west bengal

BEACHES OF WEST BENGAL

Digha Beach:

It is close to the border with Orissa, 163 km south-west of Calcutta, on the Bay of Bengal. The beach is seven km long and wide. Here Hooghly become indistinguishable from the bay of Bengal. It is a popular resort for residents of Calcutta. Sea bathe, swim or stroll on this splendid beach town famous for its stretch of flat, hard beaches girdled with casuarinas plantations along the coast, Digha is a 5 hour drive from Calcutta. With the mild winter of ganetic West Bengal, the season to visit is on the entire year round. However, the best time of the year is July to March.

Shankarpur Beach:

This pristine, lesser-known beach lying 10 km from Digha calls you for a quiet vacation. Fringed by casuarinas plantations, this fishing village offers all the pleasures of a private beach. With the mild winter of gangetic West Bengal, the season to visit is on the entire year round. However, the best time of the year is July to March.

Frazerganj:

Head out for a soothing holiday in the unspoilt environs of this unique white sand beach. 3 hours drive from Calcutta, it is also the summer destination for a variety of migratory birds. With the mild winter of gangetic West Bengal, the season to visit is on the entire year round. However, the best time of the year is July to March.

Frazerganj is 3 hours drive from Calcutta on very good roads. It is accessible by buses or taxis and then on a vessel.

Ganga Sagar:

If you wish to combine religious rejuvenation with some fun and excitement, then head off to this uncrowded, unspoilt beach on the estuary of the mighty Ganga. Situated on an island in the Sunderbans, Ganga Sagar is a lovely destination with cultural and religious importance. With the mild winter of gangetic West Bengal, the season to visit is on the entire year round. However, the best time of the year is July to March. Ganga Sagar can be approached from Calcutta either by road and then by a vessel, or by chartered luxury vessels starting from Namkhana & Calcutta.

Digha:

is in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.

Digha is one of the most popular vacation destinations in West Bengal, particularly for people from Kolkata.

Get in:

By bus:  

Digha is a 4 to 5 hour journey by bus from Kolkata. There are regular and frequent services to Digha from the Bus Terminus (Route 6) in the Garia suburb of Kolkata. Buses run from 4AM to 8.30AM and there is a afternoon bus service from the same state transport depot. Service is regular and residents from Jadavpur, Tollygunj, Rajpur, Sonarpur can easily use the service.

There are also frequent bus services to Digha from Dharamtala bus stand of Kolkata and many other parts of West Bengal. There is bus service from Kudghat Bus Stand with two buses daily at 6AM and 8.30AM. There is also service from Dumdum station. The bus leaves Dumdum at 7.00 AM. 2 buses by CSTC from the bus stand near Ruby General Hospital start at 4:30AM and 4:45AM daily.

By train:

It is advisable to make reservations in advance for weekends and national holidays.

• [Previsoly] There are daily trains from Shalimar railway station. But from 14th June 2009 two new trains are introduce from Howrah Railwy Station, these are TAMRALIPTA SUPERFAST EXPRESS (6:40 AM) daily and KANDARI EXPRESS (2:40 PM) daily. Sometimes special trains are announced on special occasions and holidays. Notice for such trains come on widely circulated newspapers.

• Shalimar-Digha Express (2867) was withdrawn from 14th of June 2009. starts from Shalimar at 07:55 AM and comes to Santragachi at 08:05 am. Fare is Rs 56 for general class and around Rs 70 for Chair car reservation. From Digha the same train comes back at 1.30 pm and the ticket counter at Digha closes five minutes before the scheduled departure of the train. On Sundays there are 2 trains returning to Kolkata. One at 1.30 PM (2868A) and another at 6PM. Also, both the trains on Sunday go directly to Howrah rather than Shalimar which save a lot of pain getting down at Santragachi and haggling with cab drivers.

Do:

• Swimming. The best place for a dip safely is at old Digha. Cross the Sea Hawk hotel and proceed. A 5 minute walk will take you to the beach through "Jhaubans". The beach here is of flat with shallow depth .Beer is generally served at the beach by the enterprising locals who would accept payment later by coming with you to your hotel.  

• Sunbathing. 

• Volleyball.
• Horse riding

Buy:

• Ornaments Made of Sea Shells
• Curios Made of Sea Shells
• Hand woven mats Made of weeds These mats are called "Madur" in Bengali and colorful Madurs of Midnapur District are famous.
• Cashewnuts. There is a cashewnut farm in Digha and cashewnuts are cheaper here than other places of West Bengal.

Eat:

There are many cheap "rice hotels" all over Digha, serving cheap, but good quality Bengali dishes. There are some more expensive restaurants where continental food is available. In an average restaurant, vegeterian meal is available for Rs. 12-15, Bengali Fish curry-rice is available for Rs. 18-20. Meal with egg curry-rice is available around Rs. 15.

Another great idea would be to just buy the staple vegetarian fare at the hotel you are staying and have it delivered to your room. You can buy fresh fishes like ilish, pomfret, parshe, prawn etc. from Mohona, Digha fish market in the morning and have it cooked at the numerous "Dada-Boudi'r" joints around Sea Hawk. Have this fish with your standard vegetarian lunch or dinner. It is economical and funky.

