Calcutta was the headquarters of the East India Company and the first capital of the British Raj, and on this journey you will be exploring the city and surrounding region.
After touring the modern-day city of Kolkata, take a relaxing eight-day river cruise along the Hooghly River, escaping the metropolis to visit small towns and villages as you sail upstream as far as Farakka. This cruise takes you through former European settlements, including Danish Serampore, British Barrackpore and French Chandernagore before exploring some of Bengal’s most beautiful terracotta temples in Kalna, the iconic battlefield of Plassey and the palaces, tombs and gardens of Khusgbagh. Returning to Kolkata, you will fly to the foothills of the Himalayas to stay on a tea estate close to Darjeeling. British officials once escaped the summer heat of Calcutta to the cooler and quieter mountains, and you can follow in their footsteps. Ride the famous Darjeeling Mountain Railway and explore the tea plantations of the region before returning to Kolkata for your flight home.
Kolkata – Chandernagore – Kalna – Matiari – Khushbagh – Baranagar – Farakka – Kolkata – Darjeeling
Trip Highlights
- Explore Kolkata, a city of history and colour with many colonial Raj-era buildings
- Admire beautiful views from your vessel as you travel upstream along the Hooghly River
- Ride the iconic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to Ghoom, the highest station in India
- Enjoy a rickshaw tour of Kalna and visit a selection of beautiful terracotta temples
- Visit Matiari, a village famous for brass work which has taken place for centuries
- Discover the grand palaces and mosques of Gaur including the five-storey Firoz Minar
Itinerary
Day 1
Depart the UK
Depart the UK and fly to Kolkata via the Middle East.
Day 2
Arrive Kolkata
Arrive in Kolkata in the morning. You will be met at the airport and taken to your hotel in the centre of the city. Under the old colonial name of Calcutta, the city was the headquarters of the East India Company and the capital of the British Raj until it was moved to Delhi early in the 20th century. Today, Kolkata is one of the largest cities in the world, a wonderfully vibrant and chaotic place home to a rich tapestry of cultures.
Calcutta Bungalow
The Elgin Fairlawn
Oberoi Grand Hotel
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Day 3
Kolkata
Explore Kolkata with your guide, getting a taste for everything this beguiling city has to offer. The white marble Victoria Memorial is the most prominent feature of colonial Calcutta, surrounded by the green lungs of the Maidan, where you are bound to find a game of cricket underway. Marvel at the span of elegant Howrah Bridge, a thoroughfare in constant use, carrying people to and from Howrah Station, the largest in India. There is also a fragrant flower market under its span. Discover the Kali Temple in Kalighat, the most important in the city, walk through the colonial heart of old Calcutta, visit the Park Street Cemetery or spend time in the excellent Indian Museum, the oldest and largest museum in Asia. The exact itinerary for today is flexible, but it will be a busy and memorable experience.
- Breakfast
Calcutta Bungalow
The Elgin Fairlawn
Oberoi Grand Hotel
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries
Day 4
Kolkata to Chandernagore
This morning you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the jetty from where you will board the ABN Rajmahal and begin your 8-day river cruise. The 22 cabins of your river boat are all equipped with private balconies, with a comfortable saloon downstairs and a sundeck above. After orientation and lunch onboard, sail past the old Danish colony of Serampore towards Barrackpore – the first site where the British set up their cantonment. Take a walk through this historic town and visit the now derelict Government House which acted as a summer residence for the British Governors as well as Flagstaff House and the Temple of Fame. During this walk you will gain an excellent understanding on India’s journey to independence. Back onboard sail upstream towards Chandernagore.
- Breakfast,
- Lunch,
- Dinner
ABN Rajmahal
Day 5
Chandernagore to Kalna
After breakfast explore Chandernagore, a former French colony that remained in the possession of France until 1950. Perched on the banks of the Hooghly River, visit the 18th century missionary church and Dupleix’s House, owned by the Governor-General of French India, Joseph François Dupleix as well as other colonial buildings and churches. Continue upstream past the old Dutch settlement of Chinsura before stopping at the imposing Hooghly Imambara – an Islamic congregation hall and mosque. Enjoy dinner onboard as you sail towards Kalna where you will moor for the night.
- Breakfast,
- Lunch,
- Dinner
ABN Rajmahal
Day 6
Kalna to Matiari
Start off the day with a rickshaw tour of Kalna, known locally as the ‘City of Temples’. Visit some of West Bengal’s most beautiful terracotta temples as well as a unique Shiva temple made up of 108 shrines. Continue by road through the rural countryside to Mayapur – the headquarters of ISKCON, better known as the Hare Krishna movement, before sailing overnight towards Matiari.
