Weekend getaways from Kolkata

West Bengal's favourite seaside resort, the 'Brighton of the East': twin Old and New Digha beaches, the new Jagannath temple, a marine aquarium and hinger kochuri breakfasts. Direct trains from Howrah make it easy.

Best time: Year-round (peak October to March)

Tagore's UNESCO-listed university town: heritage walks through the Visva-Bharati campus, the weekend Sonajhuri haat with baul singers, kantha and dokra shopping, and the Kopai river countryside.

Best time: October to March

The world's largest mangrove delta and home of the Royal Bengal tiger. Cruise the creeks between Sajnekhali, Sudhanyakhali and Dobanki watchtowers, sleep at an island lodge and feast on fresh crab. Closed 23 June yearly.

Best time: October to February

Perhaps India's longest motorable beach: kilometres of firm sand dotted with red crabs, beachfront resorts, jet ski and ATV rides, and the fishing-village mohana at the river mouth. Quieter Tajpur beach is next door.

Best time: October to March

Citadel of the Malla kings and Bengal's terracotta temple town: Rasmancha, Shyamrai and the Jorbangla temple, the giant Dalmadal cannon, plus Baluchari silk sarees and terracotta crafts to take home.

Best time: October to February

A former French colony an hour up the Hooghly: stroll the lamp-lit Strand, visit the Dupleix Palace museum, Sacred Heart Church and Nandadulal temple. Dazzling during Jagadhatri Puja in November.

Best time: Year-round (November for Jagadhatri)

A low-key deltaic beach on the Sundarbans' western fringe: 8 km of hard sand from Bakkhali to Frasergunj, mangrove walks and a watchtower on Henry Island, and bhut-bhuti boat rides out to Jambudwip island.

Best time: October to March

The Nawabs' old capital on the Bhagirathi: the thousand-door Hazarduari Palace museum, Nizamat Imambara, Wasif Ali Manzil and Motijhil lake, plus Murshidabad silk. The Hazarduari Express makes it an easy rail weekend.

Best time: October to February

A riverside retreat 50 km down the Hooghly, built around an Anglo-Indian fort turned luxury resort: watch ships drift past, take river cruises, and pair it with nearby Diamond Harbour's lighthouse and old fort.

Best time: Year-round

Kolkata's classic short river escape, where the Hooghly widens toward the sea: breezy embankment walks, the ruined 16th-century Chingrikhali fort, a lighthouse and fresh-fried fish, with suburban trains from Sealdah.

Best time: Year-round (best in winter)