Look for fried fish on the sea front in Digha, in the evening.

Those who are fussy about the quality of cooking, have transport at their command and are looking for real tasty fish preparations should go and have lunch at Shankarpur, some 14 km away - they prepare the fish much better than at Digha. The quality at Shankarpur is comparable to the Kolkata 5-star but is comparatively cheaper and the fish as fresh as you can demand. The trouble of travelling would be well compensated.

Drink:

• Green Coconut water. Green coconuts are very cheap here. A single green coconut costs around Rs.5/- only.(0.11USD) The green coconut vendors move with their cycles all along the Sea Beach.
• Alcohol. There are many bars and wine shops in Digha serving all sorts of hard drinks.

Junput beach:

is in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. It has a beautiful sea beach.

Get in:

Junput is about 9 km from Contai town and is 40 km away from Digha by bus. From Kolkata side you have to drive to Contai and then take a left turn towards Junput. It is basically a small fishing village. The beach is lonely and the sea reecedes during the tides.

Get around:

If you go there having the sea in your mind then you will be quite disappointed. The water has shifted far off from there and the only thing left is white muddy sand. If you want to visit the sea, then you will have to drive along the kachcha road towards Gopalpur. Its around 2-3 km drive from the resort. One could find a beautiful beach with fir trees and red crabs along the beach. Be sure to go during the high tide. The fir trees provide an wonderful place for picnic. The beach is really deserted and is very tranquil.

See:

• Brackish water fish Cultivation and Research Center

• The little woods just behind the resort

Do:

Leisurely walks on the beach and picnic in the fir tree plantations.

Buy:

Fresh fish from the local fishermen or bone-dried fish (Shutki)if you can survive the stench.

 Eat:

Lots Of Lobster and Pomfret. (Preferbly in Local Dhabas.)

Eating places are a rarity and the only place you will be able to eat is the Resort. They have a package system charging Rs 275-300/- per head for Bed Tea-breakfast-Lunch-Snacks-Dinner.

Drink:

You can have lots of fresh coconut water.

Sagar Island:

Sagar Island (also known as Sagar or Gangasagar) is in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Sagar Island is the southernmost part of West Bengal and is a religious spot for hindu pilgrims.

Do:

• Fishing
• Coastal trek

Shopping:

coastal trek

Eat:

There are many cheap rice hotels all over the Sagar Island, serving good quality Bengali food to the visitors.

Drink

• Always drink minaral water and avoid any thing else

Shankarpur:

is a beach town in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.

Get in:

By bus:

Buses go to Shankarpur from Dharamtala/ Esplanade bus stand, Kolkata.

Shankarpur is near Digha and the place can be reached by taking any bus going to Digha. You need to getoff at a place called Choddomile or Chaulkhola (14 miles in Bengali) between Contai (Kanthi) and Digha - just before Ramnagar. The sea beach is a 15 minute ride by a car from Choddomile. You need to book a car to pick you up from Choddomile. Ask the hotel to do the car booking.

Otherwise, you can go straight to the Digha Bus stand (a further 25-30 minute ride) and then hire a cab from there.

There is also a direct bus to Shankarpur.

The best bus to take is the 7:30AM Airconditioned bus run by the "West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation". It starts from Dharmatala Bus Stand (near the Maidan market). You need to book in advance - the earlier you do so the better.Another good bus is the Ex Armyman's Service.(Reclining seats/Video Coach)This starts from Golpark at 6.30AM and is convenient for those travelling from South Calcutta.Again,advance booking advisable.

Travel Time by Bus: 4:30-5:00 (including a 30-40 minute snack break).

You can also reach Digha by train from Howrah or Shalimar. The train starts from Howrah on certain days of the week. Only on weekends do the railway provide Aircon chaircars. From there you have to hire a taxi / In bus go to Ramnagar and from there you have to hire trekker to go to the beach(approx. 40-50 min journey)

By train:

2857 +TAMRALIPTA EXP HOWRAH JN 06:40 DIGHA FLAG STN 10:05 All days

8001 +KANDARI EXPRESS HOWRAH JN 14:10 DIGHA FLAG STN 17:50 All Days

2858 +TAMRALIPTA EXP DIGHA FLAG STN 10:25 HOWRAH JN 13:50 All Days

8002 +KANDARI EXPRESS DIGHA FLAG STN 18:10 HOWRAH JN 21:45 All Days

Second Class Sitting and AC Chair Sitting avaiable on all days

Get around:

After you get on the beach, you will see an endless stretch of sea kissing the beach. Around your feet you will see red crabs. On the left side about 45 minutes walking, you will reach Mandar Mani- a small beach. But do not take your car on the beach because you may get trapped in the quicksand. And at night on the desolated beach is a dream for the people seeking tranquility. Undoubtedly, Shankarpur is the Miami of WB.

See:

• Sea Beach

The Sea Beach near Hotel Sandy Bay is not crowded - unfortunately it is not a great beach with stumps of trees scattered all over the place. Embankment work is in progress at this part of the beach making access difficult. At places the beach is muddy. The beach near the Benfish Tourist lodges is better.

Buy:

Conch shell trinkets as souvenir.