Princep Ghat in Kolkata, India

Princep ghat is a nice location for afternoon and evening sitting which is located just beside the river Hooghly (almost beneath the Vidyasagar setu). The memorial was built during 1841 to commemorate the Anglo-Indian scholar named James Princep. During the weekend a lot of people visit this park. Also the couples prefer this landmark as a meeting place before spending some quality time together. The edifice is Roman style and stands over beautiful columns. This place gives an opportunity to see the bridge from a close proximity.

Someone practicing orchestra?

When I was there during the middle of the day, a group of Army bands were practicing the orchestra. They were playing several Bangla classic songs which were really nice to enjoy. There were benches to sit on and I took one of those to enjoy the show. Not sure whether they do it on a regular basis or not. I believe they were practicing it for a bigger show somewhere.

Edifice of Princep ghat with Vidyasagar bridge at backdrop.

Activities you can do nearby:

There are a couple of ghats near the place. You can spend a few moments there to see the river activities in Hooghly. From small boats to large vessels passes through the river. Also you can hire a boat from there to explore the river and see the city of Kolkata from the river. Morning and around sunset are the best time to do the boat trip. Also it would be a nice experience if you go there during night time as it looks different under colourful lights.

An orchestra was going on while I was visiting the place.

How to Go there:

Princep ghat is a landmark in Kolkata. You can ask any taxi driver to drop you there. The taxis are cheap in Kolkata compared to other western countries. It should be around 2-5 Euro from most of the hotels. If you are used to the public transportation in Kolkata then you could use the train as the train station is nearby. Also several buses pass beside the place. The Kolkata metro line is slightly far from the place and shouldn’t be a good option.

View of the Princep ghat edifice from behind.

Other places nearby:

There are several other iconic landmarks that are very close to Princep ghat. The famous Eden gardens stadium is one of them (if you are a cricket fan). Maidan and the great Victoria memorial are other attractions within 30 minutes of walking distance. Fort William is also nearby but don’t know whether you could visit it publicly.

Princep ghat and the Vidyasagar bridge.

Where to stay

Booking.com

Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal. That’s why you’d find plenty of high or low quality hotels around. And most of the hotels are available to book through online. I’ve stayed in a cheap hotel (probably named Hotel oriental, and rent was 1000 rupees). You can find a list of hotels from Kolkata from this link. Just FYI, not all hotels from Kolkata can accept foreign guests as they need to maintain some sort of minimum standard and formalities.

I was enjoying the orchestra for a brief period of time. They were performing a lot of classic Bangla songs which gave me goosebumps.

Opening and entry fee

This place remains open 24 hours and doesn’t require any entry fee. Although I am not sure about the security of the place during late night. Ask your hotel manager for advice if you wish to visit the place late at night.

Nice sculpture of Elephants made of grass.

When I was there the sky was full with dark clouds and the rain was imminent. Also I wanted to visit the Botanical garden of Kolkata as well. So I had to leave early by leaving the orchestra show behind. The pictures were not very bright due to the dark weather. But you can see my photos of Princep ghat from below.