By plane
Kolkata's "Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport" connects the city with the rest of the world as well as other Indian cities.
Because the airport is about 20km outside the city centre you should take a prepaid taxi. Expect to pay about Rs 150-250 depending on your destination. There is also a new rail link connecting the airport to the Circular Rail station in Dum Dum, however very few trains actually operate on the line at present.
Scheduled Passenger Airlines
Air India, Indian Airlines, AI Express All India, Bangkok, Singapore, Kathmandu, Yangon and Dhaka.
Jet Airways, JetLite All India, Bangkok and Dhaka.
Kingfisher as per their website, Kingfisher currently only serves Delhi & Mumbai from Kolkata
Indigo All India.
SpiceJet All India.
Emirates Dubai.
Qatar Airways Doha.
Singapore Airlines, SilkAir Singapore.
Dragonair Hong Kong (Starting November 3rd, 2012.
China Easter Airlines Kunming.
Thai Airways Bangkok.
Thai AirAsia Bangkok.
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur.
Druk Air Paro.
Bangladesh Biman Dhaka.
United Airways Dhaka.
Apart from the Taxis prepaid or waved down you can now avail of the new Volvo Bus service by Royal Cruiser www.royalcruiser.com Rs 20 (50 US cents, 40 1 USD, 60 1.5USD) to the city centre. The bus plies on 5 different routes, so in case you are not sure, please ask the driver about the route and ask for his suggestion if the destination does not match the route. These air-conditioned buses are a wonderful way to escape the Kolkata heat and humidity. Cheaper, and hassle free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. However, in case you are arriving at the wee hours, it is better to opt for a prepaid service, which takes you directly to your destination.
The buses are parked right outside the arrival gate at the DOMESTIC terminal- international travellers would have to walk down from their terminal for a distance of 800metres only. As you come out of the international terminal, turn left and keep walking towards the domestic terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try and make you believe that the buses do not run anymore!
By train
Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to North-Eastern India. The cities two major railway stations are Howrah not in Kolkata actually, it's in the adjoining city Howrah and Sealdah. A new terminus station called 'Kolkata' has also started functioning since 2005, but presently it accommodates very few trains. Santragachhi and Shalimar are the other stations where some trains terminate.
The Maitree Express provides a direct link between Kolkata and Dhaka, the capital of neighboring Bangladesh. Train depart from Dhaka on Tuesdys and Sundays at 9:30AM, arriving 6:45PM the same evening.
Directly facing Howrah are ferries Rs 4 that can get you to the other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to human rickshaws. With Kolkata's traffic situation this might actually save you time as well as money. If you are coming to Kolkata by trains using Sealdah station, you may prefer taking a pre-paid taxi to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand is just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shade.
By bus
To/from Bangladesh There are numerous bus options between Kolkata and Bangladesh. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from Dhaka to Kolkata via the Haridaspur / Benapole border post. Private bus companies Shohagh (http://www.shohagh.com/group/), Green Line (http://www.greenlineparib...) (http://shyamoli.paribahan.com/) and others operate daily bus services on this route. Govt. buses run under the label of the state govt. undertaken West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation LimitedWBSTCL and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (http://www.brtc.gov.bd/) BRTC. WBSTCL and BRTC both operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00AM and 7:30AM. The normal journey time is around 12 hours with a one-way fare of Rs 550 or BDT600-800, roughly $8-12. If you're only headed to Haridaspur the fare is Rs 86 2.5 hours. The Shyamoli Paribahan ticket office is at 6/1 Marquis St parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL, 2252 0693. Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the math on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2km trip to the bus stand for onward travel - or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way.
To/from Eastern India via Bangladesh Bus travel to some points in Eastern India are faster via Bangladesh please note that visas may be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India. If you're heading to points in Eastern India Tripura for example beyond Bangladesh -- then there is a regular bus service between Dhaka and Agartala, capital of India's Tripura state. Two BRTC buses leave daily from Dhaka and connect with the Tripura Road Transport Corporation vehicles, running six days a week with a roundtrip fare of BDT600 $10. There is only one halt at Ashuganj in Bangladesh during the journey. Call +880 2 8360241 for schedule. Other entry points to North-Eastern India through Bangladesh are Hili, Chilahati / Haldibari and Banglaband border posts through Northern Bangladesh and Tamabil / Dawki border post for a route between Shillong Meghalaya and Sylhet in North-Eastern Bangladesh, and some others with lesser known routes from north-eastern Indian regions. Although scheduled bus-services to Shillong/Meghalaya from Kolkata through Dhaka may not be offered at present -- it is still possible to get to those points via land routes going through Sylhet and then on to Tamabil/Dawki border outposts. Enquire at the Bus Service Counters for details.