Confluence of Cultures - Bow Barracks to Burra Bazar Walk
Description
Our city has witnessed many more cultures in its past than most others would even in this globalised present. Here we will trace for you the origins and remains of the varied communities that hung their boots and called Calcutta home. Lets check out why Chinese breakfast still rules Tiretta Bazar, where the Parsis are dwindling in numbers with each passing day and how the Armenians gave the city its oldest surviving Christian church while we pass the Anglo-Indians, the Muslims, the Marwaris, the Biharis and many more that made this city a great melting pot of diverse cultures. This is one of our most popular tours and highly recommended to get an idea of the melting pot that Calcutta is.
Tour Options
Itinerary
See Buddha statue and learn about the history of Buddhism.
Go through the bazaar and see the old Chinatown.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(57)
I did both the 'Confluence Of Cultures / The Melting Pot Walk' and the 'Bringing the Goddess To Earth' walk with Tuhina during my 4 day stay in Kolkata. Both walks were excellent! Tuhina was an engaging, highly knowledgable and very personable guide and these walks really enhanced my trip to the city. I would highly recommend taking walking tours with this company.
Wonderful mix of history, food tastings and understanding of the amazing mix of cultures and religions that make up Kolkata.
In total, I did 5 tours with Tuhina on 2.5 days. And each one was different and anything but boring or “unwound”. Time for every photo, every question, every moment. Not ticking off TikTok places, but a sense of the real Calcutta. And another tip: The Calcutta Heritage Bungalow run by the same team to stay in is highly recommended, lovable crew, quiet and not far from a metro station. Thank you for the great experience time
We had a fantastic time with Iftekhar. He flawlessly navigated us through the markets weaving engaging stories of the history and contemporary dynamics of Kolkata. It was fun and informative.
This was a fantastic tour. Vedant, our guide, reached out proactively ahead of time with his contact ahead of time, and gave very clear instructions about where to meet him. And throughout the tour, he weaved in his own personal history and interests into a tour that explored this place that is a crossroads of Calcutta's cultural history. We had a relatively large group that cohered well, and Vedant did an excellent job engaging with everyone and finding things that appealed to our interests. I also arranged these tours a little late, and the main office was extremely helpful in setting things up. If you're looking for a tour where you'll learn a lot about the city's history and culture, this is the one for you.
We went on the Flower Market to Kumartulli walk and then the Bow Barracks to Burra Bazzar (confluence of cultures) walk the next day. We had Ramanuj for both walks. Ramanuj is friendly, engaging and extremely knowledgeable. He was able to synthesize information effectively and give us insights to make the most of our experience. Apart from visiting sites and taking pictures along the way, we learnt so much about history and culture from Ramanuj. We had a wonderful time and would have booked another walking tour with Ramanuj if we had a few more days in Calcutta. Thank you for the experience Calcutta Walks and Ramanuj!
We took two tours, Flower Market to Kumartuli and Bow Barracks to Burra Bazar. Both times our guide was Tuhina. She is a fantastic guide! As she guided us around the historic parts of old Calcutta, she explained the history in considerable depth and always in an engaging way. She is a great communicator, and always eager to answer questions. As we walked around, she would stop occasionally to get us cold water, tea, sweets or savory snacks. This was greatly appreciated as it was easy to get hot and tired walking around in the April heat. Visiting the flower market and the Durga statue-making district were especially unique and interesting. These tours gave us access to experience the existing old Calcutta, in the context of its unique history. We are forever grateful for finding Tuhina and Calcutta Walks during our short visit ! We will be back and explore more with this wonderful tour operator!
We were introduced to the stunning variety, diversity and richness of Kolkata - our guide, Ramanuj was very captivating and informed too. Great experience!
We explored the streets redolent with the various cultures who have inhabitated them And had them explained to us by a true Calcutta resident who loves his city . Leave the guide books and come on a walk!
Absolutely brilliant walk. Ram explained so much of the history of the area with deep knowledge and massive enthusiasm. We learned such a lot.
