When To Go

When To Go

Close to the sea, and at low altitude, Calcutta suffers a lot of humidity. It is best visited November to February, though for colour, spectacle and culture come for the 3-week Durga Puja festival of September-October. But Calcuttans hold festivals and holidays on any excuse, and it is rare to arrive without something going on. After the Holi feast of February/March, the city becomes uncomfortably hot. Later on, during the July/Sept monsoon, it is often subject to torrential floods. For the best coverage of routes in this guide, aim to arrive in late February, visiting Orissa first, then Bihar and perhaps a side trip to Varanasi, finally escaping up to Darjeeling and Sikkim, out of the heat around late March.Note: Volunteers wishing to work for Mother Teresa are generally encouraged to come between September and March, when it’s not too hot. If you write from London, you’ll receive a letter back telling you when to go. Otherwise, simply turn up at the Mother House, 54a Lower Circular Rd, Calcutta (between 12 noon and 4 pm) to be employed on the spot.
ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE

Air
The centre for exploring Bengal and the East, Calcutta has a single airport for both international and domestic flights. Indian Airlines connects it with Bagdogra (for Darjeeling), Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Bombay, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras, Port Blair, Patna, Varanasi and the many airports of Assam and north-eastern India. Air India connects it with practically everywhere via Bombay. Indian Airlines has international flights to/from Kathmandu, Bangkok, Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh. International Carriers include Singapore Airlines, Thai, Royal Nepal, Aeroflot, KLM and Royal Jordanian. British Airways have announced that they wish to restart flights to/from Calcutta and may do so in 1993.From Calcutta’s Dum Dum airport (the bullet was invented at the cantonment near here) it’s a 30-minute ride into the city centre (17 km; 10 3/4 miles) by EATS bus (regular Rs20 service from 8 am to around midnight), by taxi (about Rs50) or by air-conditioned private car (Rs200 but often negotiable) that can be booked on arrival. The EATS bus is convenient and makes drops at all major hotels, runs down Chowringhee via Sudder St, and ends up at the Indian Airlines office in Chittaranjan Rd. From here, it returns to the airport at fairly regular intervals. Dum Dum airport has retiring rooms, and there’s an Airport Hotel nearby, with five-star facilities and single/double rooms at Rs1550/1700.

Rail
There are two rail stations—sedate Sealdah station, north-east of the city centre (20 mins by taxi), which services Darjeeling; and bustling Howrah station, just over the Howrah bridge (a 40-min taxi ride from centre at offpeak times), which runs trains out to most major points, including Madras (fast Coromandel Express leaves 3.15 pm daily; 26 hours), Delhi (3 trains daily; 17-20 hours), Bombay (nippy Gitanjali Express leaves 1.50 pm on Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat; 32 hours), Varanasi (3/4 trains daily; A.T. Express is best, leaves 8.45 pm on Tues, Wed and Sat; only 9 hours) and Jammu (Hirngiri Express leaves 11 pm daily; 25 hours). Rail reservations are now computerised. Quick, straightforward booking of tickets (anywhere, any class) from the Eastern Railway Booking Office, 6 Fairlee Place (tel 222789/4025). To tap the tourist quota, find the Railway Tourist Guide, who sits on the 1st floor of this building between 10 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday. He’s really your best bet—especially when the computers break down.

Road
Long-distance buses for Darjeeling, Orissa and Bihar leave from the Interstate bus-stand, Esplanade. It is essential that you advance-book tickets. The terminus is, however, impossibly congested, and finding the bus you want is a major achievement. This goes double for any buses outside the terminus. Whenever possible, use trains for out-of-town travel.

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