Kolkata/East
East Kolkata (পূর্ব কলকাতা Pūrba Kalkātā) consists of the new growth areas on the eastern side of Kolkata, based around the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (EM Bypass). Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes have come up along the EM Bypass at a rapid pace. These expansions are spearheaded by the formation of New Town and the extension of Sector V. Science City is a major attraction of the area.
Understand
East Kolkata covers the northern parts of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (EM Bypass, or simply the Bypass) and Tangra (New Chinatown). New Town is covered as a separate district.
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (ইস্টার্ন মেট্রোপলিটান বাইপাস Isṭārn Meṭropaliṭān Bāipās), also known as EM Bypass, or simply the Bypass, is the arterial road of East Kolkata. It runs north-south, from Ultadanga to Baruipur, and is dotted with major hotels, hospitals, business parks, residential blocks, and other high-end construction and development. The metro line 6 runs across the Bypass, and hence it is locally called Bypass Metro.
Tangra
Tangra is one of the two Chinatowns in eastern India, the other being Tiretta Bazar. The locality was once home to 20,000 ethnic Chinese; now the population has dropped to 2,000 or so. The traditional occupation of the Chinese community here had been working in the nearby tanning industry and Chinese restaurants. The area is still noted for the Chinese restaurants where many people flock to taste traditional Chinese and Indian Chinese food. Historically, there were many opium dens in this area, which is illegal nowadays.
Get in
The district is extensive and still developing. Cycle rickshaws are available for short trips wherever there is a regular demand for them. Point-to-point auto-rickshaw services are there but are not as extensive or frequent as in some other parts of the metropolis.
By metro
East Kolkata is served by Green 2 and Orange 6 lines. The Green Line has stops at Bengal Chemical, Salt Lake Stadium and Phoolbagan, whereas the Orange Line has stops at Ritwik Ghatak, Barun Sengupta and Beleghata.
By train
East Kolkata can also be reached by local trains, with stops at Bidhannagar Road and Sir Gurudas Banerjee Halt.
See and do
- 🌍 Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan (বিশ্ব বাংলা মেলা প্রাঙ্গণ), JBS Haldane Ave (metro: Barun Sengupta 6 , bus: Milan Mela
). Previously known as Milan Mela, it is a permanent trade fair complex. Fairs of different kinds are held at regular intervals. 
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- 🌍 Dhapa (ধাপা Dhāpā). Despite being a major landfill site where the solid waste are dumped, more than 40% of the green vegetables in the city's markets come from here, being a prominent example of peri-urban agriculture in Kolkata.
- 🌍 Forum Atmosphere (metro: Ritwik Ghatak 6 ). A luxury residential building, consisting of two tower blocks and a structure called "Deya" connecting the two. Deya is the world's first residential floating sky sculpture, and it houses the residents' community and recreational facilities, including a swimming pool, gymnasium, spas, running track, sporting facilities, virtual golf, cinema, meeting spaces and function facilities.
Lakes
- 🌍 Captain Bhery Park (Eco & Aquatic Hub). Captain Bhery is one of the remnants of the vast series of wetlands east of Kolkata before the establishment of Salt Lake City.
- 🌍 Mirania Lake (তোপসিয়ার ঝিল Topsiẏār Jhil). A popular boating lake.
- 🌍 Subhas Sarobar (সুভাষ সরোবর), Phoolbagan (metro: Phoolbagan 2 ).
Museums
- 🌍 Boat Museum, Ambedkar Bhawan, Cultural Research Institute, Kankurgachi. A museum dedicated to the history of boats in Bengal. The building also contains Puppet Museum, Kantha Museum, and a collection of tribal artefacts. It houses 46 wooden replicas of boats that depicts Bengal's boat heritage. The cargo boats of the Sundarbans, coastal fishing boats, and popular flat-bottomed boats of North Bengal to all-purpose dinghies have been featured here. It also exhibits a replica of Rabindranath Tagore's Padma boat and a replica of a boat from the Mohenjo-daro era.
- 🌍 Science City, JBS Haldane Ave, Parama Island (metro: Barun Sengupta 6 , bus: Science City ). 9AM-9PM. It is one of the most spectacular science centres in India. The size of the Science City baffles first-time visitors. It features a lot of interactive science and live bioscience exhibits, as well as having Kolkata's first OMNIMAX theatre. It consists of Dynamotion Hall, Earth Exploration Hall, Science Exploration Hall and Space Odyssey.
