1. Have a cup of creamy Viennese Coffee and a sinful Strawberry Cube at Flury’s on Park Street. This must-have tea-time cake laden with marzipan, cream and all things nice accompanied by a cup of their signature brew will surely warm your cockles as well as give you a sense of the history of the place.
2. Take a boat ride on the Hooghly that snakes its way through the city. This is a great way to watch the life on the banks, unravelling before your eyes in a slow and unrushed manner. Late afternoon is the best time to hire one of the numerous noukas or country boats at the Princep Ghat. Watch the sky change colours as the boatman rows you into a golden sunset.
3. Go on a tonga ride around the Victoria Memorial in the evening. Best undertaken in winter, while this activity might be obviously touristy, there is some amount of charm in the ride around the greenest and prettiest part of the city. Take your loved one, climb on to the carriage and slip into another era. Tongas are available for hire in front of the Victoria Memorial.
4. Indulge in the unforgettable rich plum cake from Nahoums, an Armenian bakery in New Market which used to make the best Christmas cakes and remains a part of every Calcuttan's Christmas itinerary. While the last Armenian owner, David Nahoum recently passed away, his employees continue to keep his legacy alive and run this age-old establishment.
5. Catch the best live music in town at Someplace Else in the Park Hotel. This iconic bar has developed an identity of its own, nurturing new musicians and initiating generations of young people into the hallowed world of rock n roll. Whatever be your favoured style – blues, jazz, or good old-fashioned rock n roll, Someplace Else provides something for every kind of music aficionado.
6. Olypub is a dusty old character-laden bar on Park Street which is a good place to catch a quick beer and a fine Steak Chateaubriand. They grill this meat in magical ways and rare, medium or well done you are likely to get a surprisingly wonderful steak as well as some great conversation with the regulars who patronize the joint. While a recent fire shut the establishment, everyone is waiting for the pub to reopen.
7. Eat a chello kebab platter at Peter Cat , a food experience you cannot leave Calcutta without. This entirely appropriated version of an Irani classic withsucculent mutton/chicken kebabs on a skewer, buttery rice, roasted vegetables and an egg fried sunny side up on top, makes it a perfect symphony of flavours. No wonder hundreds of chello kebab platters roll out of the restaurant’s kitchens.
8. End a night out on town with the sumptuous Chinese Breakfast or Yum Cha at Tiretti Bazaar, Poddar Court. Freshly prepared by the Chinese community in the city, this breakfast includes everything from honeyed pork to succulent chicken buns. You have to be an early riser to catch it as the food is laid out around 5:30 am and finishes by 7 am.
9. Visit Kumartuli to check out this artisan community that showcases some of the most beautiful art work by local craftsmen, sculptors and potters as they make idols of gods and goddesses. Visit in the run-up to the Durga Puja to see the colony buzzing with activity.
10. Eat the typical and mouth-watering Kolkata-style biryani at Arsalan, complete with the saffron grains of rice, melt-the-mouth chunks of meat, whole fragrant potatoes and a boiled egg.
11. Indulge in a typically Calcutta midweek activity and visit either Saturday Club or Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CCFC) for a lively bar night. These erstwhile colonial sports clubs have a relaxed charm and vibe that is entirely their own. You need to befriend a member to make your way into the club,s but once there just sit back, chat and drink the evening away.
12. Take a tram ride down Red Road, the central artery of the city. This is a lovely way of enjoying this laidback and historical city and the ride is through the Maidan, which is one of the greenest stretches in Kolkata.
13. Revisit Tagore’s life at the Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the ancestral home of the Tagores. The house has been restored and converted into a museum and gives visitors an insight into the life and influences of this noble father of Bengali art, music and culture.
14. Discover the marvellous architecture and history of the erstwhile zamindars, intellectuals and student revolutionaries on a North Kolkata walk. The labyrinthine lanes of the old city offer surprises at every turn and an organized walk by companies like Calcutta Walks or a resident who knows the history of the area can add value to your wanderings in this atmospheric part of the city.
15. Take a morning walk along the promenade of the vast Dhakuria Lake and follow it up with a lebu cha right outside any of the gates, a quintessential South Calcutta early morning experience.
16. Catch a play or film at Nandan, the epicentre of Calcutta’s cultural activities. The place is always buzzing with foreign film festivals, international dance performances and local, national and international theatre performances.
17. Visit a traditional fish market and watch the innumerable fresh fish on display as well as the whole process of assessing, bargaining and buying. Mornings at the Gariahat Market are a good time to experience an ordinary day in the life of a fish market.
18. Take in the imposing Gothic architecture of St Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of the city. The seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calcutta, this is a grand sprawling structure with an awe-inspiring midnight mass on Christmas eve.
19. Volunteer or simply visit Mother House, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, which has great historical value as the one-time abode and resting place of Mother Teresa.
20. Don't miss a photo-op at the Malik Ghat flower market thriving on the banks of the Hooghly. This colourful mess of all kinds of beautiful fresh flowers, right below the Howrah Bridge is a sensory early morning experience.
21. Visit Calcutta University and Presidency College, world renowned academic institutions, which are worth a visit for their architectural styles. Take a walk down the corridors that have produced numerous eminent personalities. Both are on College Street
22. Victoria Memorial might be an odd relic from the Raj. but it is grand, opulent and worth a trip. Its lovely lawns under the shadow of a massive statue of Queen Victoria are a great picnic spot.
23. Give in to your religious side at the Kalighat temple. This chaotic and ancient temple is much venerated as one of the 51 Shakti peethas and is believed to be the spot where the toes of the Goddess Sati fell to earth.
24. Do not miss a football match in progress at one of the clubs in the Maidan to get a feel between the legendary rivalry between the Mohan Bagan and East Bengal football teams. The practice matches are usually free and there is a lot of good natured ribbing that goes on during the game as supporters gather on to cheer their favourites.
25. Stay at the Fairlawn Hotel which is renowned for its famous guests like Dominique Lapierre, Shashi Kapoor (there is a room named after him). The hotel has a cluttered Victorian air and till very recently, had a wonderful proprietor, the indomitable Mrs Violet Smith, who would watch over single female travelers with a watchful eye and would regale anyone willing to listen with stories of a bygone era.
(This was published in the New Indian Express Bangalore on 13 November 2014)
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