Getting Around Calcutta

Calcutta buses are packed monsters that travel at frightening speeds, jostling for space on the roads with trams and taxis. Routes are varied and confusing - the little red minibuses that leave from BBD Bagh have signboards in English. Fares are dirt cheap. Perhaps the most characterful way to travel around the city is by tram; from the Maidan terminus, narrow tin trams run north to Belgachia and south to Tollygunge, but they can be like sardine tins in rush hour. Although pollution-free, the trams face an uncertain future as politicians blame them for Calcutta's notorious traffic congestion.

The Calcutta Metro, India's first underground railway, is calm, clean and efficient. There are two types of taxis in Calcutta: yellow taxis have permits to travel all over Calcutta and West Bengal, while black-and-yellow taxis are restricted to Calcutta. Metered fares are very reasonable, but you have to strenuously insist that the driver uses the meter. Calcutta is also the last real bastion of the human-powered rickshaw (cycle-rickshaws never really caught on in the rutted, tram-lined streets). Although slow, they come into their own in the monsoon when the streets flood, and fares - predictably - go through the roof. Fares are invariably elevated for foreigners, but you will be supporting someone's livelihood. Ferries are a quick and pleasant way to get along and across the Hooghly, as well as offering the best views of the Howrah Bridge.