Kolkata Private Tour: 2-Day Sightseeing with Local Guide

Mullick Ghat Flower Market opens at 3:30 am, and your guide takes you there while the city is still waking up.

A private, fully customizable 2-day tour of Kolkata with a government-approved guide and air-conditioned vehicle, built around your interests rather than a fixed schedule. You choose which landmarks to visit (Mother House, Howrah Bridge, Kumartuli's working potters, College Street's book market, Jain Temple, and others), and the guide shares the history and stories behind each. Hotel pickup and drop-off, coffee at the Indian Coffee House, and bottled water are included. Lunch is your choice at a local spot. The itinerary can shift based on what matters most to you.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Howrah Bridge15m
2. Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity30m
3. College Street30m
4. St. John’s Church30m · entry included
5. Dakshineswar Kali Temple45m
6. Belur Math45m
7. Victoria Memorial45m
8. Maidanpass by
9. Eden Gardenspass by

Day 1: Explore Kolkata's iconic landmarks

• Visit Malik Ghat Flower Market early morning
• See Howrah Bridge over Hooghly River
• Tour Mother House and museum
• Explore Parshwanath Jain Temple
• Walk through Kumartuli potters’ quarter
• Stroll along College Street book market

Day 2: Discover cultural and historic sites

• Visit St. John's Church
• Explore Magen David Synagogue
• Tour Dakshineswar Kali Temple
• Visit Belur Math temple complex
• See Victoria Memorial grounds and museum

The experience

The tour starts early if you want it to. Mullick Ghat Flower Market, Asia's largest, begins trading at 3:30 am, so your guide can take you there while vendors are still arranging blooms and the energy is at its peak. The Howrah Bridge (commissioned in 1943, riveted rather than bolted, and still the world's busiest cantilever bridge) sits just across the river. From there, the day branches according to what you want to see: the Mother House, where Mother Teresa lived and is buried; the Parshwanath Jain Temple, built in 1867 with a lamp that has burned continuously since then; Kumartuli, where potters hand-sculpt clay idols for festivals and export; or College Street, India's largest book market, where rare editions sell for a fraction of their worth and bargaining is expected.

Your guide is a government-approved professional who speaks English and knows the city's history in detail: the stories behind the Dakshineswar Kali Temple (built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni and linked to the 19th-century mystic Ramakrishna), the architecture of Belur Math (which blends Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, and Christian design), the colonial past written into St. John's Church and the Victoria Memorial. You travel in a private air-conditioned vehicle, which means no shared stops, no waiting for other groups, and the freedom to linger where something catches your attention or move on if you've seen enough. A lunch break is built in, and while the meal cost is on you, your guide knows where locals eat and can point you toward flavors you're actually looking for.

The second day follows the same logic: you and your guide agree on what matters. The Maidan, Kolkata's vast central park and the "lungs of the city," can be part of it. So can Eden Gardens, the oldest cricket stadium in India, or the Magen David Synagogue, built in 1884 in Italian Renaissance style. Coffee at the Indian Coffee House (a café that has drawn the city's intellectuals for decades) is included. Everything else adapts to your pace and your interests, not to a schedule written before you arrived.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle and government-approved professional guide speaking English.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• coffee at the Indian Coffee House and bottled water.
• all guide fees, fuel, parking, and toll charges.
• a scheduled lunch break where you choose where and what to eat.
• access to working artisans at Kumartuli and the full range of Kolkata's landmarks from the Howrah Bridge to the Mother House to College Street's book market.

Options for this experience

2 options

Guide in English7 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 11:00

Guide in English7 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 11:00

Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day7 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 11:00

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (2 to 10 years): free · Infant (under 2): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 23 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 5.40

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Kolkata Trips

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to move at your own pace and decide which landmarks matter to you, rather than follow a preset route. The private vehicle and customizable itinerary mean you can spend an hour at a temple or a bookstall if something holds your attention, or skip it entirely and go somewhere else instead.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 10 years): free; Infant (under 2): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What time does the Mullick Ghat Flower Market start, and why would I want to go that early?

The market opens at 3:30 am, when vendors are actively arranging flowers and the trading is most vigorous. Going early means you see the market at full energy rather than after the rush has passed.

Can I visit the Mother House, and what will I see there?

Yes. The Mother House is where Mother Teresa lived and was buried in 1997. A small museum inside displays her worn sandals, battered enamel bowl, sari, rosary, and handwritten letters. Her tomb is in a simple room that reflects the plainness of her life.

What is Kumartuli, and what do the artisans actually do there?

Kumartuli is a traditional potters' quarter in northern Kolkata where artisans hand-sculpt clay idols of gods and goddesses for festivals and for export. You'll see them working with clay from the river, shaping pieces that are sold across the city and beyond.

Is College Street really India's largest book market?

Yes. College Street is 1.5 km long and nicknamed Boi Para, or "Book Town." It's lined with bookstores and kiosks selling new and rare books in multiple languages, and bargaining over prices is standard practice.

What's included in the tour, and what do I pay for separately?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, the private air-conditioned vehicle, your government-approved guide, coffee at the Indian Coffee House, bottled water, and all guide fees, fuel, parking, and tolls are included. Meals during the lunch break and entry to the Victoria Memorial Museum are on you.

Can I change the itinerary if I want to skip something or add something else?

Yes. This tour is fully customizable. You work with your guide to build the 2-day itinerary around what interests you most, so you're not locked into a fixed schedule or a set list of stops.