- Breakfast,
- Lunch,
- Dinner
ABN Rajmahal
Day 7
Matiari to Khushbagh
This morning visit the charming riverside village of Matiari which is best known for its production of brass. Witness the primitive process of beating out brass water pots as you interact with the locals. Later that afternoon travel to the battlefield of Plassey where the East India Company, under the command of Robert Clive, defeated the Nawab of Bengal in 1757, thereby laying the foundations of the British rule in India. Moor close to Khushbagh for the night.
- Breakfast,
- Lunch,
- Dinner
ABN Rajmahal
Day 8
Khushbagh to Baranagar
Today explore the historical treasures that surround Khusgbagh. Highlights include the Mughal-style gardens that enclose the tomb of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, the beautiful Katra Mosque and the palatial Kathgola Palace. You will also visit the riverfront Hazarduari Palace. Built in 1837 the palace houses a magnificent collection of china, weapons, paintings and other fascinating artefacts. Moor overnight on the riverbanks close to Baranagar.
- Breakfast,
- Lunch,
- Dinner
ABN Rajmahal
Day 9
Baranagar to Farakka
After breakfast take a stroll through the countryside and fields of sleepy Baranagar, this is rural India at its most idyllic. Whilst in Baranagar visit its three small terracotta temples. Continue your river cruise as you float up the Hooghly, or Lower Ganges, and cruise through the twisting waterways passing mango orchards and mustard fields. Later that afternoon arrive close to Farakka where you will moor for the night.
- Breakfast,
- Lunch,
- Dinner
ABN Rajmahal
Day 10
Farakka
Today enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Gaur which once was one of the Indian subcontinent's most prominent and important cities. Having seen various rules and religions pass through as early as the 6th century, the city is a melting pot of palaces, mosques and gateways. During your visit you may see the five-storey Firoz Minar which dates back to 1485, the historic Choto Sona Mosque and the Dakhil Darwaza. Back onboard enjoy dinner with your fellow passengers for the final night.
- Breakfast,
- Lunch,
- Dinner
ABN Rajmahal
Day 11
Farakka to Kolkata – by train
After an early breakfast, bid farewell to your fellow passengers and crew and transfer to Farakka railway station for the four-hour train journey back to Kolkata. On arrival, you will be taken to your hotel, with the afternoon free to relax or explore the city under your own arrangements.
- Breakfast
Calcutta Bungalow
The Elgin Fairlawn
Oberoi Grand Hotel
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Day 12
Kolkata to Bagdogra – by air / Bagdogra to Glenburn Tea Estate – 80kms
You will be taken to Kolkata airport for the morning flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra, the gateway to Darjeeling. From Bagdogra, it is a scenic drive winding up into the foothills of the Himalayas. The area around Darjeeling is famous for its tea, and you will be staying for the next three nights on a tea estate in the hills 30 minutes outside of Darjeeling. Alternatively, for a different experience, stay in Kurseong midway between Bagdogra and Darjeeling at the Taj Chia Kutir Resort and Spa.
- Breakfast,
- Dinner
Glenburn Tea Estate
Day 13
Glenburn Tea Estate – visit Darjeeling
Head into Darjeeling for the day to explore the town and surrounding region. A popular summer retreat for British officials escaping the heat of Calcutta as well as a base for the production of tea, Darjeeling was once part of Nepal and you will find Buddhist temples and Tibetan monasteries alongside Gothic churches and mock-Tudor bungalows. The most popular attraction in Darjeeling is the famous Darjeeling Mountain Railway, which you can ride as far as the Buddhist monastery at Ghoom.
- Breakfast,
- Dinner
Glenburn Tea Estate
Day 14
Glenburn Tea Estate
Spend the day learning how tea is produced on the Glenburn Tea Estate, exploring the plantation and visiting a tea factory. You can also spend time in the villages where the tea-pickers live, as well as taking hikes in the hills and enjoying the spectacular mountain scenery.
- Breakfast,
- Dinner
Glenburn Tea Estate
Day 15
Glenburn Tea Estate to Bagdogra – 80kms / Bagdogra to Kolkata – by air
Today transfer back to Bagdogra Airport in good time to catch your onward flight to Kolkata. On arrival stay overnight at a hotel close to the airport.
- Breakfast
Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport
Day 16
Kolkata to UK
Today transfer to Kolkata Airport and fly back to the UK via the Middle East.
- Breakfast
Extending your stay...
Combine your Ganges cruise with a journey on the Brahmaputra River, an ideal way to see the very best of Assam’s wildlife, temples and spectacular natural scenery. Either fly from Bagdogra to Guwahati where most Brahmaputra cruises start or omit Darjeeling and fly direct from Kolkata.
