An onslaught on the senses

Kolkata doesn't believe in half-measures: You'll either love the city or hate it, but be prepared for it to get under your skin - and unlike the inevitable grime that'll wash off at the end of the day, this extreme relationship will be a lot harder to get rid of. From the raucous cawing of the crow - the city's most prominent bird - to the constant cacophony of car horns, and from the sprawling slums to the man-drawn rickshaws (still being slowly phased out), Kolkata is an onslaught on the senses. To get a true idea of the city's core, one has to go beyond the obvious.

Try venturing out at the crack of dawn, when the city stretches itself to the grey skies and the emerging sun: head to the banks of the Hooghly river, a tributary as venerated - and as polluted - as the holy Ganga, where life quietly beats to a centuries-old rhythm. Or make time at twilight to linger in the Maidan (home to the Eden Gardens), the sprawling green expanse in the heart of the city that evokes almost more passion among residents than art and literature. Almost, we said - for it takes just a visit to the ramshackle College Street, lined with decrepit bookstalls and ancient coffeehouses, to decide this is where you feel the city's true pulse. It's easy to lose oneself in Kolkata - but if you do, ask a passerby: chances are, he won't give you directions back, he will escort you home.

April and May are the hottest months in Kolkata (average temperatures between 32-42° C). Wear cottons. It's a conservative but casual city: Shorts won't raise eyebrows but singlets will.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport, formerly Dum Dum, connects Kolkata to the rest of the country, with daily flights to all major cities. Daily international flights also connect the city to Singapore, Dhaka, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo daily.

Within the city, with multiple levels of bus services, trams, a Metro (India's first), yellow cabs, radio taxis, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws and radio cabs, Kolkata is well provided for public transport. But buses, trams and the Metro can get very crowded during rush hours and ahead of big-ticket events like cricket matches.

The Metro follows a north-south route, with each of the 20 stations well-connected with their catchment areas. Fares start at Rs 5 and go up to Rs 25 for a single ride. Pick up a Tourist Smart Card for Rs 250 (single day) or Rs 550 (three days) if you plan to use it extensively. For Eden Gardens, ride till the Esplanade station and walk the rest of the way, about 15 minutes.

Or hail a yellow cab. Fares start at Rs 25 and most cabbies are willing to go anywhere - including your designated gate at Eden. Alternatively, use an app-based taxi.

Choose your accommodation according to your budget. All these places are within a 3.5km radius of Eden Gardens.

High-end
The Taj Bengal (from Rs 10000) is a modern luxury hotel with all the trappings. More centrally located is the Oberoi Grand (from Rs 12000), housed in a magnificent colonial structure. The Park Hotel (from Rs 7500) is a boutique five-star hotel on Park Street, the nightlife headquarters.

Mid-level
The three-star Astor (from Rs 5000) boasts one of the best kebab restaurants in town in Kebab-e-que. The Floatel (from Rs 4200) is a unique floating hotel on the Hooghly, stationed very close to Eden Gardens, with great discounts for internet bookings. Peerless Inn (from Rs 5000) is also excellently located for the stadium.

Budget
Try Hotel Rose Valley (from Rs 2800), which offers air-conditioned rooms and breakfast. Hotel Aston is a good bet for business travellers (from Rs 1750). There's also Sunflower Guest House (Rs 1000), which offers a convenient location and decent rooms.

From street food to five-star restaurants, you're likely to be spoilt for choice. A full-on Bengali meal is a must if you enjoy experimenting with cuisines; alternatively, there are plenty of places offering European/Chinese/South Asian food.

High-end The Sunday brunch buffet at ThreeSixtyThree°, the Oberoi Grand, is to die for. Pan Asian at the ITC Sonar has the city's best line-up of Asian dishes. At standalone Zaranj, you can sample excellent North Indian cuisine.

Mid-level Oh! Calcutta at Forum Mall has a choice of Anglo-Indian and Bengali food. Visit Kewpie's, at 2, Elgin Lane for authentic home-style Bengali food. Mocambo, off Park Street is a culinary throwback to the 1960s, with prawn cocktails and sizzlers on the menu.

Budget Arsalan is a tiny hole in the wall serving some of the best biryani in Kolkata. Bijoli Grill Food World is a true son of the soil, serving fresh, hot fast food. Eau Chew is a New York Times-reviewed restaurant serving superb Chinese food out of a home.

Kolkata is liberal with its deadlines, especially over the weekend.

High-end
Roxy and Tantra, both at the Park Hotel, are the city's glitziest party places. Dubai's opulent nightclub Boudoir came to Kolkata recently and is now where all the EDM DJs stop by.

Mid-level
Shisha - Bar Stock Exchange, located atop a shopping mall on Camac Street, is a bar, lounge and outdoor deck rolled into one. Privy Ultra Lounge serves inexpensive tipple in a nightclub ambience.

Budget Most of the many bars dotting Park Street will offer you a tipple and a snack at prices that will not pinch.

Experience a country boat-ride on the Hooghly. Go to Princep Ghat or Babu Ghat, fix a price with a boatman (between Rs 50-100), and cruise down the river the way it's been done for millennia.

Amble through New Market, a century-old market that's hard to beat for ambience. The better shopping has shifted to boutiques and malls, but look out for kitschy bargains.

Sink your teeth into a rossogolla or a sandesh from KC Das. Made out of milk solids - the roshogolla in a sugar syrup, the sandesh its dry counterpart - they can be very, very sweet.

Take an organised walk through Chowringhee or a three-hour river cruise. You'll get a glimpse of everything from the colonial heritage to Park Street razzmatazz and Kolkata aristocracy. Contact www.calcuttawalks.com for details. Costs from Rs 1250 per person.

Visit Belur Math, headquarters of the spiritual movement founded on the principles of the Vedanta. A serene 40-acre property on the outskirts of the city, it has temples and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna monastic order.

Taste a kathi roll - kebabs wrapped in grilled unleavened bread. If the hygiene levels at the numerous street eateries bother you, ask for one at any upscale multi-cuisine restaurant. You can't leave the city without eating at least one.