Immerse yourself in the history of Kolkata by walking its streets. In the shadow of imperial buildings, down alleyways and along the Maidan, listen to the turbulent and multi-faceted story of the second city of the British Empire.  

In conjunction with the Glenburn Penthouse and the Calcutta Bungalow, explore the streets of Kolkata. Drink tea from clay pots and eat sweets at century-old shops. See the city’s confluence of culture in the “grey town” at the Armenian Churches, synagogues and India’s first China Town. Dive into colonial Calcutta and the crime and skullduggery that came with it at South Park Street Cemetery and the Great Eastern Hotel. Enter into the house of Subhas Chandra Bose and – of course – the spectacular Victoria Memoria, built for the Empress towards the twilight of her Empire’s existence.  

Kolkata was the first city of the British Raj. When the East India Company arrived they made camp on the east bank of the River Hooghly at the site of three bamboo villages. The settlement grew to be the second city of the British Empire. But it was not just built by the rapacious imperialists. In conjunction with the colonial bastions of Fort William, Writers’ Building and the General Post office, grew North Calcutta. This was the “City of Palace” constructed by Indian merchants who became rich in conjunction with the expansion of British India. And it was North Calcutta that became the heart of the Bengal Renaissance and the freedom fight that eventually led to Indian independence.  

These journeys are created in conjunction with the Calcutta Bungalow and the Glenburn Penthouse.