Are you being bored at home during the weekend? Planning to hit the roads with your friends but don’t know anything about the weekend destinations from Kolkata in West Bengal? Don’t worry you will get a lot of information about the places you can hit during weekends. West Bengal is a place which offers various types of tourist attraction starting from nature’s nest to spiritual place; West Bengal has a lot to offer to the tourists. You can go hiking or visit a spiritual place or visit the beaches to have a great time with your friends during the weekend. If you are looking to go away from the daily hustle-bustle of urban life & have a great lazy & relaxed weekend with your family or friends, then West Bengal is the best place for you.
1. Digha :
Digha is West Bengal’s most favourite sea resort. It has a glittering sand beach extending up to 7 km in length. The sunrise & sunset from Digha is just mesmerizing. The sun rays reflect upon the salty glittering waters if the Bay of Bengal which is something special which tourists can enjoy a lot here.
The beach is surrounded by casuarina plantation which makes this coastal destination more happening & special to enjoy with your friends or family during the weekend. The scenic beauty of this place is something different apart from the other beaches of West Bengal.
Distance from Kolkata: 187 Km
2. Shankarpur :
Shankarpur is a virgin beach town located near Digha. It is also known as a fisherman’s paradise. You can get to see the fishermen getting ready to go to the sea & catch the fishes. You can taste great fresh fishes after they will come back from the sea.
Watching the fishermen hauling their huge nets out of the sea on the cool mornings feels just magical. This beach is also referred to as a twin beach of Digha. You can also visit the Shankarpur beach if you are planning to have a relaxed weekend & watching the gentle waves of the Bay of Bengal along with your friends or family.
Distance from Kolkata: 200 Km.
3. Tajpur :
Located in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, Tajpur is famous for its clean beaches & dense tamarisk trees. During the daytime, you will see beach sand covered with numerous red crabs & during dawn, you will get to see delightful seagulls making noise. The beach is distributed between Mandarmani & Shankarpur. Tajpur also has around 1400 acres of land dedicated to pisciculture.
It is one of the best-hidden beach destinations in India. If you are looking for a relatively less crowded & peaceful atmosphere, then Tajpur is your place. You can enjoy adventure activities like kayaking, snorkeling, rafting, water Zorbing, boating, coastal biking & many more. Tajpur is also a perfect place for camping.
Breathtaking ocean view & green surroundings can give you an unforgettable evening experience. Some camps also offer bonfire camping. So what are you waiting for? Grab your beer, enjoy the soulful solitude under thousand stars & listen to the blissful sound of the ocean.
Distance from Kolkata: 175Km.
4. Jambudwip Island :
Jambudwip Island is an isolated island situated in the Bay of Bengal. It’s about 8 Km. away from Bakkhali. Jambudwip is famous for its fishing grounds & the natural creek for safe harboring. The fisherman from Chittagong & Noakhali came here for fishing in the past.
You will be excited to see the fishing skills of the fishermen at Jambudwip Islands. You can also enjoy freshly baked fishes which tastes great. If you want to have a hassle-free, relaxed & peaceful weekend trip, you should surely visit Jambudwip Island.
Distance from Kolkata: 125 Km.
5. Birbhum :
Birbhum or ‘The Land of Red Soil’ (Lalbhumi) or the ‘Land of the Brave’ as many brave kings dominated Birbhum since the beginning. Many festivals are celebrated in this culturally rich district such as Poush Mela, Besanta Utsav, Kenduli Mela, etc. This district has a special essence of folk songs, bauls & eternal nature. Holi or Vasant Utsav is also a popular festival here which is celebrated with colours & joy.
You can get the true spirit of Bengal in the form of local folk music & dance which makes the other people blend into it perfectly. If you want to experience spiritual essence during the weekend you can surely have it here. You can visit Tarapith, Phullaratala, Kankalitala & a lot of most visited other Hindu temples where you can surely have a different experience.
Distance from Kolkata: 185 Km.
6. Shantiniketan :
Shantiniketan, a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal famous for Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore & Vishwa Bharati University. It is also famous for its fairs and festivals like Poush Mela (December), Joydev Mela (January), Basanta Utsav (March), and the famous mystic Baul singers.
People can enjoy Poush Mela in December which is very unique. Poush Mela or Utsav is an annual fair and festival that takes place in Shantiniketan, marking the harvest season. Commencing on the 7th day of the month of Poush(January), the fair officially lasts for three days, although vendors may stay up until the month-end.
The key characteristic of this fair includes live performances of Bengali folk music, notably Baul music. The silence & solitude in Shantiniketan will make your weekend perfect.
Distance from Kolkata: 210 Km.
7. Bishnupur :
Bishnupur, a small city in the state of West Bengal where visitors can sense the medieval Bengal, amazing terracotta handicraft & the famous Baluchari sarees. The Malla rulers in Bishnupur worshiped Lord Krishna & Radha. They built the famous terracotta temples which are now world-famous during the 17th & 18th century at this place.
You can see Rasmancha, the oldest brick temple of Bishnupur as well as India, with an elongated pyramidal tower surrounded by hut-shaped turrets. Can also visit Shyam Rai Temple, Madan Mohan Temple, Jor Bangla Temple & many other places.
You should also visit Panchmura, the only terracotta village in Asia while being in Bishnupur. Here you can enjoy the making of terracotta handicrafts.
The oldest music college in Asia is also in Bishnupur. If you are travelling to Bishnupur during the weekend, you can enjoy ‘Poramatir Haat’ where you can enjoy shopping for rural handicrafts, folk dance & many other activities worth spending the time.
Distance from Kolkata: 140 Km
8. Mandarmani :
Mandarmani is a sea resort village in the East Midnapore district. It is one of the most visited, large & fast growing Sea resort villages in West Bengal. Red Crabs roaming around the 13 km long beach makes the beach more happening & special than ever before.
This is literally a lonely beach which gives more inner peace to the tourists who come here in search of solitude & get in touch with Mother Nature. Just sit on the shore of the beach & listen to the waves crashing upon the shore or just swim around in the sea.
This will surely relax & refresh your mind & body both. It is perhaps the longest motorable beach in West Bengal, which will give you a brand new thrill which you never experienced before.
Distance from Kolkata: 170 Km.
9. Bakkhali:
Bakkhali is one of the many islands spread across the southern side of West Bengal. Most of the deltaic islands are part of the Sunderbans except few ones. This island is on the vast expansion of the Bay of Bengal. This crescent-shaped beach is one of the famous spots for watching sunrise & sunset.
Bakkhali is a destination for every type of traveller, be it family, kids, or couples. Bakkhali Beach is an 8 Km long beach that tourists enjoy a lot, stretching from Bakkhali to Frasergunj. Except for the holidays, this beach is not so crowded.
If you are travelling with their better half, the walk by the beach will be just so romantic & enjoyable that they can never forget the memories.
Distance from Kolkata: 125 Km.
10. Henry’s Island :
Henry Island is a small island in Bakkhali which is named after a European who surveyed the land in the late 19th Century. You can also have a look at this island from Bakkhali Watch Tower which is just mesmerizing. There is a stretch of mangrove jungle on this island which is accessed by a small bamboo bridge.
Tourists can find various types of trees like Gora, Kankru, Palm, Sundari & Hetal there. You can have a great time with your friends or your family if you are travelling there at the weekend. Enjoying the lush greenery along with the gentle ocean waves will just make your weekend perfect.
11. Sagar Island :
Sagar Island is 20 Km back from Bakkhali where tourists have to drive back to Namkhana & then avail the ferry service to cross the Muriganga River & reach to Bakkhali. Gangasagar Mela is organized in January month of every year on Makar Sankranti which attracts millions of Hindu Pilgrims to this Sagar Island to the temple of Kapil Muni & takes a dip where Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal.
Sagar Island is also known as Ganga Sagar. This island is also famous as a popular bird-watching spot due to its agricultural habitat, small river channels & mangrove swamps. This Ganga Sagar fair is the second largest congregation of mankind after Holy Kumbh Mela.
Distance from Kolkata: 110 Km.
12. Sundarbans :
Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located at the southern tip of the 24 Parganas district. The name Sundarbans came from one of the mangrove plants known as Sundari (Hertitiera minor).
Sundarbans are also part of the world’s largest delta formed by the river Ganga, Brahmaputra & Meghna. Situated on the lower end of the Gangetic West Bengal, Sundarbans is crisscrossed by hundreds of creeks & tributaries.
Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal, halophytic mangrove forests in the world. The mangrove forest of Sundarbans is the largest Tiger Reserve & National park in the world. Apart from having the world’s largest mangrove forest, it is also home to one of India’s most iconic wildlife species – the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Sundarbans have also been enlisted amongst the finalists in the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
Distance from Kolkata: 110 Km.
13. Bakreshwar :
Bakreshwar is another Shakti Peethas of the fifty-one Shakti Peethas around the country. It is believed that the forehead & brows of Devi Sati fell here. There is also Natural Hot Water Spring around the temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Bakranath & the goddess kali.
You can enjoy bathing at the natural hot water spring during winter weekends. It will be a great experience for you. You can also have a relaxed weekend at Bakreshwar as you will get mental peace here. You can opt for self-drive to reach Bakreshwar which will be a great experience for you & your companions.
Distance from Kolkata: 215 Km.
14. Purulia :
The lush green landscape, dense forests & sky-high hills make Purulia a perfect tourist destination. The attractions of Purulia centers on its forest, hills & the relics of ancient temples & buildings. The tribal culture of Purulia also enriches the charm & natural beauty of the land of Red soil & Red blooms of Palash.
This is also the home of the famous Chau dance. This compact city is very much famous for its scenic & religious places like Kalyaneswari temple, Chandi Temple, Nehru park, etc. You can visit Ayodhya hills where they can get to see wild animals.
It is part of the Dalma hills & extended part of the Eastern Ghats range. You can also enjoy roasted chicken along with bonfire & live tribal music which can give you a never in a lifetime moment.
Distance from Kolkata: 290 Km.
15. Murshidabad :
Murshidabad, town & district of West Bengal, was once the capital of Bengal, Bihar & Odisha. The most visited place of Murshidabad is Hazar Duari Palace which means ‘A Palace of 1000 doors’. This palace really has 1000 doors according to its name, among which 100 are fake.
This palace is now transformed into a museum. This is regarded as the biggest site museum of the Archaeological Survey of India. You can also visit Bara Imambara which includes Madina Mosque & Nowbat Khana, Clock Tower, Bachchawali Cannon, Zurud Mosque, Katra Mosque which was built by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan himself, Jahan Kosha Cannon, Tomb of Daughter of Murshid Quli Khan, Azimunnisa Begam, Khos Bag which is the tomb of Siraj ud daulah & family, Jafarganj Cemetry where tombs of Mir Jafar & family lies, House of Jagat Seth – The famous businessman of Bengal, Kathgola, Nimak Haram Deuri or Traitor’s gate which is the entrance to the biggest traitor of Bengal – Mir Jafar’s palace, Rosnaiganj Garden & many other places.
You can opt for self-drive to reach Murshidabad which will be a great weekend tourist destination.
Distance from Kolkata: 200Km
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