called, Vidyasagar Setu and Vivekananda Setu, which are situated at random places over the Hoogly River. Howrah Bridge is one of the supreme displays of suspended Cantilever Bridges in the world. It is observed as the lifeline of Kolkata due to its economic significance. Howrah Bridge is technological marvel which displays how a bridge can exist without any pillars for support.

Marble Palace

Marble Palace, a marvelous art gallery that was constructed with imported Italian marbles in the year 1835 by Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur, displays the finesse of Gothic architecture. The palace with tall Corinthian pillars and Chinese pavilion type verandas hosts the paintings of renowned artists such as Rembrandt and Van Goyen. Specifically, two of the paintings by Rubens, The Marriage of St. Catherine and The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, are a unique portrayal of the palace's vast collection. Apart from the arts section, the palace also consists of a zoo, which is a habitat for rare species of animals and birds that includes peacocks and stokes.

Saheed Minar

Saheed Minar, a 52-m tower, is constructed near Esplanade on the Kolkata Maidan. It was earlier known as Octerloney Monument. It was established in 1848 so as to mark the founder Sir David Ochterlony's victory in the Nepal War (1814-1816). It was modeled on the lines of Qutub Minar and follows Egyptian style in its construction whereas its dome reflects Syrian and Turkish designs. The monument was later renamed as Saheed Minar (Martyr's Column) as a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the independence of India. Given the present scenario, the site serves as a political convention center.

Nicco Park

Nicco Park is an amusement park built on a 40-acre land meant for recreational activities based at Salt Lake. It is considered as the Disneyland of West Bengal that includes a unique adventurous cave ride. The park was inaugurated in 1991. Some of the joy rides it possesses are Toy Train, Cable Car, Tilt-a-Whirl, Water Chute, Water Coaster, Flying Saucer, Pirate Ship and Moonraker. The park also contains a rose garden besides housing a food park with dishes ranging from North Indian to Bengali cuisines. Moreover, Nicco Park is the only amusement park around the world to have been accredited with ISO 9002 certification.

National Library

National Library is the largest library of India built on 30 acres of Belvedere Estate in Kolkata.  To obtain a membership, one needs to attain the age of 18. The library houses one of the biggest collections of books of all kinds covering all Indian languages with around two million books and almost half a million documents.  Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee and Surendra Nath Sen have contributed some invaluable collections during different time periods. Exceptional books from 16th century including paintings and artworks on mica plates are part of a unique display of objects.

The best period to tour Kolkata is from October to March. The three ways in reaching Kolkata are as mentioned below.

By Air:Kolkata is easily accessible by air. There are numerous domestic airlines that connect Kolkata with other big cities of India like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhuvaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mumbai.

By Rail:Kolkata aptly linked with rest of India with super fast trains like Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express that join Kolkata from Delhi. Kolkata contains two major railway stations; Howrah and Sealdah.

By Road:If one has to take the road, the Esplanade Terminus is the main bus terminus that lies in the heart of the city.

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