Markets and shopping streets

Old bazaars, book stalls, flower and craft markets: where Kolkata buys, bargains and browses.

Kumartuli

• Kumartuli: The lanes where the city’s gods are made from river clay.

Hatibagan

• Hatibagan Market: North Kolkata’s pavement market for saris, clothes and everything else.

Maniktala

• Maniktala Market: A clock-tower market famous for its fish.

Jorasanko & Chitpur

• Chitpur Road (Rabindra Sarani): The oldest road in the city, lined with trades that survive nowhere else.

College Street

• College Street (Boi Para): A kilometre of book stalls between the city’s oldest colleges.

Bowbazar & Old Chinatown

• Tiretta Bazaar Chinese Breakfast: Momos, pork buns and fish-ball soup sold on the pavement at dawn.

Burrabazar

• Mullick Ghat Flower Market: A vast wholesale flower market under Howrah Bridge.

Sealdah

• Koley Market: The wholesale vegetable market beside Sealdah station.

Esplanade & New Market

• New Market (Hogg Market): A Victorian market hall of 1874 with a clock tower.

Park Street

• Oxford Bookstore: A Park Street bookshop that has been open since 1920.

Kalighat

• Kalighat Patuapara: The south’s own idol-makers’ lane, near the temple.
• Lake Market: A neighbourhood market with a South Indian flavour.

Alipore

• National Library of India: The country’s largest library, in the grounds of Belvedere House.

Ballygunge & Gariahat

• Gariahat: South Kolkata’s shopping crossroads for saris and pavement bargains.
• Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture: A cultural institute at Golpark with a library, a museum and evening talks.

Dhakuria

• Dakshinapan: An open-air court of state handloom and handicraft emporia.

Patuli

• Patuli Floating Market: A market on boats moored in a lake by the Bypass.

Thakurpukur & Joka

• Gurusaday Museum: A museum of Bengal’s folk art: kantha, scrolls, dolls and terracotta.

Salt Lake (Bidhannagar)

• Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre: The government cultural centre for eastern India, with craft fairs and performances.

More ways to explore Kolkata

• Heritage places in Kolkata
• Museums and galleries in Kolkata
• Ghats on the Hooghly
• Places of worship to visit
• Hidden gems of Kolkata
• Free places to visit in Kolkata
• Family-friendly places
• Places to photograph in Kolkata
• Classic food stops and sweet shops
• Parks, lakes and green spaces
• Things to do on a rainy day
• Places for sunset
• Places near a metro station

Last checked on 2026-10-02. Each place was checked to exist and its position confirmed. Timings, closing days and ticket prices are shown only where known and can change: confirm before you travel.