Durga puja 2026: Skip the Kolkata queues with luxury tours

For the uninitiated, Durga puja in Kolkata can be an exercise in navigating crowds, traffic, and seemingly endless queues.

For those who prefer a more considered introduction to the festival, there is another way to experience it — one that trades the uncertainty of getting around the city for carefully curated itineraries, private transport and encounters with its cultural practitioners.

The economic potential of Durga puja extends well beyond the festival. A 2021 British Council study, commissioned by the West Bengal Government’s Department of Tourism and based on 2019 data, estimated the economic value of the creative industries associated with Durga puja at ₹32,377 crore, equivalent to 2.58% of the State’s GDP. The study also estimated that nearly 14.88 lakh passenger arrivals were recorded in Kolkata over the festival’s five days in 2019, although this figure includes passenger traffic across transport modes and does not represent unique tourists.

It identified scope to strengthen tourism infrastructure, improve access to traditional zamindari pujas, provide trained guides, and develop premium accommodation for visitors. The findings point to an opportunity to build on Durga puja’s existing economic footprint by developing more structured, high value tourism experiences.

This is the space that Kolkata Unforgettable, run by Sudarshan Mundra, Vasudha Pachisia and Shailja Mundra, is attempting to occupy. Established in 2023, through experiential luxury tours, the initiative seeks to take visitors beyond the familiar landmarks of Kolkata and into the cultural fabric of a city whose identity extends well beyond its celebrated pandals. Offerings range from convoy-led pandal-hopping excursions and heritage experiences to cruise rides on the Ganga, food trails and workshops that introduce visitors to traditional crafts such as patachitra. Depending on the package, guests can also experience sindoor khela at a rajbari (royal house), enjoy regional cuisines and stay at properties such as Taj Bengal, ITC Sonar, or ITC Royal Bengal.

“I want to make Kolkata a Durga puja tourist destination, where someone coming from outside the city does not have to limit themselves to Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge, or Kalighat to understand what Kolkata is,” says Sudarshan. The business operates on the premise that luxury tourism is not simply about comfort or exclusivity; it is also about access. For visitors who would rather not negotiate the logistical challenges of pandal hopping, the organised convoys offer a way to move through the city with a degree of ease. Guests can join a shared convoy or opt for an individual one at an additional cost.

Curated events

The itineraries themselves are not fixed. Sudarshan says his team visits pandals while they are being constructed, interacts with the artists and evaluates the finished installations before deciding where to take guests. One day’s itinerary might focus on North Kolkata and another on the South, with the final selection guided by the quality of the work rather than an artist’s reputation from previous years.

The emphasis on curation extends to experiences beyond the pandals. Guests might participate in a patachitra workshop, encounter Bengal’s kantha tradition, visit Kalighat temple or explore the city’s culinary diversity through a series of restaurant visits. A boat ride on the Ganga, accompanied by music and food, brings another dimension to the itinerary.

Food, in particular, is central to Sudarshan’s idea of Kolkata. A two-night, three-day package can include five meals showcasing different cuisines, from regional Bengali preparations to Chinese and continental food. At a rajbari, guests might be served Murshidabadi cuisine; elsewhere, the experience could involve the city’s street-food staples, including chaat and puchka. Even the seemingly ordinary ritual of tea and toast at a roadside stall finds a place in the itinerary.

The commercial opportunity, Sudarshan believes, is considerable. In 2023, Kolkata Unforgettable received eight visitors from outside the city; that number rose to 123 in 2024 and 230 in 2025. This year, registrations from outside Kolkata have already crossed 600. He attributes the growth largely to word of mouth, social media and recommendations from previous guests.

He is reluctant to publicise package prices, arguing that the costs of a luxury experience are not always apparent to someone comparing it with an independently arranged trip. An evening pandal-hopping package for Kolkata residents, covering five or six pandals, was priced at ₹9,800, he says. The figure drew criticism from some who felt they could make the journey themselves for less.

Beyond the festival

There is, however, a larger ambition behind the business than attracting affluent visitors to the city for a few days. Sudarshan sees the festival as an opportunity to connect visitors with the artists and craftspeople whose work shapes Bengal’s cultural landscape. He also hopes that since many of his patrons are high net worth individuals, industrialists, business owners and thought leaders, they will return to invest in Bengal’s economy, extending their engagement with the State beyond the festival.

The possibility is significant in a city where the months of preparation for Durga puja sustain an extensive ecosystem of artists, artisans and craftspeople. A visitor’s engagement need not end when a pandal is dismantled; it can become the beginning of a longer association with the person behind the work.

Perhaps the truest measure of Durga puja tourism is whether the artists who briefly hold a city spellbound can make a living from that wonder long after the crowds have gone home.