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Kolkata, India

Best places to shop in Kolkata

5 markets, malls and shopping districts in Kolkata — what to buy, when to go, and the tourist traps to avoid at each one.

Last updated 2026-08-09

1. New Market (Hogg Market)

New Market (Hogg Market)
Photo: Paul Hamilton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

The 1874 red-brick market hall near Esplanade — everything from cheese and cake to fabric, luggage and flowers, in a warren of over two thousand stalls.

Watch outUnofficial 'helpers' attach themselves at the entrance and take a cut of everything you buy. Refuse firmly at the door — once inside they are difficult to shake.

2. College Street (Boi Para)

College Street (Boi Para)
Photo: Biswarup Ganguly · CC BY 3.0 · source

The book market — around a kilometre of secondhand and new bookstalls, said to be the largest such market in the world, with the Indian Coffee House in the middle.

3. Gariahat Market

Gariahat Market
Photo: Biswarup Ganguly · CC BY 3.0 · source

South Kolkata's main market — tant and Baluchari saris, textiles, and a large pavement market alongside the shops.

4. Kumartuli

Kumartuli
Photo: Indrajit Das · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

The potters' quarter in north Kolkata where the clay idols for Durga Puja are made — studios open to visitors, selling smaller figures year-round.

5. Park Street and Quest Mall

Park Street and Quest Mall
Photo: Biswarup Ganguly · CC BY 3.0 · source

The colonial-era restaurant and shopping street, with the city's main luxury mall nearby.

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