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Calcutta's crumbling weatherbeaten buildings and anarchic streets can create an intimidating first impression. Given a little time and patience, however, the huge metropolis starts to resolve itself into a fascinating conglomerate of styles and influences with a variety of impressive skylines to match.

The River Hooghly , which was until recently only spanned by the remarkable cantilever Howrah Bridge, is not all that prominent in the life of the city. Instead its heart is the green expanse of the Maidan , which attracts Calcuttans from all walks of life for recreation, sports, exhibitions and political rallies. At its southern end stands the white-marble Victoria Memorial , and close by rise the tall gothic spires of St Paul's Cathedral . Next to the busy New Market area alongside looms the all-embracing Indian Museum . Further north, the district centred on BBD Bagh is filled with reminders of the heyday of the East India Company, dominated by the bulk of the Writers' Building with St Andrew's Kirk nearby; a bit further out, the Armenian Church stands on the edge of the frenetic, labyrinthine markets of Barabazaar , while the renowned and influential temple of Kalighat is away to the south, in one of the city's more congested areas. Tangra , or Chinatown, is located 3km east of the Maidan. Calcutta's two main stations, Howrah and Sealdah , are 4km apart, both north of the Maidan and on opposite sides of the Hooghly River.