Add a beach element to your holiday by flying to the Andaman Islands. A remote archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, the Andamans are a true tropical paradise offering barefoot luxury, total relaxation, jungle hikes, beautiful beaches and an incredible variety of colourful marine life.
Discover upper Assam. Highlights include the tea estates of Dibrugarh, the 600-year-old Ahom temples of Sivasagar, the Assamese villages and monasteries of Majuli Island and the wildlife of Kaziranga National Park. Fly from Bagdoga or Kolkata to Dibrugarh.
Varanasi, holiest city in India, is a short flight west from Kolkata. Lining the banks of the River Ganges, this sacred city has drawn pilgrims for over 2000 years. Attend an evening aarti ceremony, walk the atmospheric old city lanes and visit the ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath.
Guide to Price
17 days from £3745 - £5200 per person
What's Included
- International and domestic flights
- Private car and driver in Kolkata and Darjeeling
- Local guides in Kolkata and Darjeeling
- Cruise accommodation and sightseeing on a join-in basis with other passengers
- Hotel accommodation and taxes
What's Not Included
- Cost of visas
- Travel Insurance
- Expenses of a personal nature
from £3745 - £5200
Travel Information
Getting There
British Airways fly direct from London Heathrow to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. Virgin Atlantic have daily flights to Delhi and Vistara fly direct to Delhi. Emirates, Oman Air, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways also have excellent connections via their respected hubs to Kolkata, Kochi, Trivandrum, Kozhikode, Goa, Jaipur and Lucknow and fly from airports all over the UK.
Flying Times From UK
Direct flights from the UK take between 8 and 10 hours depending on the destination. Flights with stops en-route take between 12 and 14 hours.
Time Zone
India is +5½ hours ahead of GMT.
Visa Requirements
Holders of British Citizen passports are able to apply for an e-Tourist Visa (eTV). There are three different eTVs - a one month eTV (valid for 30 days), a one year eTV (valid for 365 days) and a five year eTV (valid for 5 years). Applications for the one month eTV can only be made within 30 days of travel to India. Applications for the one year eTV and five year eTV can only be made within 120 days of travel to India.
Please note that the very latest an Indian eTV application can be made is 4 days prior to travel to India. The eTV becomes active from the date of entry into India. It is not valid for Protected or Restricted areas.
All international passengers arriving in India are required to complete an e-Arrival Card up to 72 hours prior to arrival India. This applies to all nationalities and must be submitted online via the official portal https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival
Do’s & Don’ts
Smoking and drinking in public places is prohibited in India – with smoking this includes public areas in hotels, restaurants and bars.
E-cigarettes and related products are banned in India. You will be unable to buy e-cigarettes or bring them into the country.
Always ask permission before entering a temple and remember to remove your shoes and any leather objects such as bags, belts or wallets. It is fine to wear socks.
When in a Buddhist temple you should always walk in a clockwise direction with the main building to your right.
Modest, loose-fitting clothing is preferable and is essential when visiting religious places. When visiting a Sikh Gurudwara the head needs to be covered.
Permission should always be asked before taking a person’s picture.
When eating, only the right hand should be used. Indian culture considers the left hand to be unclean.
Money
The currency of India is the Indian Rupee (INR) and comes in notes and coins. Exchanging money is easy and can be done at international airports, most hotels or banks and it is always a good idea to ask for some small denomination Rupee notes. ATMs are now common and reliable in all main cities and credit cards are widely accepted by most hotels, shops and restaurants. In rural areas or wildlife reserves ATMs and money exchange facilities are limited so having cash is essential.
Please note that there are restrictions on bringing Indian rupees into India. Visitors, including tourists, are not permitted to bring any amount of Indian currency into the country. Pounds sterling and other foreign currencies are allowed to be brought into India. For more information please visit the FCO’s Foreign Travel Advice for India.
Tipping
This is left to your discretion, however, tipping for good service in India is part of everyday life. In restaurants and for room service a 10% tip is appreciated and at smaller hotels and homestays a communal ‘tip box’ is common.
For drivers and guides, hotel staff and at national parks, the following amounts should act as a guideline. Please note that these figures are based on two people travelling together:
Tour driver: INR1000 to INR1200 per day (not per person)
Tour guide: INR1000 to INR1200 per day (not per person)
Naturalist (national parks): INR1000 to INR1200 per day (not per person)
Jeep Driver (national parks): INR 500 per day & per safari (not per person)
Hotels (communal tip for all staff): INR 1000 to INR 1500 per day (not per person)
Food & Drink
India is known the world over for its food and especially its vegetarian cuisine. Spice plays an important role in dishes throughout the country as do breads, rice, pickles and chutneys. Although nearly every region has its own speciality, there is a divide between the cuisine of northern India and southern India – the north with its meat dishes influenced by the Mughals and the lighter, fruitier, coconut based dishes of the south. Desserts are common in India with kulfi ice cream and gulab jamun two of the best known and most popular. Nearly all tend to be very sweet, milk based or fried.
