Best Places to visit from Kolkata during monsoon

The list of best Places to visit from Kolkata in 2days must start with the most popular destination, Digha. This coastal resort Town in the district of Purba Medinipur  is one such place that is always dancing in the holiday spirit. If you are looking for an easy escape close to nature, Digha comes in first position.

How to reach Digha?

If you want you can surely drive your own vehicle and it will be a 3-4 hours drive from Kolkata to Digha by road, but if you are looking for other modes of transportation then both trains and buses are available. Buses start from Dharmatala/ Barasat and the fare ranges from Rs.150 to Rs.400-500 approx. depending on whether you are opting for AC or Non AC mode of transport. It takes around 4-5 hours to reach there by bus. If you want to travel via train there are plenty of options as well from Howrah station. It takes around 3-4 hours to reach there via train.

Places to stay in Digha :

As tourism flourished in Digha the huge number of tourists encouraged the development of hotels and resorts as well. The option is innumerable ranging from very low almost dormitory like set up to 5 star properties. A few popular ones are –

• Abhyagama Hotel
• Le Roi
• Hotel Dolphin
• Hotel Sea hawk
• Hotel Santiniketan

places to visit from digha

As you enjoy the sea beach in digha, there are many other places that can be explored in 1 day. Below are the top sights in Digha you should not miss.

• Amarabati Park and Boating
• Digha Mohona Watch Point
• Marine Aquariam & Regional Center in Digha
• Dheusagar Park
• Nehru Market
• Talasari Beach
• Digha Science Center

Food availability :

Food is not even going to be an issue because Digha is the hub for foodies. You can enjoy all kinds of cuisines from the various restaurants there as well as street foods available at the beach side. The hot crispy fried fishes are a special attraction for the tourists as a part of sea food culture.

Overall even if you are travelling solo or in a group, with friend or with family, no matter if you have a tight budget or you have no budget constraint, if you want to enjoy the nature, the ocean or want to spend your time in a luxurious and lavish property , Digha has everything in store for you, you want it, Digha have it.

One place that truly looks like a picture with its age old charm and the red soil that gives an aesthetic touch is none other than Shantiniketan. This neighbouring town in the district of Birbhum was established by  Maharshi Devendranath Tagore and was further expanded by his son, the great Rabindranath Tagore.

How to reach Shantiniketan?

Bolpur Shantiniketan Railway station is well connected with the Howrah Station and Sealdah Station. There are good numbers of daily as well as weekly trains available. There is an option of AC Volvo buses as well and it takes about 3-4 hours to reach there. Incase you want to travel Shantiniketan by car, it is a 3 hours drive from Kolkata to Shantiniketan.

Places to stay in Shantiniketan

Hotels and Resorts are available in good numbers. It would be advisable to book them beforehand if you are visiting during a holiday time. Some of the best ones are mentioned below. The room charges start from as low as Rs.700 per day to a decent price of Rs.2000 per day.

• Rangamati Garden resort
• Hotel Royal Bengal
• Panthashala Shantiniketan
• Camellia Shantiniketan

Places to visit in Shantiniketan

There are some notably famous spots that you can visit in Shantiniketan including the Visva Bharati University, sonajhuri haat, amar Kutir, Kankalitala Kali Temple, Ballabhpur Wildlife Sanctuary.

Food availability

Food is easily available as there are small places to eat regular food at every nook and corner of the town. For a sumptuous Bengali lunch Ram Shyam Village Resort and Banabithi Hensel Ghar are very popular and affordable. There is a special Momo zone in front of Visva Bharati University Gate where there are numerous momo carts one after the other and they are very popular among teenagers.

Special mention should be made of the handicraft items available in Shantiniketan. It can be a shopper’s paradise if someone likes collecting handmade items. A huge range of handmade clothes, saris, and jewelleries are immensely popular in Shantiniketan. So if you are going there next do not forget to grab these items for you and your friends and family back home.

Mandarmani surely comes just after Digha as a popular beach location. The short distance from Kolkata and the affordability of journey and accommodation is making this one of the most enjoyable holiday destinations. Mandarmani is a resort village in East Midnapore district. It is one of the fastest developing seaside spots.

How to reach Mandarmani ?

Mandarmani is 172 KM away from Kolkata via NH16. The nearest railway station to reach Mandarmani is Contai and Digha. You will get trains from Howrah station to reach Digha and from there you can take hire rickshaws, Toto or auto to reach Mandarmani.

If you want you can travel in a bus as well. There are many options for buses that start from Esplanade and the fare starts from Rs.120. approximate time to reach the destination is 3-4 hours but that can vary on road conditions and constraints, if any.

You can also take your own vehicle or hire a car and travel through NH16 or NH16B. It takes around 4 hours to reach the destination with regular traffic.

