Planet Inn Guest House

About Planet Inn Guest House

Planet Inn Guest House sits on Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road in the Park Street area, a short walk from the Maidan and within reach of the Indian Museum and the city's best-known restaurants. It suits first-time visitors who would rather walk to sights and dinner than arrange a car for every outing. The address puts the Victoria Memorial and St Paul's Cathedral inside a comfortable stroll, and two metro stations are close enough to make the rest of Kolkata easy to reach without a taxi.

The property is a three-star guesthouse rather than a large full-service hotel, so expect a simpler operation with the essentials covered: Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a 24-hour front desk, room service, an on-site restaurant and parking. Rooms are non-smoking and housekeeping runs daily. For travellers who treat a room as a base and spend the day outside, that combination works well. Those wanting gyms, pools or several dining rooms should look at larger properties elsewhere in the centre.

Location and neighbourhood

Park Street, officially Mother Teresa Sarani, is the address most visitors associate with Kolkata's restaurant culture. Flurys has traded here since 1927, and Peter Cat, Mocambo and Trincas are all on or beside the street. The Asiatic Society, founded in 1784, stands nearby, and the South Park Street Cemetery, opened in 1767, is a short ride south. The Maidan opens up to the west, giving the district a wide, green edge. Guest houses and budget lanes cluster around Sudder Street and Free School Street to the north.

On foot, the Victoria Memorial is 0.9 km away and St Paul's Cathedral 0.5 km, both walkable by road. Park Street itself is 1.3 km, an easy walk for dinner. The Indian Museum at 1.8 km and the South Park Street Cemetery at 1.5 km are also on foot for most people. Esplanade, at 2.6 km, is better by road, roughly 15 to 25 minutes in traffic. Howrah station and Sealdah station need a cab, and the airport needs a longer one.

Mornings here are quiet and practical: tea stalls, office traffic and joggers heading for the Maidan. Evenings bring the restaurant crowds, and Park Street stays busy well after dinner. In the weeks around Durga Puja the whole centre fills with pandal-hoppers and traffic slows sharply; the same happens at Christmas, when Park Street and Allen Park are lit up from mid-December to New Year. Plan journeys with that in mind and allow extra time for short distances.

Rooms and facilities

Business travellers get the practical basics: Wi-Fi, air conditioning, room service and a 24-hour front desk that helps with late arrivals and early departures. Families can ask about sofa beds, which are among the room features, and about non-smoking rooms. The on-site restaurant means a meal is available without going out, which matters after a long flight or a late train. Parking is available on site, useful if you are travelling by car or keeping a hire vehicle waiting.

Kolkata's heat and monsoon shape how a room is used. Air conditioning is essential from March to June, when daytime temperatures often pass 35 °C, and again in the humid weeks before the rains break. During the monsoon from roughly June to September, waterlogging follows heavy downpours, so leaving the guest house in the dry gaps is sensible. A room with reliable air conditioning and a shower, both listed among the facilities, covers the basics; light cotton clothing and a small umbrella are worth packing.

Confirm a few details when booking directly: the room type, whether a sofa bed is needed, and which floor the room is on. Ask about check-in and check-out timings and whether an early arrival can be accommodated. It is worth checking whether the restaurant serves all day or only at set hours, and whether parking needs to be reserved in advance. Ask about housekeeping timings too, since daily servicing is listed but schedules vary.

Getting there

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) sits near Dum Dum, about 16 km north-east of the guest house in a straight line. By road the transfer takes roughly 50 to 80 minutes depending on traffic, and the stretch through the city can be slow at the morning and evening peaks. App cabs and prepaid taxis are the simplest options with luggage. A metro link exists: Jai Hind Bimanbandar station on the Yellow Line serves the airport, and services are expanding, so check Metro Railway Kolkata before relying on it.

Howrah station, on the west bank of the Hooghly, is 4.8 km away in a straight line, which usually means 20 to 35 minutes by road once bridge traffic is factored in. Sealdah station, on the east side of the centre, is 3.5 km away, or roughly 15 to 30 minutes by road. Both transfers are short enough for a metered yellow taxi or an app cab. Insist on the meter in yellow taxis, and keep small change for the ride.