The most common drink in India is chai tea which can be bought on nearly every street corner. The yoghurt drink lassi – whether sweet, salty or fruity – is also easy to find. The popularity of coffee has spread from the south whilst Indian beer is well-respected. There is also a fledgling wine industry centred on Nashik in Maharashtra.
Accommodation
There is a huge breadth of accommodation in India with styles varying across the country. India is famed for its heritage properties, the majority of which tend to be found in the north of India. These come in all shapes and sizes from beautifully restored buildings and luxury palaces operated by distinguished hotel groups to small privately owned forts and ancestral homes.
Homestays are also very popular and found throughout the country. Whether a grand and luxurious family residence, heritage property or simple abode, they offer a high level of service and a unique glimpse into everyday Indian life. Please let us know if you would like to include a homestay into your itinerary. In more remote regions, hotels are likely to be clean and simple whilst wildlife accommodation is generally either in jungle lodges or comfortable tented camps. For those looking to relax there are many excellent beachside hotels and an increasing number of retreats specialising in both Ayurveda and yoga.
Shopping
With wholesale markets and bazaars, innumerable shops and stores, India is a shopper’s paradise. The country is best known for carpets and dhurries with Rajasthan, Kashmir and Leh best for these. There is also a bewildering range of clothing, fabric and leatherwear found not only in the smallest of villages but also the largest cities. Gems, silver and jewellery (valuable or costume) are popular throughout the country but especially in Jaipur and Hyderabad whilst Kochi is noted for its antiques. Spices can be bought all over India but purchased straight from plantations in the south. Darjeeling, Assam and the Western Ghats in south India are all known for tea.
Suggested Reading
For India travel advice, Footprint, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet and Bradt have excellent guide books whilst Nelles Maps have comprehensive and up to date maps of the Indian subcontinent. There is also a wide range of literature including from famed authors such as RK Narayan, Vikram Seth, Paul Scott, VS Naipaul, Arundhati Roy and Salman Rushdie. Vivek Shanbhag's more recently translated book 'Ghachar Ghochar' also comes highly recommended. Other good books on India include:
‘India: A History’ by John Keay
‘The Great Arc’ by John Keay
‘No Full Stops in India’ by Mark Tully
‘India in Slow Motion’ by Mark Tully and Gillian Wright
‘City of Djinns’ by William Dalrymple
‘White Mughals’ by William Dalrymple
‘Chasing the Monsoon’ by Alexander Frater
‘The Tears of the Rajas’ by Ferdinand Mount
‘Plain Tales from the Raj’ by Charles Allen
‘Mughal Architecture and Gardens’ by George Michell
'Tea, Love and War: Searching for English Roots in Assam' by David Mitchell
Health
Your doctor is the best person to advise you on staying healthy whilst abroad but current recommended vaccinations are Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Tetanus and Diphtheria. Yellow Fever is compulsory, but only if you have visited an affected Yellow Fever area within 5 days prior to your arrival. In some instances anti-malarial tablets may also be needed. For current information on health advice you may wish to visit the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) website Travel Health Pro on https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/. The Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad (MASTA) website (www.masta.org) is also a useful resource.
Travel Advice
For current information on India the best resource is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) which is a comprehensive resource and updated regularly. We would also recommend visiting the Safer Tourism Foundation website (safertourism.org.uk) before you travel and will be happy to address any questions or concerns you may have.
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Our Reviews
What our clients say
We truly had the holiday of a lifetime
CM - India - March 2024
We truly had the holiday of a lifetime thanks to the exceptional guides and drivers we met along our trip in Northern India. The itinerary had the perfect balance of tours, travel days and rest days for us and was meticulously planned and executed. We'd love to use Pettitts Travel again in the future and will absolutely be returning to India.
Getting to know you
A crucial part of our process, discuss your plans with us either by phone, video or in person.
Helping you to design your trip
Entirely tailor-made, there is complete flexibility to incorporate all your requirements.
On-hand support, when you need it
Our team are on hand to answer any questions and ensure you are fully ready, and excited, for your trip.
Full confidence whilst you are away
Enjoy full support from our UK team and trusted local partners throughout your journey.
We’re pleased to confirm that Pettitts Travel will not apply any surcharges to our package holidays when we are operating as a tour operator, regardless of changes in global costs. The price you agree at the time of booking is the price you will pay, a commitment we have proudly upheld for the past 38 years.
