How To Spend A Day In Kolkatas Dharmatala Neighborhood

Located in the heart of Kolkata, Dharmatala is one neighborhood you simply cannot leave out while touring the city. Rich with history and sites of attraction, this vibrant community has enough to keep you enthralled for an entire day. Here’s our guide to how to experience historic Dharmatala in 24 hours.

Morning

Start your day at Kolkata’s historic New Market. This market, which dates back to 1874, has survived two major fires and several floods to remain the city’s prime shopping destination. New Market has over 2,000 stores trading in a delightful variety of items from textiles and fashion accessories to fresh produce and electronics. With plenty of popular street food stalls and other eateries, the market will seamlessly occupy all of your morning. Stop by Nahoum & Sons (est. 1902), one of Kolkata’s most celebrated bakeries, for a breakfast of fruit cakes and brownies.

New Market, Lindsay St, New Market Area, Dharmatala, Taltala, Kolkata, India

Nahoum & Sons, F20, Bertram St, New Market Area, Taltala, Kolkata, India, +91 89104 13921

Afternoon

If you have worked up an appetite while walking around the bustling by-lanes of New Market, then head down to Kasturi Restaurant for an authentic Bengali lunch. Once you’ve feasted on their signature Kochupata Chingri Bhapa or steamed shrimp, the Indian Museum—one of Kolkata’s prime custodians of local history and culture—awaits you at just a five-minute walk away. The museum, founded in 1814, boasts of a rich collection of artifacts, artwork, and other exhibits from periods across India’s rich past.

Kasturi Restaurant, 7A, Mushtaq Ahmed Road, Kolkata, India, +91 83349 22225

India Museum, 27, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, Colootola, New Market Area, Dharmatala, Taltala, Kolkata, India

Evening

If the Indian Museum’s rich displays have provided satisfactory fodder for your mind, then the lush green fields of the Maidan located west of Dharmatala is where you should go next, for a calming, breezy walk. If time permits, you can head down south to the Victoria Memorial, among Kolkata’s most iconic colonial-era monuments. For a relatively more laid-back evening, walk north to the historic Shaheed Minar—the grounds around it are ideal for people-watching or a quick picnic.

Shaheed Minar, Dharmtala bus stop, Dufferin Rd, Kolkata, India

Victoria Memorial Hall, 1, Queens Way, Kolkata, India

Night

End your day in Dharmatala with dinner and drinks at one of the area’s hippest rooftop bars, Blue & Beyond. Great music, vibrant crowds and sweeping views of the bustling neighborhood wait for you here, along with delicious fusion food.

Blue & Beyond Rooftop RestoBar, 8A & 8B, Lindsay Street, Lindsay Hotel, Opp New Market, Kolkata, India, +91 33 3025 8377