Howrah Bridge
হাওড়া ব্রিজ
Also known as Rabindra Setu.
The cantilever bridge that is the city’s emblem.
About Howrah Bridge
Opened in 1943 to replace a pontoon bridge, Howrah Bridge spans the Hooghly without a single pier in the river. It was built with steel largely made in India and is held together by rivets, with no nuts and bolts. Renamed Rabindra Setu in 1965, it carries a vast flow of vehicles and walkers every day between the city and Howrah station.
Why visit
To walk it at dawn, with the city waking on both banks, is the essential Kolkata experience.
What to see and do
- The walk across on the pedestrian path
- The bridge from Mullick Ghat or from a ferry
- The lit bridge after dark
Plan your visit
- Area
- Strand Road & the Ghats, Hooghly Riverfront & Howrah
- Nearest landmark
- Between Burrabazar and Howrah station
- Best time
- Sunrise, sunset or night. October to March is the most comfortable time of year.
- Time needed
- About 40 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Entry
- Open to everyone: a street, ghat, market or park you can walk into. Public footpaths run along both sides.
- Metro
- Howrah or Mahakaran (Green Line)
- Train
- Howrah
- Getting there
- Ferries from Howrah to Fairlie Place, Babughat and Armenian Ghat pass below it.
- Walking
- Some walking
- Photography
- Photography is restricted. Photograph it from the ghats or the ferry rather than on the bridge.
Tip
Photography on the bridge itself has long been restricted. The best pictures are from the ghats and the ferries.
Nearby and related places
- Mullick Ghat Flower Market: A vast wholesale flower market under Howrah Bridge.
- Hooghly Ferry Crossing: The commuter ferry between Howrah station and the city’s ghats.
- Armenian Ghat: A ghat built by an Armenian merchant in 1734.
- Millennium Park: A landscaped riverside park along Strand Road.
- Babughat: A colonnaded ghat of 1830, built by Rani Rashmoni in her husband’s memory.
- Prinsep Ghat: A Palladian pavilion by the river, under the Vidyasagar Setu.
Walks that include it
- Riverfront Trail: Prinsep Ghat to Howrah Bridge along the Hooghly
More guides
- Places in Strand Road & the Ghats
- Heritage places in Kolkata
- Free places to visit in Kolkata
- Places to photograph in Kolkata
- Places for sunset
- Places near a metro station
- All places to visit in Kolkata
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.