Must-see attractions in West Bengal

  • Women plucking tea at Makaibari tea plantation, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, Asia

    Makaibari

    West Bengal

    If you like tea, you should visit this celebrated organic and biodynamic Darjeeling tea estate. Walk-in visits to the processing factory, with huge…

  • No. 272 Mountaineer narrow gauge steam locomotive in engine shed at Darjeeling Railway Station.

    Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

    Darjeeling

    The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, known affectionately as the toy train, made its first journey along its precipice-topping, 2ft-wide tracks in 1881 and…

  • Singalila National Park

    Darjeeling

    Singalila National Park covers the Indian side of the scenic Singalila Ridge, the Darjeeling region's finest trekking area, along the India–Nepal border…

  • Sunrise over mount Kanchenjunga, Tiger Hill

    Tiger Hill

    Darjeeling

    To watch the dawn light break over a spectacular 250km stretch of Himalayan horizon, including Everest (8848m), Khangchendzonga (8598m) and two more of…

  • Observatory Hill

    Darjeeling

    The hill rising above Chowrasta is home to several much-visited temples, approached through a flurry of colourful prayer flags and hanging bells. The main…

  • Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

    Darjeeling

    Within the zoo precinct, the prestigious HMI was founded in 1954 and has provided training for some of India’s leading mountaineers. Its fascinating…

  • Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre

    Darjeeling

    Established in 1959, this refugee centre includes a Tibetan Buddhist temple, workshops producing carpets, woodcarvings, wool and woollen items, plus a…

  • Happy Valley Tea Estate

    Darjeeling

    This 1854 estate on the northwest edge of town is a good place to learn about tea, especially when plucking and processing are in progress (March to…

  • Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

    West Bengal

    The 2585-sq-km Sundarbans Tiger Reserve has 100-plus Royal Bengal tigers lurking in its impenetrable mangrove forests and sometimes swimming its delta…

  • Hazarduari

    West Bengal

    Literally meaning 'house of 1000 doors', the Hazarduari was built in very English Neoclassical style for Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah in 1829–37. Not all of…

  • Bandel Basilica

    West Bengal

    The chief reminder of the Portuguese presence on the Hooghly River is the Bandel Basilica, Bengal's oldest and perhaps most loved church, built in 1599…

  • Japanese Peace Pagoda

    Darjeeling

    Perched on a hillside 2km south of the town centre, the gleaming white, 28m-high Peace Pagoda is one of more than 70 pagodas built around the world by the…

  • Sajnekhali Ecotourism Centre

    West Bengal

    This tree-shaded complex on the northern edge of the tiger reserve acts as the reserve's official gateway and contains the forest range office (where park…

  • Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park

    Darjeeling

    This zoo, one of India’s better ones, was established in 1958 to study, conserve and preserve Himalayan fauna. Housed within its rocky and forested…

  • Yiga Choeling Gompa

    Darjeeling

    Yiga Choeling Gompa, the Darjeeling area's most famous monastery, founded in 1850, houses up to 40 monks of the Gelugpa school. The serene temple has…

  • Bhutia Busty Gompa

    Darjeeling

    This temple originally stood on Observatory Hill, but was rebuilt in its present location in the 19th century. It houses fine murals depicting the life of…

  • Rangit Valley Ropeway

    Darjeeling

    The scenic Rangit Valley cable car was out of action at research time due to maintenance and an administrative/legal hiatus. Ask at your accommodation…

  • Himalayan Tibet Museum

    Darjeeling

    This well-thought-out museum (one large room) is a good, colourful introduction to Tibet and its culture. The attractive displays introduce the Dalai Lama…

  • Hanseswari Temple

    West Bengal

    About 6km north of Bandel, Bansberia is home to the imposing Hanseswari Temple, devoted to an avatar of the goddess Kali. With 13 pinnacled sikharas …

  • Batasia Loop

    Darjeeling

    If you’re travelling on the toy train, look out for this famous railway loop that goes around an open-air war memorial, erected in honour of the brave…

