Hey everyone,
Being an engineering student at IIT Kharagpur as
well as a globetrotter, I constantly feel the need to take a break from
the monotonous routine at college and enjoy a day or two of
'peace life' (as we call it at kgp) with my friends. We considered all of our
options and finally set our mind on visiting the popular tourist spot Digha
Beach. From this trip, I have gathered a lot of information which can come
pretty handy for people are planning a visit to Digha.
However prior to our trip, the planning part of the trip was too tedious. There
is hardly any blog or site on the web which
clearly mentions everything relevant or useful about Digha. And this lack of information can lead to a quite
frustrating trip, to be very honest. Due to this, I decided to
consolidate my knowledge into a blog and put it up on the internet, so that it
does not happen to other tourists.
Why Digha and not Mandormoni or Shankarpur?
It’s easy. There are no trains to Mandormoni or Shankarpur.
Getting from Kharagpur:
Trains: There are no direct trains available from
Kharagpur. You can take a train from Kharagpur to Panksura or Mecheda and
from Mecheda to Digha. There is a local train available from Panskura to Digha
for all 7 days.
Buses: There are local buses available from Kharagpur Bus Stand.
Buses start from 3:15 am in the morning to 8 pm in the night. Buses are very
frequent, available at an interval of 15 minutes. The average
fare is around Rs 50.However there are no AC or Volvo buses available from
Kharagpur to Digha.
Cab or Taxi: They will charge you around
Rs 1600 for one way journey.
What we did: We took a local train from Kharagpur to Panskura in
morning and then from Panskura to Digha. It costs only Rs 50 per person for the
whole train journeys.
Getting from Kolkata:
Trains: Direct trains
are available from Kolkata or Santaragachi to Digha.
Buses: A.C. or Volvo buses are
available on this route.
Old Digha or New Digha?
New Digha
Pros:
- The
place is very calm.
- The
beach is not too crowded.
- You
can enjoy adventure sports.
- It
is near to railway station.
Cons:
- There
is literally nothing apart from Hotels and Beach on New Digha Side.
- There
are no food joints or restaurants in New Digha.
- There
are no ATM's. Make sure you have sufficient cash with you or
otherwise you will have to go to Old Digha to withdraw it.
Old Digha
Old Digha is crowded and it is similar to a small dense packed
town. There are plenty of shopping spots as well lot of local restaurants
available. However I have heard that people are not allowed to enter in water
in beaches near Old Digha.
What we did: We stayed in New Digha. Our whole stay was pleasant with a
little chaos at the end since we were out of money and we had to go to Old
Digha in the afternoon. Also we weren't able to find any North Indian
Restaurant in New Digha.
Good Hotels:
- Hotel
Dolphin
- Hotel
Seagull
- Hotel
Amantran ( Family resort)
- Hotel
Shantiniketan
- Hotel
Seabird
- Avoid
Hotel Larica Inn. It’s neither in Old Digha nor in New Digha. It’s in the
middle of two and you will have to get a rickshaw to get.
Recommendations:
- Please
avoid any advance booking of Hotels or Groupon Deals.
- It
is safe for couples to stay. Carry your PAN Card.
- Optimum
time for a stay at Digha is 2-3 days.
- It
is generally hot in summer. You can stay in A.C. room.
- You
can carry an electric kettle and have maggi or green tea or pasta if you
want.
- You
can carry a mat to sit on the beach.
Overall this is a nice place to visit. It is a good break from the
daily hectic schedule as well as it is cheap as compared to other beaches.
If you loved it, then please share it with your friends.
