Ganges River & Colonial Bengal — Self-Launched

Land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (CCU) and take the prepaid taxi or the Kolkata Metro + bus into the centre (₹350-500 / £4-5 for a taxi). Settle into a guesthouse around Sudder Street / New Market — this is the classic backpacker strip and the best place to book onward trains. Evening wander to the Marble Palace area and eat at a local thali joint (₹120-180). Buy or top up an Indian SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~£5) — you'll need it for IRCTC train bookings.

🚌Prepaid airport taxi to central Kolkata, ~£5

🛏Guesthouse near Sudder Street, Kolkata (~£14/night)

• →Sudder Street & New Market orientation walk
• →Marble Palace exterior
• →SIM card setup for IRCTC train booking

Swap the cruise transfer for the same train the operator uses. Take an early intercity train from Kolkata (Howrah or Sealdah depending on service — check IRCTC) toward Farakka/New Farakka Junction, roughly 6 hours in a sleeper or chair car (₹300-600 / £3-6). Watch the Bengal countryside roll by. On arrival, check into a simple guesthouse near the Farakka Barrage and walk down to the Ganges in the late afternoon — this is the river's main channel heading into Bengal.

🚌Kolkata to Farakka/New Farakka train, ~6 hrs, £3-6

🛏Basic guesthouse in Farakka (~£12/night)

• →6-hour intercity train through rural Bengal
• →Sunset walk to the Farakka Barrage over the Ganges

Do the full-day Gaur excursion independently. Take a shared auto or bus from Farakka to Malda (English Bazaar), ~1.5 hrs (₹60-100). In Malda hire a cycle-rickshaw or local auto driver for the day to run you around the Gaur ruins — the 12th-century Hindu and 14th-century Muslim monuments, including the Bara Sona Masjid, Firoz Minar and Dakhil Darwaza (rickshaw day hire ~₹600-800 / £6-8, plus small entry fees). Sleep in Malda town rather than rejoining a boat.

🚌Shared auto/bus Farakka-Malda, ~1.5 hrs, £1; cycle-rickshaw day hire £7

🛏Budget hotel in Malda (~£12/night)

• →Gaur (Gauda) archaeological site
• →Bara Sona Masjid
• →Firoz Minar
• →Dakhil Darwaza gateway

Train or bus from Malda to Murshidabad/ Berhampore, 1.5-2.5 hrs (₹80-250). Base yourself in Murshidabad town. First stop: Hazarduari Palace (the Nawab's 'palace with a thousand doors') — entry around ₹100-200 for foreigners, closed Fridays. Then the Katra Mosque, and walk or cycle-rickshaw out to the 18th-century Nashipara Palace and Katgola Palace. If you want the Baranagar terracotta temples too, they're a short auto ride away across the river — ask your guesthouse to arrange it.

🚌Train/bus Malda to Murshidabad, £1-3; local cycle rickshaws £3

🛏Guesthouse in Murshidabad (~£13/night)

• →Hazarduari Palace
• →Katra Mosque
• →Nashipara Palace
• →Katgola Palace
• →Optional Baranagar terracotta temples

Start early with a cycle-rickshaw out to Khushbagh, the Moghul-style garden where the Nawabs are buried — quiet, overgrown and often empty (rickshaw round trip ~₹300 / £3). Then head south toward Plassey: bus or shared auto to the Plassey battlefield area (~1 hr) and walk to the commemorative obelisk. Continue to Katwa for the night by bus or local train (₹60-150). Katwa is a working market town with almost no tourists — good for street food.

🚌Cycle rickshaw to Khushbagh £3; bus/auto to Plassey £1; bus/train to Katwa £1-2

🛏Simple lodge in Katwa (~£11/night)

• →Khushbagh Moghul garden
• →Plassey battlefield obelisk
• →Katwa market-town wander

Bus or train to Matiari, the village of brassworkers — knock on workshop doors (politely) and you'll usually be shown the hand-beaten bell-metal technique, no ticket needed. Then continue to Mayapur, the ISKCON world headquarters, on the opposite bank of the Hooghly (ferry or bus, or cross via Navadvip). Visit the vast Hare Krishna temple complex (free, small donation expected), the older Gaudiya temples and the giant banyan tree. Stay in Navadvip/Mayapur — plenty of cheap guesthouses and ashram-style rooms.

🚌Bus/train Katwa-Matiari, ~1 hr, £1; Matiari-Mayapur bus/ferry, £1-2

🛏Guesthouse/ashram room in Navadvip-Mayapur (~£10/night)

• →Matiari brassworking workshops
• →ISKCON Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir
• →Old Gaudiya temples
• →Giant banyan tree

Train from Navadvip/Ambika Kalna down the line to Kalna (Ambika Kalna station), 1-1.5 hrs (₹40-80). Hire a cycle rickshaw to tour the 108 Shiva temples and the spectacular terracotta complexes of the Rajbari — the Lalji Temple and Pratapeswar Temple are the standouts (rickshaw ₹400-500 / £5, small entries). Late afternoon train onward to Chinsurah/Chuchura (₹40-80), and walk the old Dutch cemetery area if there's light left.

🚌Train Navadvip-Ambika Kalna £1; train Kalna-Chuchura £1; cycle rickshaw in Kalna £5

🛏Budget hotel in Chinsurah/Hooghly (~£13/night)

• →Kalna 108 Shiva temples
• →Rajbari terracotta complexes (Lalji & Pratapeswar temples)
• →Chinsurah Dutch cemetery

Local train one stop to Chandannagar, the former French colony on the Hooghly — the Strand promenade, the French colonial buildings and the Indo-French architecture are the draw, all free to wander. Then continue by local train to Barrackpore (₹30-60) for a walking circuit of the colonial-era sights and the riverside, before settling in for the night. Cheap and frequent suburban trains make this stretch easy.

🚌Local trains Chuchura-Chandannagar-Barrackpore, £1-2 total

🛏Budget hotel in Barrackpore (~£12/night)

• →Chandannagar Strand & French colonial quarter
• →Barrackpore colonial walking circuit
• →Hooghly riverside

The closest DIY equivalent to cruising under the Howrah Bridge: take a suburban train to Howrah (₹20-40), then a public ferry across the Hooghly past the bridge and the ghats (₹10-20) — the best-value river experience in the city. Finish with a walk on the Howrah Bridge itself, an early lunch of kathi rolls or a College Street coffee, then metro/bus/taxi to the airport. Departures from CCU or onward travel.

🚌Suburban train to Howrah £1; public ferry across Hooghly £0.50; taxi to airport £5

🛏Not included — onward travel

• →Public Hooghly ferry under the Howrah Bridge
• →Howrah Bridge walk
• →Kolkata street food stop