Yahoo Finance Where to travel on the Holi weekend from Kolkata under Rs 16,500
With a single day off, you can end up with a four-day weekend this March. Here's how you can make the most of it.
With Holi falling on a Tuesday (March 10) all you really need is to convince your boss to take the Monday off so you can take that much needed break (c’mon, it’s been t-w-o months into the new year and we could all do with a short vacay). And if you’re wondering where you could head out to from Kolkata, you’re in luck because here are all the places where you can travel to from Kolkata over the Holi weekend.
Bhubaneshwar (return tickets start at Rs 3,823)
Odisha has been a bit under the radar all these years. Sure, Puri has always attracted throngs of devotees year after year and is likely the only Indian city that’s contributed a word to the English language (look up juggernaut) unless you count Bangalored as a legitimate word but there’s so much more to Odisha than that. Head over to the beaches to surf, laze or indeed watch the sunrise.
Photograph: Bikashrd / Creative Commons
Guwahati (return tickets start at Rs 3,372)
Really, Guwahati is just the gateway to all the possible places where you can head for the long weekend. And while you can, of course, consider Kaziranga, there’s Shillong and all the villages on its outskirts – from Cherrapunji to Mawlynong, Dawki and beyond – each more beautiful than the previous one.
Photograph: deepgoswami / Flickr
Bagdogra (return tickets start at Rs 5,280)
Like Guwahati, Bagdogra is also a gateway to far more interesting places. With a long weekend at your disposal, you can always head down to Darjeeling (tea, someone) or Siliguri and check into one of the many picturesque Airbnbs.
Photograph: Abhishek Kumar / Flickr
Visakhapatnam (return tickets start at Rs 7,756)
While the beaches of Visakhapatnam may not appear in the list of India’s best, don’t once think the city doesn’t boast of great beaches. Rishikonda tends to get tad crowded but there are several others – from Yarda to Bheemli – that make it a great beach getaway. But more than that, Visakhapatnam also has a hidden hill station that you absolutely must visit – Araku.
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Photograph: Amit Chattopadhyay / Creative Commons
Colombo (return tickets start at Rs 14,540)
The capital of Sri Lanka is a great getaway from Kolkata. Its luxury hotels and casinos can keep you entertained for the weekend but it’s also a great place from where you can take off to picturesque towns such as Bentota and Galle among others. If you don’t mind a longer drive, Trincomalee in north east Sri Lanka also makes for a great beach vacation.
Photograph: Charaka Ranasinghe / Creative Commons
Kathmandu (return tickets start at Rs 16,185)
The Nepalese capital has never been more accessible with Vistara starting daily flights to Kathmandu. Wander in the many by lanes of the city, take a walk down Freak Street once home to the hippies and explore the neighbourhood that was once home to the infamous serial killer Charles Shobraj. Kathmandu is recovering from a devastating earthquake; visiting it could well be the best way you can help the city and country recover.
Photograph: Rajesh Maharjan / Pixabay
