Two days based in Kolkata: the two cheapest gateway trips Two days is enough for the two closest, lowest-cost trips out of Kolkata: the free Dakshineswar and Belur Math temple pair on the city’s own edge, and Chandannagar, the old French river town about an hour further out by local train. Neither needs an early alarm, an overnight bag, or a train ticket over INR 20. Want more of these five trips?

Three days from Kolkata: two free stops plus one real train ticket Three days keeps Day 1 and 2 identical to the 2-day version , the free Dakshineswar and Belur Math pair, then Chandannagar, and adds a 3rd day for Shantiniketan, Rabindranath Tagore’s university town about 145km out. It’s the first trip on this list with a real train fare attached, roughly INR 150 to 300 each way, and it’s worth every rupee of it.

Four days from Kolkata: the full single-day-trip circuit, priced Four days is the full circuit of single-day trips before the Sundarbans math forces an overnight. Days 1 to 3 repeat the 3-day version exactly, the free Dakshineswar and Belur Math pair, then Chandannagar, then Shantiniketan, and Day 4 adds Murshidabad, the old Nawab capital, the furthest of the four at roughly 194km and the priciest single-day fare on the list. Book this one if the Sundarbans isn’t in your budget this trip; for that, see the 6-day or 7-day version instead.

Five days from Kolkata: 4 priced trips, plus an honest free day Five days repeats the 4-day version exactly for Days 1 through 4, the free Dakshineswar and Belur Math pair, Chandannagar, Shantiniketan, Murshidabad, then makes an honest call on Day 5 instead of forcing a Sundarbans package into a budget and a schedule too small for it. Even the cheapest 1 night, 2 day express Sundarbans tour, roughly INR 2,400 to 4,500, needs 2 full days you don’t have left here.

Six days from Kolkata: 4 cheap trips, plus the express Sundarbans Six days keeps Days 1 through 4 identical to the 4-day version , the free Dakshineswar and Belur Math pair, Chandannagar, Shantiniketan, Murshidabad, then swaps the 5-day version’s free day for a real spend: a 1 night, 2 day express Sundarbans tour on Days 5 and 6, roughly INR 2,400 to 4,500 per person. It’s the compressed package, fewer safari sessions than the full version, but it’s the single biggest line item in this whole plan by a wide margin over anything in Days 1 through 4 combined.

Seven days from Kolkata: the full circuit, priced end to end Seven days is the full circuit, and the one worth budgeting for properly if the Sundarbans is on your list at all. Days 1 through 4 repeat the 4-day version exactly, the free Dakshineswar and Belur Math pair, Chandannagar, Shantiniketan, Murshidabad, for a combined spend well under INR 1,800. Days 5 to 7 then give the Sundarbans the full 2 night, 3 day treatment it actually needs, INR 4,000 to 17,500 depending on tier, not the compressed express version in the 6-day itinerary .

Kolkata as a base: 5 trips and what each one actually costs Kolkata is the cheapest possible base for 5 real trips out of the city, and the costs split hard into two groups. Four of them, the Dakshineswar and Belur Math pair, Chandannagar, Shantiniketan and Murshidabad, run on ordinary train fares of well under INR 400 each way, sometimes under INR 20. The fifth, the Sundarbans, is the one genuine splurge on this list: a proper 2 night, 3 day package runs INR 4,000 to 17,500 per person, and any operator selling a cheaper same-day version is cutting the boat and lodge time you’re paying for.

Two days in Kolkata: the essentials only, cheaply Two days covers Kolkata’s marquee sights and nothing more: Victoria Memorial and the colonial core on day one, the free Motherhouse and Kalighat on day two. Skip any idea of a day trip; even Dakshineswar and Belur Math, technically inside Greater Kolkata, don’t fit without cutting something above. This plan runs on the metro (INR 5 to 30 a ride) and free walking, with one paid sight a day.

Three days in Kolkata: the core, plus North Kolkata Three days keeps the 2-day core , Victoria Memorial, the free Motherhouse, Kalighat, then adds a full North Kolkata day that’s almost entirely free: College Street’s book market, Kumartuli’s idol makers, and the Marble Palace. It’s genuinely the better version of Kolkata for the price, less packaged than another lap of Park Street. Longer trip? See the 5-day and 7-day plans. Day trips to Shantiniketan, Chandannagar or the Sundarbans live in the Kolkata gateway guide and its own itineraries, not here.

Five days in Kolkata: room to slow down Five days keeps the 3-day core , Victoria Memorial, the free Motherhouse and Kalighat, and North Kolkata, then adds a river-crossing day to Dakshineswar and Belur Math and a full day for markets and food you didn’t have time for earlier. This is enough time to stop treating Kolkata as a checklist. Shorter trip? See the 2-day plan. Want more still? The 7-day plan adds a slower South Kolkata day and a real rest day.

Seven days in Kolkata: everything, plus a real rest day Seven days keeps the 5-day plan whole, Victoria Memorial, the free Motherhouse and Kalighat, North Kolkata, Dakshineswar and Belur Math, a market day, then adds a slower South Kolkata day and a genuine day with nothing scheduled. This is the version for a visitor who wants to actually live in the city for a week on a budget, not just tour it.

Kolkata rewards a tight budget Kolkata is one of India’s cheapest big cities to see properly. A ride on India’s oldest metro system, running since 1984, costs as little as INR 5 (about 6 cents). Mother Teresa’s Motherhouse is free with no ticket of any kind. Even the marquee Victoria Memorial runs only INR 50 for Indian nationals, INR 100 for SAARC nationals, or INR 500 for other foreign visitors, a fraction of what a European capital charges for its best known monument.