Located along the eastern bank of the Hooghly River in the lower Ganges Delta, Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. This 350-year-old metropolis is the heart and soul of eastern India with its crumbling colonial architecture, elegant gardens, countless temples and bustling bazaars. Celebrated as the birthplace of the early 20th-century Bengal Renaissance, Kolkata is a major centre for drama, art, film, theatre, literature, spirituality and music. Visitors can roam the streets and soak up the atmosphere of faded grandeur, or take a ride in a rickshaw to one of the many Indian restaurants serving mouth-watering Bengali cuisine. Must-see highlights include: the Victoria Memorial, with its east-meets-west architecture; the Indian Museum, with its range of rare artefacts; and the Kali Temple, an important pilgrimage centre for Hindus.
Arrive Kolkata. Upon arrival, you will be received at the airport and will be assisted for your transfer to the hotel. Check-in at hotel. Hotel’s check-in time is 1400 hrs.
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight: Glenburn Penthouse
The Glenburn Penthouse is located in the heart of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, near the Victoria Memorial. Accommodation options consist of nine exquisite suites with workspaces, comfortable beds, and seating areas. Suites with private living rooms and verandas/terraces/balconies are available. Facilities include a rooftop terrace, a restaurant, and a swimming pool.
Day 2: In Kolkata
After breakfast, enjoy the Calcutta chronicles tour.
Calcutta has never been just a city; it is an evolving story, a grand stage where history, intellect, and artistry converge in the most unexpected ways. While its museums house exceptional narratives of the past, the city itself is a living museum—a space where culture thrives not behind glass cases but on the streets, in the voices of its people, and in the lanes that echo with stories.
This full-day walking trail is an immersive exploration of Calcutta’s most vibrant characters—artists, poets, bookbinders, rickshaw pullers, intellectuals, and storytellers—each contributing to the city’s distinct charm. This is not just a heritage walk; it is a moving dialogue between the past and the present, an ode to the minds that make Calcutta a depot of intriguing thoughts.
This is not just a heritage walk—it is an invitation to experience Calcutta’s soul through its people. Every street, every shop, every ghat has a voice, waiting to be heard. Whether you are an artist, a thinker, or simply a traveler in search of stories, this full-day journey ensures that you don’t just visit Calcutta—you become a part of its continuing narrative.
Calcutta Chronicles will include visit to the following spots / places
Tagore House
Victoria Memorial
Princep Ghat
Dalhousie Square (White Town)
Indian Museum
Kumartuli
Public Ferry Ride (If time permits)
Overnight at the hotel
Day 3: Embark ABN Cruise
After breakfast, you will be met at your hotel to embark your ship by midday. Sail past the Old Danish colony of Serampore to Barrackpore. Land and take a walk through the cantonment – past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame and Flagstaff House – to get a better understanding of India’s journey to independence. Sail up to Chandernagore, a French possession until 1950.
Assam Bengal Navigation (or ABN) is an Indo-British joint venture. With four cruise ships and a houseboat, ABN is the most experienced operator on Indian rivers. In 2003, ABN pioneered long-distance river cruising in India with a unique cruises on the Brahmaputra River in Assam. Later in 2007, ABN was also the first to run cruises on the River Hooghly (Lower Ganges) between Kolkata and Farakka.
Day 4: ABN Cruise
Visit the 18th century church and Dupleix’s House, the erstwhile Governor-General of French India. Sail upstream past the Old Dutch settlement of Chinsura before landing to visit the imposing Imambara at Hooghly. With verses from the Koran written on its walls, the Imambara is an opportunity to step back in time and relive a slice of Islamic history in Bengal. Sail into the night to a mooring near Kalna.
Day 5: ABN Cruise
After breakfast, land at the country town of Kalna and take rickshaws to see a group of some of Bengal’s most attractive terracotta temples, the unique Shiva temple with concentric rings made up of 108 shrinelets, and a muslin-weaving centre. Continue on through the countryside to Mayapur to visit the vast new (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple which dominates the skyline. As the headquarters of ISKCON or the Hare Krishna movement, the temple receives over a million singing and dancing devotees a year from around the world. Sail on through the night to a mooring near Matiari.
Day 6: ABN Cruise
This morning visit the brass-working village of Matiari, a charming riverside village. Interact with the locals of Matiari and witness the whole primitive process of beating out brass water pots and other vessels. Later, cruise on and visit the battlefield of Plassey where, in 1757, Robert Clive, the Commander-in-Chief of British India, defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, to change the course of Indian history. Moor close to Khushbagh for the night.
Day 7: ABN Cruise
This morning, walk to the Khushbagh, a peaceful Mughal-style garden that encloses the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daulah – the last independent Nawab of Bengal – and his family. Continue a little way upstream to where the great Hazarduari Palace dominates the waterfront. Built by an English architect in 1837, the palace hosts an extensive collection of pictures, china, weapons and other objects. Carry on to visit the great Katra Mosque before driving out to see the Katgola Palace. Built in classical Georgian style by rich local merchants, Katgola Palace represents the other side of the coin of the ‘White Mughal’ period when English and Indian cultures came close to fusion. Moor overnight on the riverbank across from town at Baranagar.
Day 8: ABN Cruise
This morning, walk through the fields of the delightfully sleepy village of Baranagar to visit its three gorgeous miniature terracotta temples. This is rural India at its most idyllic. Continue up the lower Ganges (or the Hooghly), which transforms into a charming waterway twisting and turning between banks lined with mustard fields and mango orchards. Carry on up a long canal section to a mooring close to the Farakka Barrage.
Day 9: ABN Cruise
After breakfast, proceed for a full-day excursion by road to Gaur, near the town of Malda, or English Bazar. This quiet, deserted place was once one of India’s great cities, first under the Hindus in 12th century, then as the Muslim capital of Eastern India from the 14th to the 16th century. There are plentiful remains of mosques, palaces and gateways and you visit a number of the most interesting before re-joining the ship in the evening.
Day 10: Disembark ABN Cruise to Kolkata
After breakfast, transfer to Farakka railway station in the morning for a 4 hr (approximately) train journey to Kolkata.
(The itineraries, including cruises and approximate durations, are subject to river and weather conditions.)
On arrival at Kolkata, our representatives will meet you and transfer to your hotel.
Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at Glenburn Penthouse
Day 11: Depart Kolkata
In time transfer to Kolkata airport to board your fight for onward destination.
