Amazing tour
August 26, 2024
The tour was amazing. Our guide gave us a lot of information about all the religions that live toghether in Calcutta. I recomend the tour
Kolkata: Full-Day Spirituality & Temples Tour
About this activity
Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Duration
8 Hours
Live tour guide
English
Overview
Explore Kolkata, the second largest city of India, it's rich cultural and spiritual past in this full-day tour of the city which takes you to some of the oldest temples, churches, and synagogues representing the beautiful culmination of different religions.
Highlights
- Dive in spirituality and get a chance to visit the different auspicious centers of this grand city.
- Get to know the different cultures and their unique traditions and beautifully they are interwoven into one other.
- Enjoy a ferry ride over the Hoogly river with locals and witness the city’s skyline.
- Share a refreshing Kolkata special Masala chai and know about the rich history of the City of Joy.
Description
Explore the City of Joy and its rich spiritual background in this full-day tour of Kolkata which begins and ends in the city. This 8-hour long tour will get you acquainted with the rich cultural history of this city which was home to many communities together! Start your day at around 8:00 in the morning with your guide picking you up from your hotel. The first stop on the tour is the Dakshineshwar temple, one of the most revered temples of Kolkata dedicated to the goddess Kali. This 18th-century temple is an architectural marvel with a height of 100 ft and a massive courtyard.
The second spot on the itinerary is the Belur Math temple which is separated from the earlier one by the river Ganga. Take a fun ferry ride like a local to reach this site which attracts people of a different faith from across the world! The temple is a place for pilgrimage for people of different religious faiths and exudes a sense of peace like nowhere else! After this, take the ferry back to reach your car and head towards your next destination, the Magen David Synagogue. One of the largest synagogues around Asia and an important site tracing the origin of Jews in Kolkata, the place will have you swooning with its architecture and intricacies.
Travel further, to the next destination, the Kalighat temple. One of the 52 Shakti paths (places where the various parts of Sati's body are believed to have fallen, in the course of Shiva's Rudra Tandava) of India. An extremely important pilgrimage site this temple is dedicated to the goddess Kali and attracts a huge number of devotees around the year. Explore this site as your guide acquaints yours further with Hindu mythology.
Next on the line is the pristine and utterly stunning Parasnath Digambar Jain temple. One of the most revered shrines for people of the Jainism faith, this temple has a scenic appearance to itself with a beautiful garden decorated with glass mosaics and silver European-styled deities. Don’t forget to see the lamp which has been perpetually burning since the inception of the temple, i.e. 1867! Before proceeding to your last stop, stop for a hearty Bengali lunch (at your own expense) at one of the best-known local restaurants, and once you through proceed further to your last stop at St John’s Church.
One of the first few buildings erected by the East India Company, the Church is also called the Stone Church built in the Neoclassical architectural style with its interiors decorated with beautiful wood carvings and marble bass relief work. The Church also holds many important memorials including Job Charnock, the founder of Kolkata. End your tour with a flavorsome masala chai in earthen cups with your guide before the driver drops you back at your hotel.
Inclusions
- Hotel pickup and drop off.
- Mineral Water Bottles.
- Transport throughout the trip in an air-conditioned chauffeur-driven car.
- A private, live English-speaking tour guide.
- All parking, tolls, driver allowances, fuel, and taxes.
- Ferry ride.
Exclusions
- Additional Meals & beverages
- Tips
Departure details
- We pick up all travelers
- Pick-up and drop-off service provided from all hotels located in Central Kolkata Region. For Hotels, outside of Central Kolkata, Hotel Pick & drop provided at additional cost.
Know before you go
- Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
- Knees & Shoulders to be covered in all places of worship.
- Shoes/Slippers to be removed or covered at all places of worship.
What Our Travelers Are Saying on TripAdvisor
4 Reviews
Great overall but communications could have been better
November 26, 2023
This was my 2nd trip booking for a Kolkata "Spirituality" tour in Tripadvisor/Viator. The first was marked "pending" that Viator support somehow said was confirmed -which was a little suspect. As there had been no response from the operator, I decided to cancel it rather than take the risk of losing my payment. So, Viator, please be consistent in your messaging. The second booking with another operator, fortunately, went through smoothly. The tour operator was fairly responsive and I felt confident enough to proceed with payment. Pickup was arranged at my hotel but there was a change in pickup time though, and the guide and I somehow missed each other, which resulted in a slight delay. Transportation provided was a nice air-conditioned car with chauffeur. The guide Mr P Sen is a knowledgeable and friendly middle-aged local whose rapport and familiarity with the security at sights such as Belur Math and Dakshineswar proved to be an invaluable asset. These were also the key places I wanted to visit. A minor niggle though, but the tour company did not seem to convey to him what had been "pre-sold" to the client. It would have been useful to do a pre-tour introduction on the itinerary as some destinations were apparently not available that day and there had been no prior communication. Fortunately, those were not key to me and Mr Sen was also amenable to changes and insertions in the program. So all-in-all, an above average experience. Certainly for this sort of tour, the quality of the guide is key and which I was absolutely happy with. Better overall communication regarding trip planning on the part of the operator would have gained the tour a higher rating. As for using Viator, well I will continue to be selective and scrutinize the operators beforehand to ensure a smooth booking experience.
Great tour of Kolkata temples
October 17, 2023
Mr. Sen, the guide was most helpful and took a lot of pains to ensure we had a great experience. Belur Math and Dakshineswar were wonderful. One of the highlights was Kumartuli where we saw artisans at work. Great experience - recommend highly.
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Full-day Kolkata tour
Cultural history Kolkata
Dakshineshwar temple
Belur Math temple
Ferry ride Kolkata
Magen David Synagogue
Kalighat temple
Shakti paths India
Parasnath Digambar Jain temple
Jainism shrines Kolkata
Bengali lunch Kolkata
St John’s Church Kolkata
Neoclassical architecture Kolkata
East India Company buildings
Job Charnock memorial
Masala chai Kolkata
Explore the City of Joy
Rich spiritual background of Kolkata
Full-day tour of Kolkata
Rich cultural history of Kolkata
Dakshineshwar temple dedicated to goddess Kali
Belur Math temple across the river Ganga
Ferry ride like a local
Magen David Synagogue
largest in Asia
Kalighat temple
one of the 52 Shakti paths
Parasnath Digambar Jain temple with glass mosaics
Hearty Bengali lunch at a local restaurant
St John’s Church
built by the East India Company
Neoclassical architectural style
Job Charnock
founder of Kolkata
Flavorsome masala chai in earthen cups
