Places to visit in West Bengal: tourist attractions

Tourist attractions in West Bengal

West Bengal's major attractions are the Dutch, French, English and Portuguese styled buildings and historic monuments. The land speaks about the golden era of trade and commerce, a rich culture and a land torn by betrayal, partition, poverty and famine. The historical remains of Malda, British era buildings and monuments of Kolkata, the Nawab's city Murshidabad, or Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan gives the picture of the glorious past of the state. The Victoria Memorial, Indian Museum, Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, Hazariduar in Murshidabad are some of the most visited sites in the state. 

Other sites that are of great interest and attracts a lot of tourists are the Writers' Building, Vidyasagar Setu, Salt Lake Stadium, Saheed Minar, Raj Bhawan, Eden Gardens Stadium, Dhakuria Lake, Metro Railway, Calcutta High Court, Birla Mandir, Shantiniketan, Science City, Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) of Mother Teresa, Academy of Fine Arts, Ochterlony Monument, Fort William, South Park Street Cemetery, Marble Palace, Kumartuli, BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square), all of which are found in the city of Kolkata. 

The northern part of the state is filled with hill stations, some of the best in India. Each hill station has unique features and offer different sceneries that are a feast for the human eyes. Due to its high altitudes a unique feature of these stations are the toy trains. The cultures that influence these areas are mostly Bengalis, Nepalese, Bhutanese and Tibetans. Some of these hill stations include Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Mirik. 

For all lovers of nature and wildlife there are the Sundarbans which is home to a large number of tigers and other wildlife. Then there is the Jaldapara Wild Life Sanctuary situated near Siliguri. And if that isn’t enough there are many other wild life sanctuaries and parks around the state.