Two Blue Line stations serve the area. Rabindra Sadan is 0.5 km away and Maidan 0.6 km, both a short walk. The Blue Line runs from Dakshineswar in the north to Kavi Subhash in the south, passing Esplanade, Park Street, Kalighat and Rabindra Sarobar, which makes the metro the fastest way to cross the centre. Confirm current hours, routes and ticketing with Metro Railway Kolkata, since lines are being extended and services change.

Food and sights near Planet Inn Guest House

St Paul's Cathedral, consecrated in 1847, is 0.5 km away and worth an early visit for its quiet grounds. The Victoria Memorial, 0.9 km off, is the area's main sight: white Makrana marble, built between 1906 and 1921, with 64 acres of grounds and a museum that closes on Mondays and some national holidays. The Indian Museum, founded in 1814 and the oldest museum in India, is 1.8 km away. South Park Street Cemetery, opened in 1767, is 1.5 km away.

Food is the reason many people choose this area. Flurys on Park Street has served breakfast and cakes since 1927; Peter Cat, Mocambo and Trincas are all within a short walk of the street. Nizam's near New Market is credited with the original kathi roll and is a cab ride away. For something cheaper, Kolkata's street food, phuchka, jhalmuri and telebhaja, is easy to find. Tangra, east of the centre, is the place for Indian-Chinese cooking.

Park Street and its side lanes, Camac Street, Middleton Row and Russell Street, cover most shopping and evening needs. Oxford Bookstore is on Park Street, and New Market, opened in 1874, is a short ride towards Esplanade for produce, fabric and household goods. Evenings centre on the restaurants and on Allen Park, which is lit for Christmas from mid-December to New Year. For music after dinner, the Park Street venues are the obvious first stop.

• St Paul’s Cathedral (550 m)
• Victoria Memorial (950 m)
• Park Street food & music (1.3 km)
• South Park Street Cemetery (1.5 km)
• Indian Museum (1.8 km)

A day from Planet Inn Guest House

Start early with the short walk to St Paul's Cathedral, 0.5 km away, then carry on to the Victoria Memorial, 0.9 km off, for the grounds and the museum, noting the Monday closure. Both are close enough to cover on foot before the heat builds. Break for breakfast on the way back, or eat at the guest house restaurant. Keep the middle of the day light: April and May regularly pass 35 °C, and the monsoon months bring sudden rain.

Spend the afternoon at the Indian Museum, 1.8 km away, which can absorb two or three hours. On the way, or instead, the South Park Street Cemetery at 1.5 km gives a shaded, quieter hour among the graves of the colonial city. Move between them by cab or auto-rickshaw rather than walking in the heat. If the weather holds, the Maidan is open ground for a slow wander. Rabindra Sadan metro at 0.5 km takes you further afield if time allows.

Evening belongs to Park Street, 1.3 km away and walkable. Book a table at one of the long-standing restaurants, or eat at the guest house first and walk over for dessert and a look at the lights. In December the Christmas illuminations fill Allen Park and the street, which makes the walk busier and slower. On other evenings the stretch is quieter and easy to cover on foot. Take an app cab back if it is late.

Booking tips and when to go

Book ahead for Durga Puja, usually late September or October, when the city fills and room availability tightens across the centre. Christmas and New Year are the other peak, with Park Street lit from mid-December. Ask about cancellation terms and confirm check-in and check-out timings when you book, since these are set by the property. If you need parking, say so in advance. Confirm the room type and whether a sofa bed is required before you travel.

November to February is the best window for this area. Days are dry and comfortable, December and January highs sit in the mid-20s °C, and walking to the Victoria Memorial and along Park Street is pleasant. February stays mild. March warms quickly, and April and May are hot and humid with evening storms. The monsoon, roughly June to September, brings heavy rain and waterlogging. October is a transitional month, with rain tapering off; check the India Meteorological Department forecast before packing.

Carry cash for taxis, markets and street food, though cards and UPI are widely accepted in hotels, malls and restaurants. In yellow Ambassador taxis, insist on the meter. Carry drinking water, especially in the hot months, and dress modestly if you visit temples or the Missionaries of Charity's Mother House. Bengali is the local language, with Hindi and English widely understood; dhonnobad means thank you. For anything that changes, from metro hours to museum closures, check the official body before setting out.

Planet Inn Guest House: questions

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