Private Tour

Kolkata tour in private car with guide & lunch for immersive cultural experience

Overview

Available languages

English

7 hours

Mobile ticket

The City of Joy Experience is a day tour where guests will discover why Kolkata is indeed the City of Joy. The experience commences at the Mausoleum of Job Charnock, the founder of British Kolkata and covers St Johns Church, the iconic Writers Building, the magnificent Governor’s house, Shahid Minar, India’s oldest museum and the legendary Victoria Memorial. The experience ends after a scenic 30 minute boat ride over the River Ganges.

This tour is organized by Five Senses Tours, a private limited company recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and a member of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). The tour has been designed to support local livelihoods by way of employment of local guides, and supporting local businesses in line with the mission of the company to ensure travel dollars stay where they are spent.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

All taxes, fees and handling charges

Lunch

Private car

Drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

The LaLiT Great Eastern Kolkata

1 2 & 3 Old Court House Street Kolkata (Calcutta) India

What To Expect

8AM- Hotel Pick up We will start at the Mausoleum of Job Charnock the founder of modern Kolkata. In 1690 Charnock bought the villages of Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata from Bengal Subedar Azim Usman and over time Kokata became the capital of East India Company. A recent High Court ruling has discredited him as the founder of Kolkata after looking at evidence of the existence of the city in earlier times!

45 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

St. John's Church

We will visit St John’s Church which was built in 1787 by architect James Agg. This majestic stone and brick structure became the principal Cathedral of Calcutta in 1815. A highlight of his Church is the “Last Supper” painting on its walls.

30 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Private

Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

14 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Excellent introduction to Kolkata
Robert W,
Nov 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
This is an excellent tour visiting many of the major sites in Kolkata. I combined it with 5 Senses Mother Teresa and Churches tour to provide me with a very interesting and enjoyable 2 day introduction to the city. I was very fortunate that my guide for both tours was Prasenjit who is very knowledgeable, friendly and kind. He told wonderful stories about the history of the various locations. Thoroughly recommend this tour.
Kolkata Tour
Coastal39770484921,
Oct 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Our tour guide Dev was excellent. He was well informed and explained all of the history of Kolkata in detail. He was great company for the day
Great tour of Kolkata and Bengal
SamWoodward,
Mar 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This visit was part of our third private tour with 5 Senses (first tour, So. India for a month; second No. India for 5.5 weeks; third East and South India, one month). You might have guessed that we are very happy with the company. All three tours were fantastic, this one no exception. Kolkata is a vibrant city and worth a visit. In addition to the normal tourist sites, local guide Dev also helped us find ayurvedic massage studios. Like all major Indian cities, air pollution is a real problem--consider wearing a good mask when outdoors. Bishnupur is an interesting site with terra cotta temples, and is often paired with a visit to Kolkata. It took 3.5 hours to drive there, but 5.5 hours to return because we got back to the outskirts of Kolkata after 19:30, when they let the trucks in and traffic becomes miserable Try to get home before that happens. The Sundarbans--the largest mangrove forest in the world--are a couple of hours outside the city. We spent two nights there. It was a nice break from the urban environment. There is wildlife, but don't count on seeing tigers. The primary strength of 5 Senses is its people. The owner, Mr. Narayanan, is a great travel planning partner (he’ll work with you to craft exactly the trip you want) and he is super-responsive during trips if any problems arise. I am confident that Narayanan will fix it if it needs fixing—he has helped us several times in that way, and he has done it quickly. The state-based “cultural ambassadors” he has recruited (the guides who accompany you for days, across multiple sites) are excellent and soon become friends. For this month-long tour, I’d particularly like to call out Kannan (Tamil Nadu) and Mohan, and Chandra Shekar (Karnataka). If you are touring other parts of the country, we highly recommend Balwinder (Punjab and Rajasthan) and Vivek and Ram Sewak (Varanasi, Khajuraho and environs). It is basically a fool’s errand to try to price shop local tour operators—there are too many variables, including the type of accommodation, the quality of guides and the quality of transport (both of which can’t be assessed ahead of time). That said, over the course of the three tours, we feel that 5 Senses has been very good value for money. And I can say for certain that you would pay three times as much for the same Smithsonian or Nat Geo or other corporate tour, plus you’d be on a bus with many other folks and stuck with the group schedule. With 5 Senses you’re in your own car deciding where and when you want to go, where you want to eat, and when you want to take it easy. My advice to friends looking for a private tour in India is “don’t bother contacting other companies, just talk to 5 Senses. You won’t regret it.”
Discover beautiful Kolkata under guidance
Guide62273450969,
Dec 3, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
On arrival warmly welcomed, the guide and the driver first brought me to my hotel to refresh. Then the 4-day Kolkata city tour started. The old cemetery was the first of the series of sights I visited. Personal highlight is Mothers House, every attraction however big remains in the shadow of the simple Mothers House. Have had several guides, all equally enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. In short, visiting Kolkata with a guide is highly recommended.
Excellent tour. Brilliant guide.
Jet54741170104,
Jan 20, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Had a great guide ( Mr. Parmananda )with historic knowledge of city Kolkata. A senior citizens who knows history in and out @ the back of his mind.
Take a day off and get to know Kolkata
MariaiIndien,
Dec 25, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A full day might be long however the city is big and places of interest are plenty. Small walks in between refreshing and boat tour lovely but short. I recommend 45 min. Delicious lunch. Professional and friendly guide.
Excellent Experience!
Meander26456523568,
Dec 14, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The tour was great! Param was very informative and an excellent tour guide! We enjoyed the whole day!
5Senses does it AGAIN!
252rynes,
Dec 13, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I had a long layover in Kolkata and 5Senses worked with me to arrange a tour that would fit my schedule. My Cultural Ambassador Anirban (“tour guide”) met me at the airport, we hopped in the car and it. It takes about an hour to get into the city so this definitely beat taxi or Uber. Anirban took me to several locations of cultural significance and I truly got a feel for Kolkata, the cultural capital of India. Anirban was clearly knowledgeable and personable. I would definitely do this if you want a guided way through a very complex city.
Great cultural experiences
Richard M,
Oct 27, 2023
- Review from Viator
5.00
Our guide was fun, knowledgeable and proud to share her culture. She diverted standard tour to a Hindu temple in the neighborhood she grew up. Great experiences all day
Mesmerizing Kolkata
Samj68p,
Sep 24, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We booked the the full day tour of Kolkata and Sauvik was our guide. It was an amazing experience as we learnt about the colonial heritage and influence of East India company. The Bengali lunch was amazing. The tour ended over a nice boat ride on the Ganges River. A fitting end to a fabulous day.