The city of joy, as Kolkata is fondly called, offers much to travellers and is a delight for shoppers. From traditional handwoven textiles and books to handloom sarees, terracotta items and other souvenirs, markets in Kolkata are brimming with a fine selection of products. New Market is one of the best-known bazaars of the city. The market is lined with about 2,000 stalls that offer great choices of white 'lal paar' sarees, which are worn during Durga puja and feature a red border. You can also get good buys on Vishnupuri and tussar silk sarees. Running from Park Street to New Market, Chowringhee Road is a bizarrely beautiful market that offers almost everything under the sun. Who knows what you may find sifting through the pile of junk - maybe an ancient relic! Look out for attractive terracotta ware that is a unique speciality. The largest book market of the country, College Street, offers an unmatched variety of new and old books for the happy reader. In colloquial language, it is called ' Boi Para', which roughly translates into book locality. It is said to be the brains of the cerebral city and many believe that “if you can't find a book in college street, it probably hasn't been printed.” It is considered as the largest second-hand book locality in Asia. Gariahat Road is a great place to stock up on traditional textiles. From Benarasi silk to Kantha stitch, you can find budgeted buys on almost anything.

Located on the banks of the Hooghly river, the city of Kolkata provides many opportunities for boating and cruising along still waters. You can sail along Serampore, an old Danish colony and disembark at Barrackpore and explore the cantonment area. The quaint town of Kalna can also be reached via a boat and tourists can get down to see some of the most beautiful terracotta temples in the area. Sail upstream to Mayapur and pay your respects at the ISKCON Temple, which seems to almost pierce the skyline. The hamlet of Matiari, lying on the side of the river is another attraction. Here you can witness how brass pots and metal articles are made. Steam ahead to the ground where the Battle of Plassey took place between Robert Clive and Siraj-Ud-Daulah. You can moor at Murshidabad for the night. As you sail further upstream, the next morning, you will reach the beautiful Hazarduari Palace that houses a fine collection of china, paintings, weapons etc. Other stops along the way are Katra Mosque, Nashipara Palace and Katgola Palace. You can also enjoy a quiet boat ride at the Princep Ghat in traditional wooden boats and experience the ghat in all its majesty when it is lit up in the evenings.

Set amidst picturesque surroundings and verdant gardens, Race Course is a beautiful stopover. It is among the largest horse race venues in the country that was established by the Bristish in 1820. Several prestigious events are held at the Race Course regularly. A hotspot for elites, it sees huge footfalls in the months of July to September and November to March, when races are held. You can catch a thrilling race on Saturdays or on public holidays. Some of the prominent races include the Calcutta Derby and the Queen Elizabeth Cup. The course is also used as a ground for polo matches. While visiting here, one can either bet on a race or simply choose to watch a game of polo. Race Course is located at the heart of the city, near the Victoria Memorial, and is maintained by the Royal Turf Club of Calcutta. Tourists can also visit Maidan Ground, which is Kolkata’s biggest playground, and Elliot Park that lie in close proximity.

Popular as West Bengal’s Disneyland, Nicco Park is located in Salt Lake City. It is a fascinating site that makes for a great day out, for children and adults alike. There are around 35 rides including toy train, tilt-a-whirl, magic carpet, paddle boat, water chute, water coaster, flying saucer, pirate ship and river caves. There is a 40-ft-high waterfall and a pretty rose garden, and these views are visible as panoramas from the park’s cable car rides and the Eiffel Tower. There is even a decommissioned MIG-21 fighter plane. Nicco Park has one of Asia’s largest Giant Cyclones. The park is designed to provide 'educational recreations' – fun with learning. At the entrance of each ride, details are given about the scientific principles behind how each ride works. You can also visit Wet-o-Wild, their water park, or see a rain dance performance or a 4D movie. Besides, you visit kiosks for snacks, along with shops selling souvenirs.

The largest book market of the country, College Street, offers an unmatched variety of new and old books for the happy reader. In colloquial language, it is called ' Boi Para', which roughly translates into book locality. It is said to be the brains of the cerebral city and many believe that “if you can't find a book in college street, it probably hasn't been printed.” College Street is considered as the largest second-hand book locality in Asia. Visitors can shop for books to their hearts' content and then unwind with a cold beverage in Paramount Cold Drinks and Syrups, one of the oldest sherbet joints in the city. It has been visited by famous names like Subhash (Subhas) Chandra Bose, Satyajit Ray, Saurav Ganguly, Uday Shankar. There are several Bengali publication houses here. Tourists can also visit Vidyasagar Sarovar known as College Square, and the well-known hub for intellectuals – the Indian Coffee House. Many prominent institutes of the country dot this area, including Calcutta University, Presidency University, Sanskrit College, Scottish Church College, Medical College, Vidyasagar College, Hindu College, Bethune College, Indian Institute of Social Management and Business Management and University and Hare School. College Street runs from Bowbazar to Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing in North Kolkata. A stone's throw from College Street lies Baithakkhana, meaning parlour. It is the largest paper market in Asia and you can find a wide variety of paper here. Shop for different sizes, textures, colours, thickness and quality. Paper from this market is sourced to College Street and is used by publishers to print the books sold in the market.

You can see a cricket or football game within the premises or in the grounds nearby Eden Gardens for one of the most thrilling experiences of your life. The largest cricket stadium in India and the second-largest in the world in terms of seating capacity – it has space for one lakh cricket fans - Eden Gardens is the hub of cricket in the city. It is the third-biggest cricket stadium in the world after the Melbourne Cricket Ground and ANZ Stadium, and is among the cricket stadiums in the world to have a giant electronic scoreboard. Eden Gardens is also one of the first few stadiums in India with floodlights where day-and-night matches are held. Several important cricketing events, both local and international, including the World Cup 1987 final, the World Cup 1996 semi-final and the Hero Cup have been held here. Test matches, one-dayers and Twenty 20 international matches have also been played in this ground. Eden Gardens is the home ground for the Bengal Cricket Team and the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders.