How to Travel Kolkata

Getting around Kolkata

Kolkata has the most layered transport system in India — the country's oldest metro, its cheapest metro fares, the only working tram network, hand-pulled rickshaws still in service, and yellow Ambassador taxis that are as much a symbol of the city as the Howrah Bridge. All of it is cheap. Budget ₹100–300 a day.

🚇 The metro — India's oldest and cheapest

Kolkata Metro opened in 1984, the first in India, and it remains the cheapest metro system in the country — and by some measures the cheapest in the world.

A ₹5 minimum fare. Compare that with Delhi's ₹11 and Mumbai's ₹10.

• Line 2 (Blue), North–South — Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash, the busiest corridor and the one tourists use: it serves Dum Dum, Shyambazar, Sovabazar, Central, Chandni Chowk, Esplanade, Park Street, Maidan and the southern suburbs. First train about 6:50 AM, last about 9:40 PM.
• Line 3 (Green), East–West — Howrah Maidan to Sector V, and it contains India's first underwater metro tunnel, crossing the Hooghly river at a cost of about ₹8,600 crore. Fares ₹5–30 on this corridor. This is how you reach Howrah station from the city without crossing the bridge.
• Orange Line phase 1 (Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay) — fares ₹20–45

A tourist Smart Card is about ₹250 for one day or ₹550 for three, with unlimited rides. Ten stations are named after Bengali literary and cultural figures, which is worth noticing.

Clean, safe, air-conditioned on the newer stock, and used by over 500,000 people a day. It is the correct way to cross Kolkata north to south.

🚋 Trams

Kolkata is the only city in India with a working tram network, running since 1902. Routes are now limited and services infrequent, but a tram ride through central Kolkata is about ₹10–20 and is one of the great cheap experiences available anywhere. Take it as sightseeing rather than as transport — it is slow.

🚕 Taxis

The yellow Ambassador taxi is Kolkata's icon and it is metered. The fare structure is about ₹30 for the first 2 km, then ₹3 per 200 m thereafter — so a 6 km trip is roughly ₹90. Flag them down from the roadside; they are plentiful in the centre and thin in the suburbs.

Many drivers now quote a flat rate rather than using the meter. Insist on the meter or check the same trip on Uber first. The meter will win.

Air-conditioned radio taxis and Uber/Ola run ₹150–600 across the city and are the answer at night or in monsoon rain, when yellow taxis become scarce.

🛺 Autos and Uber Toto

Kolkata's auto-rickshaws run fixed routes, like buses, rather than taking you door to door. The fare is about ₹10–30 for the whole route. You board at a stand, you go where the route goes, you get out. It is cheap and efficient if your destination is on a route and useless if it is not — ask before boarding.

Uber Toto is a Kolkata speciality: electric rickshaws bookable through the Uber app, with about ₹30 base plus a ₹15 booking fee. They operate in Howrah, Barasat and Madhyamgram in the north, and Rajarhat and Salt Lake in the east — not in the central tourist areas.

Hand-pulled rickshaws still operate in parts of north Kolkata. They are a heritage sight and morally uncomfortable; most visitors decline them and there is no shortage of alternatives.

⛴️ Ferries across the Hooghly

Crossing to Howrah by ferry costs from about ₹6 and takes ten minutes, versus 30–60 minutes by road across the Howrah Bridge in traffic. Ghats on the Howrah side include Howrah Station, Golabari, Bandha Ghat, Ramkrishnapur and Belur Ghat (the last for Belur Math). It is the best-value transport move in Kolkata and the view of the bridge from the water is worth it on its own.

🚆 Arriving

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (CCU) is at Dum Dum, about 15–17 km north of the centre, and the metro's Dum Dum station is nearby — though the connection from the terminal still involves a short taxi or auto hop.

Taxi fares from CCU in 2026:

• To Sealdah (19 km, 30–50 min) — yellow cab ₹240–320, AC prepaid ₹420–530, Uber/Ola ₹320–550
• To Park Street — Uber/Ola ₹380–550 at base rates, surging above ₹700 at peak
• To Howrah station (25 km, 45–70 min) — yellow cab ₹350–450, AC prepaid ₹600–750, Uber/Ola ₹480–850

Rail: Howrah (HWH) and Sealdah (SDAH) are the two great terminals, with Howrah on the far side of the river and Sealdah on the city side. Shalimar (SHM) and Kolkata (KOAA, at Chitpur) handle long-distance services too. Check which one your train uses — they are kilometres apart and on opposite sides of the Hooghly.

⚠️ Practical

Howrah Bridge traffic is the worst in the city. Do not plan a road crossing at peak. Use the Green Line metro underneath the river, or the ferry.

Monsoon (June–September) floods low-lying streets and the metro becomes essential. Trams and taxis stop in standing water.

Kolkata's street selling is the mildest of the major Indian cities. The city is famously unbothered by tourists and there is far less gate-side pressure than in Delhi, Agra or Jaipur. The main financial annoyances are unmetered taxi quotes and hotel 'commissions' on guides.

Durga Puja in October shuts the city down and transforms it. For about five days every street becomes a pandal, traffic stops entirely, and millions of people walk from one installation to the next. It is the most spectacular thing that happens anywhere in India — and the most difficult time to move around. Plan for it deliberately or avoid it deliberately.

For what all of this costs, see the Kolkata budget guide.