Romantic Kolkata: A Cruise to Remember

The river Ganga and Kolkata are inseparable, and I had the opportunity to go for a leisurely cruise on the Ganga (the Hooghly, to be precise), this September. So, I was hoping to book the evening cruise on Vivada for a long time and finally ended up on the cruise during my short stint in the city this year.

To begin with, you need to book the tickets for the Vivada Mahanagar Cruise (they have other cruises too) well in advance (online) in case you want to avoid any last-minute hassles. However, you can also take your chances and book your tickets at the Vivada office at Millennium Park. In my case, I had booked online and reached well in advance, only to wait till the last minute at the office (since the cruise wasn't full). Eventually, only 8 people turned up (including me) and we were escorted to a small vessel (I am told there is a larger vessel that comes out only when there's a sizeable crowd).

While Vivada operates 4 cruises every day, the evening cruise (that starts at 4) is the best, as you get to witness both the sunset and the allure of the Howrah Bridge lit up at night!

We set off a little late, but the cruise was enjoyable. We watched a glorious sunset and enjoyed light refreshments (snacks, such as sandwiches and jhaal muri, along with coffee and cold drinks), available in both veg and non-veg options that you can choose at the time of booking.

The added attraction was a 30-minute visit to the Belur Math, the Ramakrishna Mission headquarters in the city. The cruise ended with tasty delicacies being served while on our way back (chicken and paneer kebabs, along with ice-cream). All in all, we had a serene evening in our AC cruise and also climbed up to the deck to get some awesome shots of the Ganges.

Some deets:

1. There are 4 cruise options daily: morning, lunch, evening, and dinner. While the lunch and dinner cruises cost a tad bit more, I would recommend the evening cruise for better views.

2. There is a live commentary that describes the significance of landmarks such as Baghbazar Ghat, Putul Bari, etc.

3. Make sure you visit the upper deck for some nice shots!

4. The cruise cost us around 1.7K per person.