Hotel Shangri La

About Hotel Shangri La

Hotel Shangri La is a three-star hotel in the Airport and Dum Dum area of north-east Kolkata, close to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The property suits late arrivals and early departures: a flight landing after midnight or a departure before dawn becomes a short road transfer rather than a cross-city journey. Guests who break a journey here, or who arrive on the last flight and leave on the first, get a straightforward base with a 24-hour front desk. The address places it 2.2 km from the airport in a straight line.

This is a three-star property rather than a full-service city hotel. Its listed facilities are Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a 24-hour front desk, family rooms and lifts, which cover the basics for a short night or a working stopover. Rooms list a private bathroom with shower and WC, towels, toiletries, slippers, a fan, a television and coffee provision, plus wake-up service and iron and board. Non-smoking rooms are available. The stay is practical: somewhere to sleep, wash and reach the terminal without a long commute.

Location and neighbourhood

The Airport and Dum Dum area spreads around Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and the older settlement of Dum Dum, taking in VIP Road, Kaikhali, Baguiati and Dum Dum Cantonment. This is a transport district first: approach roads, hotels and the constant movement of passengers and crew. It has few sights of its own, and the character is functional rather than residential. What it offers is proximity, with the terminal minutes away and the city centre a long ride south. The airport sits about 17 km north-east of the centre.

Almost nothing here is comfortably walkable beyond the immediate streets, so plan on a cab or auto-rickshaw for anything further. The airport is 2.2 km away in a straight line. Park Street is 12.7 km as the crow flies, 40 to 65 minutes by road, and Esplanade is 11.8 km, 40 to 60 minutes. Victoria Memorial sits 14.1 km off, 45 to 70 minutes. Traffic on the approach roads varies sharply through the day.

Mornings belong to departures: cars waiting outside, travellers checking out early, and the first flights lifting off. In winter the mornings are often hazy, with poorer air quality before the sun burns through. Evenings are calmer, and the airport traffic thins later at night. During Durga Puja, usually late September or October, the centre fills with crowds and pandals while this area stays workaday; check the current year's dates and allow extra time if heading south. Christmas lights belong to Park Street, not here.

Rooms and facilities

For business travellers, the combination of Wi-Fi, air conditioning and a 24-hour front desk matters most. A late landing, a call, a shower and a few hours of sleep become simple when reception is staffed through the night. The lifts help with luggage, and wake-up service is listed, which is useful when an early flight depends on being out of the door on time. Iron and board helps if a meeting follows the flight. None of it is elaborate; it is the practical core of a three-star airport stay.

Families get family rooms, which makes a single night with children easier than splitting across two rooms. Rooms list a private bathroom with shower and WC, towels, toiletries and slippers, plus a fan alongside the air conditioning. In Kolkata's heat the air conditioning matters, and the fan gives a second option for moving air. During the monsoon, roughly June to September, the city floods after heavy downpours, so a hotel near the terminal suits a tight schedule. Ask about hot water in winter.

Television and coffee provision are listed, and non-smoking rooms are available, so request one at booking if smoke is a concern. Confirm check-in and check-out times, the policy for an arrival after midnight, and whether the room is held for a late flight. Confirm how wake-up calls are arranged and whether an iron can be sent up. Travelling with children, ask about the layout of the family rooms. A short message before travel settles these details.

Getting there

From Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport the hotel is 2.2 km away in a straight line and 15 to 25 minutes by road, depending on the terminal and the approach the driver takes. That makes it one of the shortest transfers of any stay in the city. Metered yellow taxis and app cabs are the usual options from the terminal; check current pickup arrangements with the airport or the property, and keep the address to hand for the driver if you land late.

From Howrah station the drive is 11.1 km in a straight line, 35 to 60 minutes by road. From Sealdah the distance is 10.4 km, 35 to 55 minutes. Both stations sit on the far side of the centre, so the journey crosses the city and is best done outside peak hours. Passengers arriving on long-distance trains should allow extra time in the morning and evening rush. With heavy luggage, a taxi direct from the station beats mixing rail and road.

By metro, Jai Hind Bimanbandar on the Yellow Line is 1.7 km from the hotel and is the nearest station; Dum Dum on the Blue Line is 4.5 km away. The Blue Line runs north to south through the centre via Shyambazar, Esplanade and Park Street, and Dum Dum is the interchange for the airport side. Yellow Line services are expanding, so check Metro Railway Kolkata for current stations and hours before relying on a train for a flight.

