Digha: A Perfect Way to Spend Your Weekend

chillibreeze writer — Shoyeta Chatterjee

Digha: An ideal weekend getaway from Kolkatta

A Glance at Digha

Digha is a small beach resort situated at a distance of approximately 190 kilometres from Kolkatta. Formerly known as Beerkul, Digha is now a very popular tourist destination with strings of hotels and resorts.

The main beach in Digha stretches up to seven kilometres and is known for its panoramic sunrise and sunset views. This small town is also reputed to be a bird watcher’s paradise.

Getting There

There are daily trains scheduled from the Shalimar railway station and a few trains from the Howrah railway station. It is advisable to make your reservations early and avoid the weekend rush.

There are also a number of bus services available. By bus, the distance to Digha can be covered in about five hours.

Attractions in Digha

The sea in Digha is shallow and calm and thus the best tourist attraction in Digha is sun bathing and swimming.

The main tourist hub is the New Digha, which has the best hotels, resorts and restaurants. New Digha also boasts of a science centre and one of the largest marine aquariums in Asia.

Another major attraction in New Digha is the Amravati Lake, which has boating facilities. A little unconventional attraction in Digha is the snake farm that is situated in close proximity to the Amravati Lake.

Located at a distance of eight kilometres from Digha is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, known as the temple of Chandaneswar.

At a distance of 14 kilometres from Digha is the unspoilt beach of Shankarpur. The beaches here are wide, lined with casuarinas trees and are less crowded than Digha. Shankarpur’s main attraction is the fishing harbour project.

Digha is a great place to shop for hand woven mats, souvenirs made of sea shells and cottage crafts.

Lodging and Cuisine

Digha has a number of accommodation options. For budget travellers, Hotel Rajmahal and Hotel Gitanjali are good options. There is also a State Youth Hostel in New Digha, which charges Rs. 120 per day.

Hotel Sea Hawk and Hotel Sea Coast have sea view rooms, which are charged a little more than other hotel rooms.

The Palm Resort is towards the higher side of the budget and offers facilities, such as gymnasium, swimming pool, restaurant, bar and villas.

Most of the restaurants in Digha serve Bengali cuisine. The food is inexpensive and of good quality. There are a few continental restaurants in New Digha. The fish and sea food is much better in Shankarpur than in Digha. There are a couple of restaurants with attached bars, and in some beaches one finds the locals selling beer.

This small town in Medinapur district might not be well known outside West Bengal; however, it has everything to offer the tourist looking for a weekend getaway.

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—About our writer:

Shoyeta says, "I am a market analyst in Bangalore, managing an inherited business of hotels in Darjeeling. I am a movie buff, a foodie, a closet soap-opera watcher, an amateur skater, and an occasional back-packer; I live every moment and 'anything normal is boring'."

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