Calcutta Contrast Tour

Tour was a captivating journey, blending historical grandeur with the vibrancy of local life. Expertly curated, providing a nuanced perspective of Kolkata's diverse soul. A must for those seeking depth and contrast in the City of Joy!

This was an interesting afternoon with Soham who took us to see some inside of Colcata life. It was intriguing experience! I'd definitely go for tour with him again :)

The tour is among the most distinctive, intimate, and meticulously planned tours I've ever joined. It's a journey into the heart of Kolkata, rich with personal stories, references to films and novels, and witty observations that can only be made by someone who's deeply in love with their city. There will be no Victoria Memorial or your usual tourist sights and souvenir shops; instead, you will be taken from Kolkatta's tranquil college and academic quarter to the vibrant trading and merchant markets. Almost everything (aside from the Indian Coffee House and maybe the fruit market) is entirely off-limits to tourists. There will be great food, too. I recommend the tour to anyone who wants to have a more genuine and authentic experience and get a glimpse into the life of Kolkatans throughout the decades.

This will be the longest review I have ever written but I would really like to express my gratefulness to Soham from Calcutta Capsule who turned our two days visit in Kolkata to a sensational and unforgettable experience. First off all I need to mention that we are a family of four from Germany, consisting of my husband and our two children (19 years and 17 years). At the end of September 2023 we went on a two week round trip through India - starting with two days in Kolkata. I contacted Soham by email for a guided tour which appealed to me (called Calcutta Contrast). His company had great reviews, but I was insecure to book the tour over the website and pay up front. Soham was very responsive and even in our electronic communication I could feel that it was his mission to customize the tour to our preferences in order to provide the best experience. It turned out that I booked two days of private tour (including private car) for our family. I would recommend that you specify your interest and let Soham come up with his ideas. We had different interest. My husbands is a passionate photographer. He loves to take pictures of people in every day life situations. Our son (17 years) is crazy about football and adventurous to try out new things. Our daughter is an enduring explorer, loves hidden spots, finding beauty in detail and taking instagram pictures. I enjoy interesting stories of history, present, society, religion etc. Plus I am concerned that everyone of the family is safe and happy! Turns out that on both days everybody was completely safe and every family member was extremely happy. We explored multiple vibrant, colorful local markets. We walked through busy and calm streets, tasted „tummy safe“ food and drinks, went to the holy river Ganga, getting in touch with art students who were building up a temple and saw brave construction workers balancing in a couple of meters over the ground. We visited hidden gems such as a rooftop restaurant with a great city view as well as a secret palace and abandoned homes from the Victorian era. We saw where people live, commute (train station, city bus), work, eat and even sleep. Apart from that he got us tickets for the Indian Super League due to the fact we mentioned our son’s interest in football. He accompanied us to a first league match of the local Bengal team. He is a great story teller, a fantastic organizer and such a friendly, happy and enthusiastic person. It is hard not to like him. His English is excellent and we had absolutely no problem understanding him (some locals speak English with such a strong accent that it is hard to follow). In addition to that Soham takes beautiful pictures of his guests with his premium Canon Camera, sending the pictures as a gift via WhatsApp. On the first day he surprised us with personalized post stamps! He had send a family picture of us to a friend who went to the major Kolkata post office and got us real Indian post stamps with our picture on it. To make a long story short: walking with Soham through his hometown Kolkata was a once in a lifetime experience for us. Thanks to him we bring home the most beautiful memories of Kolkata. I highly recommend booking a tour with Calcutta Capsule.

We love everything about the tour: Soham’s stories, the pace of the tour, the sights we saw, the food and drinks we had. It was such an immersive introduction to Kolkata and Soham was super engaging throughout the trip. He was super patient with all of us and he ensured that we were taken cared of every step of the way. 10/10 would recommend anyone to join this tour!