Food and sights near Hotel Shangri La

Eco Park in New Town, opened in 2012, is 6.2 km away and makes the easiest large outing on this side of the city, with space for children to walk and run. Dakshineswar Kali Temple and Belur Math are 7.4 km off: the temple was completed in 1855 and is associated with Ramakrishna, while Belur Math, across the river in Howrah district, is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Both are among the closest places of real interest to this area.

Kumartuli, the potters' quarter where Durga idols are made, is 8.4 km away and busiest from July to September as workshops prepare for the festival. Jorasanko Thakurbari, Tagore's family home and birthplace in 1861, now the Rabindra Bharati Museum, is 9.6 km off. Marble Palace, built in 1835 in North Kolkata and still a private residence, is 9.7 km away; entry needs a free permit, so check current arrangements. All three reward a half day and sit on the northern side.

Eating near the airport is mostly everyday local cooking rather than destination dining. The city's well-known places are a ride south: Flurys and Peter Cat on Park Street, Mocambo and Trincas close by, Nizam's near New Market for the kathi roll it is credited with, the Indian Coffee House on College Street, and Nahoum's for cakes. Closer in, stalls sell phuchka, jhalmuri and tea in clay cups. Evenings here are quiet, with New Town and Eco Park the nearest places for a walk. For shopping, New Market, opened in 1874, is the classic trip.

• Eco Park (6.2 km)
• Dakshineswar & Belur Math (7.4 km)
• Kumartuli (8.4 km)
• Jorasanko Thakurbari (9.6 km)
• Marble Palace (9.7 km)

A day from Hotel Shangri La

Start early with Dakshineswar Kali Temple, 7.4 km away, completed in 1855 and associated with Ramakrishna. Cross the river to Belur Math, the Ramakrishna Math and Mission headquarters founded by Swami Vivekananda, if time allows; the two sit in the same direction and are usually combined. Go by cab, as the road is quicker than the rail route with a change. Mornings are cooler and the temples are calmer before crowds build. Return towards the hotel for lunch.

The afternoon suits North Kolkata. Jorasanko Thakurbari, 9.6 km away, holds the Rabindra Bharati Museum in Tagore's family home. Marble Palace, 9.7 km off and built in 1835, needs a free permit, so arrange it ahead and check current arrangements. Kumartuli, 8.4 km away, is worth the detour from July to September, when the idol workshops are in full production. Allow for traffic between stops; the distances are short but driving is slow. A cab held for the afternoon works better than hailing repeatedly.

Spend the evening at Eco Park in New Town, 6.2 km away, a large urban park opened in 2012 with room to walk once the heat has eased. It suits families and anyone who has spent the afternoon in traffic. Alternatively, take the longer ride to Park Street, 12.7 km and 40 to 65 minutes by road, for dinner and, in December, the Christmas lights. Return early if a flight leaves the next morning, and keep the evening short before a pre-dawn departure.

Booking tips and when to go

Book well ahead for Durga Puja, usually late September or October, and for the Christmas and New Year period, when rooms across Kolkata fill quickly; check the current year's festival dates before fixing travel. Midweek nights near the airport are easier than Sunday evenings and Monday mornings, when business travellers move. If arriving after midnight, tell the property in advance so the 24-hour front desk expects you. Confirm check-in and check-out times directly with the hotel, as these vary by booking.

November to February is the best time for this area. December and January are coolest, with highs in the mid-20s °C, and February is pleasant. March warms into the low 30s, and April and May are hot and humid, often above 35 °C, with evening storms. The monsoon runs roughly June to September, heaviest in July, when waterlogging follows downpours and road times to the airport stretch. October rain tails off. For a stay built around a flight, winter gives the fewest weather delays.

Carry cash for taxis, markets and street food, since cards and UPI cover hotels, malls and restaurants but not every small transaction. Metered yellow taxis should run on the meter, so insist on it, or use an app cab. Drink bottled or filtered water. At Dakshineswar, Belur Math and other temples, dress modestly and remove shoes where required, and check each site's current rules. Keep a buffer before flights, as road times to CCU vary with traffic; most foreign visitors need an e-Visa arranged before travel through the official Indian Visa Online portal.

Hotel Shangri La: questions

Similar stays near Hotel Shangri La

4★

Hotel Northin

Airport & Dum Dum, Kolkata · 4-starGuest score 4.7/5 · 743 reviewsSee live price

4★

Holiday Inn Kolkata Airport by IHG

Airport & Dum Dum, Kolkata · 4-starGuest score 4.6/5 · 27672 reviewsSee live price

4★

Howard Johnson by Wyndham Kolkata

Airport & Dum Dum, Kolkata · 4-starGuest score 4.4/5 · 5026 reviewsSee live price