Hotels in Hāora

Hāora, better known as Howrah, is Kolkata's working twin across the Hooghly River, and for most travellers it is the place they pass through rather than the place they visit. Its landmark is the cantilevered Howrah Bridge, a steel giant that carries a relentless stream of pedestrians, buses and handcarts, and its beating heart is Howrah Junction, one of India's oldest and busiest railway stations.

Beyond the station sprawl there are real reasons to linger: the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden at Shibpur, home to the Great Banyan, and Belur Math, the riverside headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, just upriver. Be honest: this is a congested, industrial city of jute-mill heritage and traffic jams, with little polish and a thin hotel scene, and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport sits a long drive away on the far side of Kolkata. Stay near Howrah Junction if you have an early train, and otherwise cross the bridge into central Kolkata for far more choice.