Kolkata is a heritage city with so much to offer to the people visiting the city or already living there. It would be a different kind of excitement to explore the city and its heritage culture. For both a visitor as well as a city dweller there is a lot that the city has in store. And nothing can be better than taking a tour of this heritage city. And for that reason the West Bengal Government took the initiative to offer a unique experience in the city. Now you can explore the city in a cruise if you opt for the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise. A cruise ride is anyway an enjoyable activity. And this specific ride would also ensure that you get to see some of the popular heritage locations of the city as well.
Amongst all the things that you can enjoy in the city the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise Tours are surely attracting a lot of attention. This is indeed one of the popular recreational activities to enjoy in the city and you also cannot miss out on this one. A ride on this river cruise will be enjoyable, exciting as well as a lot of fun for sure. So if you wish to enjoy some pure fresh air while you ride on a cruise on the serene Hooghly River. Then you need to try this activity. Keep on reading this article as here I will mention everything that you probably need to know about the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise ride. This will be a helpful article for you if you are planning to enjoy this cruise ride in Kolkata.
Kolkata Heritage River Cruise
Location: Millenium Park, Millenium Park Jetty, Fairly Place, B B D Bagh, Kolkata, West Bengal
Timings: From Monday to Friday the Cruise timings are 6 pm in the evening. And on Saturdays, Sundays and Government Holidays there are two timings. One is from 5 pm and the other is from 6:45 pm. The duration of each ride is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Ticket Price: Kolkata Heritage River Cruise ticket price is Rs. 169 per person. You will have to reach the spot to collect your tickets from the ticket counter. The ticket counter is located in Millenium Park just outside the Cruise location or the jetty. There is no option for Kolkata Heritage River Cruise ticket booking online. As of now only offline tickets are available for this ride. The ticket counter opens 2 hours before the ride and you will have to buy tickets from there only. Also 15 minutes before the ride the gates will open. Till then you will have to stand in a queue outside the main gate.
How to reach
The location of the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise is the Millenium Park Jetty and you will have to reach there to avail the cruise ride. There are however multiple options that you can avail to reach there from different parts of the city and beyond.
By air
If you are travelling by air then the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata is the nearest airport to reach the park. From the airport the location is 17.3 km away and you can reach there in about 40 minutes. You can however easily take a cab or hire a yellow taxi to reach there from the airport conveniently. Or else you can take buses to reach the location of the river cruise as well.
By train
While travelling in a train the nearest railway stations to reach the location of river cruise are the Sealdah station and the Howrah Station. The Sealdah station is located at a distance of 3.6 km and you can reach there in about 14 minutes. And the Howrah Station is located at a distance of 3.9 km and you can reach there in about 15 minutes. You will get multiple buses from both the stations to reach the location of the river cruise. Or else for a convenient way of travelling you can also opt for a cab or take a yellow taxi to reach there as well.
In terms of local railway station however the closest railway station is the B B D Bagh Railway station. From there the location is only 400 meters away and you can just walk for about 5 minutes from there to reach the river cruise location.
By road
There are multiple city buses from different locations within the city and beyond to reach the location in BBD Bagh. So you can either opt for that or else you can take a cab or a yellow taxi as well. However you can also travel by your own vehicle as well to reach there conveniently.
By metro
It is convenient to reach the park by metro and the nearest metro station is the Central Metro Station. From the Central Metro Station the location is only 1.8 km away and you can reach there in about 6 minutes.
Overview of Kolkata Heritage River Cruise
The Kolkata Heritage River Cruise is an initiative taken by the Government of West Bengal. The main motive behind this initiative is to explore the heritage city of Kolkata. Also the initiative would make sure that the heritage locations in the city get highlighted and the visitors can catch a glimpse of some of them in a single cruise ride. At first when this initiative started the price of the ride was Rs. 39 per person. The main idea behind the pricing was to ensure that a ride like this is accessible to majority sections of the people. But with time the price was hiked to Rs. 169 which is the current pricing.
However, on the basis of the experience that you are getting here the ticket price is worth it. You seriously need to experience this ride to know the excitement yourself. According to Kolkata Heritage River Cruise reviews this activity is a very popular activity at the Millenium Park. For the visitors visiting Millenium Park the River Cruise ride is one of the major attractions for sure.
So if you are visiting there then this is something that you cannot miss out on. This is basically a river cruise ride over the Hooghly River and it starts from the Millenium Park Jetty in BBD Bagh. Each of these rides continues for a duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It is a serene ride that can accommodate 150 people on the cruise at one point of time. There are a total of 2 decks here, one upper deck and a lower deck.
What’s more?
The authorities however term this ride as Kolkata Heritage River Cruise Ride with Live Music. And the Live Music certainly is one of the exciting parts of this ride. If you are a nature lover who loves being amidst nature then this ride will be extremely exciting for you. There is a live music band that performs old Bengali songs, songs by Rabindarnath Tagore and many more that totally sets the ambiance. The musicians are also highly skilled and would offer you the best experience. The music is available on the upper deck. So in case you wish to enjoy that you need to grab your seat on the upper deck of the cruise.
The lower deck however has a more serene atmosphere and here you would get to enjoy nature more. The view here is beautiful and is much calmer than the upper deck. The seats here are available on a first come first serve basis. So you will have to stand in a line first to get the best seat according to your personal preference.
Also there is a café that is present in the cruise itself and they sell light refreshments like tea, coffee, chips, biscuits, cakes and some snacks. So in case you wish to munch on some food during your journey or want to sip on some tea or coffee you can buy it from here.
Major attractions of Kolkata Heritage River Cruise
The River Cruise covers some of the important historical locations during its duration of 1 and a half hours. You would get to observe the Howrah Bridge and passing from under the bridge in cruise would be an experience in itself. Then you would also get to see the Howrah Station, cremation spot of Rabindarnath Tagore and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Jagannath Ghat, Eden Gardens, High Court, Vidyasagar Setu, Princep Ghat etc. There are guides here as well who will explain about each of these spots to you and will also help you in spotting them.
The sunset is one of the major attractions of this ride. If you opt for the 5 pm ride you would get to enjoy a beautiful view of the sunset. While the sun sets the whole sky and the water changes its colour, it looks beautiful. Also by the time the journey starts the sun will still be there. But by the time the journey ends and you are returning, you would see a lit up Millenium Park that looks magnificent. The ride starts from the Millenium Park Jetty or the BBD Bagh Jetty. The cruise then moves northwards towards Ahiritola. Along the East bank of Hooghly it then moves towards the Western Bank taking a U turn. And finally the cruise returns again to the beginning spot. It will be truly an enchanting ride of 1 hour and 30 minutes so make sure you are trying it once.
Wrapping Up!
So that was all about the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise Ride and it will be a memorable experience to enjoy in the city of joy. You can check out the Kolkata Heritage River Cruise photos to check out how captivating the cruise looks. Moreover this whole ride will offer you some experiences that you would like to etch in your memory forever. So while you are exploring Kolkata this cruise ride should be a must do activity in your list. So when are you planning to enjoy this beautiful ride on the Hooghly river? And let me know if this article is helpful for you in planning a trip to this location.