Buy
- 🌍 Mani Square, 164/1, Maniktala Main Rd (off EM Bypass, metro: Bengal Chemical 2 ). Restaurants include KFC (3F), McDonald's (GF), Flame & Grill (4F), Haka (4F), Khandani Rajdhani Restaurant (4F), Machan (4F), Mio Amore (4F), The Shack (4F) and Square 4o5.
- Orchid Point, 3/1A, UC Banerjee Rd, Kankurgachi. It houses most major brands.
- 🌍 Silver Spring Arcade, EM Bypass (metro: Beleghata 6 ). Restaurants include Mainland China (3F), Masque (3F), Oh! Calcutta (3F) and Sigree (1F).
- 🌍 Swabhumi, 89C, Narkeldanga Main Rd (Inox ). Here one can sample local arts and crafts as well as some of the food from its various stalls.
Eat and drink
- 🌍 Byepass Dhaba. Noon-1AM. North Indian.
- 🌍 OG by the Lake, 11A, E Topsia Rd, ☏ +91 98310 06395. M-F noon-11:30PM. Outdoor seating, and a glasshouse with floral-deck ambiance. Offers Asian, Continental, Italian and North Indian food. Handmade mocktails and coffee served.
Tangra
- 🌍 Beijing Restaurant, 77/1, Christopher Rd, Tangra, ☏ +91 33 23281011, +91 33 23283998. Chinese cuisine. Drinks served.
- 🌍 Big Boss, 54C Matheswartala Rd, ☏ +91 33 23282405, +91 33 23290777. Chinese cuisine. Drinks served.
- 🌍 China Town, Tangra. Chinese cuisine.
- Golden Joy, 50/1, Matherswar Tala Rd (Near Gobinda Khatick Post Office), ☏ +91 33 65350880, +91 9051870888. Chinese cuisine. Drinks served.
- Kafulok, 47, Govinda Khatick Rd, ☏ +91 33 23291953, +91 33 23282288. Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served.
- Kim Ling, 13, South Tangra Rd, ☏ +91 33 23298923, +91 33 28650996. Chinese cuisine. Drinks not served.
- Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant, 50/2, Matheswartala Rd, ☏ +91 9830968711, +91 33 23299540. Chinese cuisine. Drinks served.
Sleep
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room: | |
| Budget | Under ₹2,000 |
| Mid-range | ₹2,000–5,000 |
| Splurge | Over ₹5,000 |
Budget
- 🌍 NRI Residency, CIT Rd, Kankurgachi, info@NRIResidency.com. Offers guesthouse-style accommodation with clean and large AC rooms with Western-style private bathrooms. ₹1,050-1,200.
Mid-range
- 🌍 Visitel - A Boutique Hotel, 78, Canal Circular Rd, ☏ +91 12462 01612. Check-in: noon, check-out: 11AM. ₹2,350-6,680.
Splurge
- 🌍 ITC Royal Bengal, 1, JBS Haldane Ave.
- 🌍 ITC Sonar Kolkata, 1, JBS Haldane Ave, ☏ +91 33 2345 4545, fax: +91 33 2345 4455.
- 🌍 JW Marriott Hotel Kolkata, 4A, EM Bypass, ☏ +91 33 6633-0000. It has the city's largest ballroom, with privacy spaces like The Living Room. Unlike many chain hotels, it offers Bengali food, especially the signature "chingri macher malai". ₹26,550.
- 🌍 The Pearl Hotel Kolkata, 35Z, EM Bypass, Beleghata (opposite Salt Lake Stadium), ☏ +91 33 4000-2883.
- 🌍 Raajkutir - IHCL SeleQtions, 89C, Narkeldanga Main Rd, ☏ +91 33 3501 4460. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. ₹7,000.
Connect
Libraries
- 🌍 State Central Library, 17, CIT Rd, Scheme VI-M, Ultadanga. 11AM-8PM (closed Su). The library has a collection of books, manuscripts, journals, a digital archive for rare books, along with a digital Braille and the Talking Book section.