Howrah or Sealdah: a station guide for families
Which trains leave from where, how early to arrive, where to wait and how to manage luggage with children and parents.
Your first weekend in Puri with us
Friday night train, temple darshan, a day on the beach and a trip to Konark: what our two-night Puri package looks like.
Our Puri and Konark weekend, two nights for ₹7,900 per person, is the trip many Kolkata families take first with us. It is short, easy and needs very little leave. Here is how it usually goes.
On Friday evening you board the overnight AC train from Howrah. Our staff member meets you at the platform with your tickets, checks your names on the chart, and gives you the hotel voucher and the car driver’s number. The train reaches Puri early on Saturday morning, where your driver is waiting at the station exit.
The hotel is sea-facing, on the stretch near Swargadwar, and early check-in is arranged for most groups. After a rest, many families go to the Jagannath temple in the late morning. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside, and phones, cameras, leather items and bags must be left outside; our driver knows where to deposit them safely. Expect crowds and queues on weekends. Afternoons are for the beach. The sea at Puri has strong currents, so swim only where lifeguards are on duty, and never after dark.
On Sunday the car takes you to the Sun Temple at Konark, about an hour away along the Marine Drive, with a stop at Chandrabhaga beach. Hire one of the government-approved guides at the temple; the carvings make much more sense with someone to explain them. You return to Puri for lunch, check out, and board the evening train to Howrah, reaching Kolkata early on Monday in time for work.