Places to stay in Mandarmani :

You can get both cottage type resorts as well as 3 star luxurious properties in Mandarmani. Most of the hotels or resort may cost you between 1000 to 2000 Rs. Some of the most popular ones are

• Sonar Tori Resort Mandarmoni
• Sea view Resort Mandarmani
• The Golden Beach Resort
• Sonargaon Beach Resort
• Sun View Resort
• Sonar Bangla Resort

Places to visit in Mandarmani :

Mandarmani has a lot of beaches and picture perfect locations to visit. You can enjoy the scenic beauty of the mandarmani beach. The beach is very clean because of the high and low tide situation every day. You can enjoy a super fast high speed motor ride on the beach if you want some adrenaline rush. The Mohona that is the Delta is another must visit spot. The place is famous for fishing activities. And since it is a place away from the busy city you can enjoy a relaxing walk on the beach or just gaze at the gushing of waves.

Food availability in Mandarmani :

If you are at a sea beach what can be better than seafood. You will get to try a variety of sea food options including prawns and crabs which are a specialty in that area. You can try other cuisines as well from the resorts that serve amazing quality food.

If you are looking for a more peaceful beach environment with a limited crowd then Mandarmani is surely the best option. It will rejuvenate your mind away from the hustling and replenish your energies.

Some of us simply want to get lost in nature and nothing can beat Jhargram when it comes to nature and its beauty. If you love to roam and travel through green forest and hilly areas then this is a must visit place in the weekends for you.

How to reach Jhargram ?

Distance between Jhargram and Kolkata is 178km by road. You can travel by road in your personal vehicle or rented cars. It would approximately take around 4 hours to reach via NH16 and Dherua Midnapore Road. You can also travel by bus. But the most convenient and cheapest way to reach from Kolkata to Jhargram is by train. You can take a train to Kharagpur Jn, and then you need to take a cab to Jhargram. The whole journey would take around 3hours 49mins.

Places to stay in Jhargram :

You can get a decent range of hotels to stay in Jhargram. The rates start from rs.900 and range up to even Rs.4000 per day. You can easily get hotels equipped with modern and luxurious facilities like Wi-Fi and Swimming pool. Some of the best Hotels are

• Eshani Guest House
• Prince Palace Hotel
• Green View Hotel & Resort
• Aranyak Hotel & Resorts
• Jhargram Prokriti Parjoton Kendra

Places to Visit in Jhargram :

In the midst of nature, Jhargram stands tall with its picturesque beauty. There are a lot of notable places to visit In Jhargram like the Gopiballavpur Eco Tourism Park, Chilkigarh Raj Palace, Bandarvula Tribal Interpretation Centre, Tapovan, Rameshwaram temple, Jhilli Lake, Hatibari, Jhargram Zoological Park. You can also visit Belpahari, which is another notable spot in Jhargram that is 37km from Jhargram.

Food availability in Jhargram :

There are ample options when it comes to food in Jhargram. You can try the basic street food that you will get around the district. Also you can opt for a fine dine at some of the popular restaurants. If you are travelling during winter do not forget to try the sweet date palm juice and molasses which is one of the most popular products of the winter season.

Jhargram tourism has recently flourished and has very quickly grabbed the place of one of the most crowd pulling spots. If you are in a hunt to embrace nature at its best then give this tourist spot a try.

Mukutmanipur is a village in the district of Bankura. The confluence of River Kangsabati and Kumari near the Jharkhand border is one of the popular tourist places to visit in a small span of time.

How to reach Mukutmanipur ?

The distance from Kolkata to Mukutmanipur by road is 258kms via NH16 and SH 5 and it takes around 6-7 hours to reach. If you are travelling via SH 2 then it would take around 5-6 hours. If you want you can travel via train.there is no railway station in Mukutmanipur. The closest station is Bankura which is around 55kms away from Mukutmanipur. It takes almost 2 to 3 hours to reach Mukutmanipur from Bankura station.

Places to stay in Mukutmanipur :

The hotels and resorts are well maintained here with all necessary facilities. The price range varies from Rs.1300 to as high as Rs.4000. some of the popular ones are

• Aranyak Resort Mukutmanipur
• Peerless Resort Mukutmanipur
• Hotel Aparajita
• Mili Resorts
• Sonajhuri Prakriti Bhraman Kendra
• Hotel Amrapali
• Doladanga cottage

Places to visit in Mukutmanipur :

There are some beautiful spots that you can visit in Mukutmanipur like the Kangsabati Dam, Pareshnath Shiv Mandir, Musafirana Viewpoint, Banpukuria Deer Park, Ambikanagar Temple,Jhilimili Forest, Talberia Lake, Bardi Pahar. Also you just cannot miss the beautiful sunsets and sunrises when you are there. The sight is surely going to win over you.

Food availability in Mukutmanipur

You can get a variety of street food options as well as local cuisine. Do not miss to explore the variety of fish and sweets like Mecha Sandesh and Pera. However you can try other cuisines as well as authentic Bengali food as well because all the big resorts and hotels serve good quality food.

Special mention should be made about the local festivals in Mukutmanipur. You can enjoy the Mukutmanipur Loksanskriti mela in January. Another important festival there is Tusu which is a harvest festival celebrated on the last day of Poush. Raicharan mela is another special attraction in Mukutmanipur that is held in the month of February.

These are all the places that you must visit if you are a traveler with a time crunch. Take 2 days off and visit these places and return with new vigour and energy. Let me know if you have visited any of these places or wish to visit them.