  • Mak Dhog Gompa

    Darjeeling

    This century-old Nyingma-school monastery is run by people from Yolmo in Langtang, Nepal, who emigrated here 150 years ago. The atmospheric upper-floor…

  • Eklakhi Mausoleum

    West Bengal

    The large, beautiful Eklakhi Mausoleum at Pandua gets its name from the reputed ₹1 lakh (₹100,000) cost of building it back in 1431. It's a domed brick…

  • Hooghly Imambara

    West Bengal

    Between Chinsurah and Bandel, you can climb the lofty clock tower of the romantically crumbling Imambara, which has breathtaking views of the Hooghly…

  • Salugara Monastery

    Siliguri & New Jalpaiguri

    About 7km north of central Siliguri, this brightly coloured Tibetan-style monastery is crowned with an imposing 30m tall chorten (Tibetan-style stupa).

  • Ghum Museum

    Darjeeling

    This museum inside Ghum station has a collection of memorabilia and photos from the bygone days of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. In an outer courtyard…

  • Druk Sangag Choeling Gompa

    Darjeeling

    About half way along the road between Darjeeling and Ghum is the huge Druk Sangak Choeling Gompa, inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 1993. Known for its…

  • Jaldapara National Park

    West Bengal

    Covering 216 sq km of lush forests and grassland on the western floodplain of the Torsa River, Jaldapara National Park is a refuge for about 200 Indian…

  • Katra Mosque

    West Bengal

    On the east side of Murshidabad, the handsome, pink-brick Katra Mosque features two tall corner towers and multiple domes (some now fallen in)…

  • Kathgola Gardens

    West Bengal

    Within the tree-shaded Kathgola Gardens are the interesting mansion of a Jain trading family originally hailing from Murshidabad, dating back to 1873; an…

  • Lloyd Botanic Garden

    Darjeeling

    These half-hidden gardens contain an impressive collection of Himalayan plants, most famously orchids and rhododendrons. Follow the signs down Loch Nagar…

  • Institut de Chandernagor

    West Bengal

    In the old French governor's mansion on Chandannagar's riverfront road, the Institut has an interesting museum telling the story of colonial history on…

  • Adina Masjid

    West Bengal

    The vast Adina Masjid, just west off NH12 (old NH34), 19km north of Malda, was India’s largest mosque when constructed by Sikandar Shah in the 14th…

  • Guru Sakya Gompa

    Darjeeling

    This fortress-style Sakya-school monastery, established in 1909 and with a big new temple consecrated in 2015, conducts prayer sessions between 5.30am and…

  • Dhirdham Mandir

    Darjeeling

    Darjeeling's most conspicuous Hindu temple is a replica of the famous Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. It’s easy to find – just below Darjeeling train…

  • House of Jagat Seth

    West Bengal

    The extensive mansion of a Jain family that achieved high influence under both the nawabs and the British, the House of Jagat Seth is home to an eclectic…

  • Samten Choeling Gompa

    Darjeeling

    The active Tibetan-style Samten Choeling Gompa has the largest Buddha statue in West Bengal, a chorten containing the ashes of the German Buddhist mystic…

  • Ambootia Tea Estate

    West Bengal

    The organic and biodynamic Ambootia Tea Estate, down in the valley on Kurseong's west side, welcomes visitors to its aromatic factory and is a good…

  • Nasipur Rajbari

    West Bengal

    This palace of a 19th-century tax collector for the British is in a state of quaint dilapidation. The pillared hall in front of the temple at the rear is…

  • Baradwari Mosque

    West Bengal

    Built by Sultan Nasrat Shah in 1526, the Baradwari Mosque once had 44 golden domes. The dignified stone arcade of its eastern corridor is still intact.

  • District Museum

    West Bengal

    Bishnupur's small museum is worth a look for its collection of painted manuscript covers, stone friezes, musical instruments and folk art.

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