Old India hands know Kolkata as the most soulful city in India. Contrary to the picture painted in Dominique Lapierre’s novel City of Joy, Kolkata is vibrant, uplifting and probably the friendliest city in the subcontinent. Strangers will invite you for a chai just to talk and exchange ideas. Friendships are struck up in an instant and the city is abuzz with intellect and creativity.
For great photo opportunities go to the wholesale flower market at Mallick Ghat, under the eastern end of Howrah bridge. Wind through the mountains of marigolds and jasmine, then climb the steps on to the bridge and look along the railing for the evil eye graffiti: this is the spot for the best aerial shots.
West Bengal is home to some of the finest weaving in India. Byloom and Weavers Studio are well-known showrooms, but I also love the contemporary khadi (hand-woven cotton) by Ssahaworks and natural indigo garments by Maku Textiles. The city is also home to some of the country’s best fashion designers, including Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who has a passion for traditional Indian craft and embellishment.
Make sure to have a gimlet or gin fizz at Mocambo (25B Park Street). This much-loved restaurant, unchanged since 1956, was once the epitome of European glamour, with live jazz, low lighting and devilled crab on the menu.
The best food in Kolkata is served at home. Bomti Iyengar, a charming art collector and bon vivant who lives in a great heritage building and specialises in emerging artists welcomes clients to browse the collection. He hosts lunches and dinners of Bengali cuisine (about £25 a head, bomtiyengar@yahoo.com), including mishti doi (sweet yoghurt).
For eating out, try Suruchi (89 Elliot Road), an all-women social enterprise serving home-style Bengali food. For a beer with your meal, head to Oh Calcutta, the only Bengali restaurant with an alcohol licence outside the big hotels.
Hard to beat for sleeping or just drinks is the eccentric Fairlawn Hotel (doubles from £50). The building, on hippy Sudder Street, dates from 1783, and has hosted Eric Newby, Tom Stoppard and Felicity Kendal. The best rooms are 2, 3, 4 and 7.
Start your day with a stroll round the Agri-Horticultural Society of India garden, established almost 200 years ago. Then breakfast nearby on a crisp dosa at the basic Garden Café (8/1, Alipore Road). Carry on the walking theme with an expert such as Manjit from Calcutta Photo Tours (calcuttaphototours.com) or Ifte from Calcutta Walks (calcuttawalks.com).
Arts events include shows at galleries such as Experimenter or the Basu Foundation (basufoundationforthearts.org), readings at Seagull Books (seagullbooks.org) or a music recital at the Harrington Street Arts Centre.
When I’m researching my books I ask locals about places they love. A famous jeweller recommended Alipore furniture market, and told me to go upstairs in the tiny shops and search for Burmese teak amid the dust. A diplomat shared his nostalgia for sweets from Nahoum and Sons, an old Jewish bakery in New Market. A schoolteacher revealed her favourite sari store, Balaram Saha, which grew out of a door-to-door business, and my taxi driver took me to a great chai shop, Sharma Tea House (5C Shambhunath Pandit Street).
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