Midrange and value hotels (Room tariff between 1500 and 3500) in Bolpur are majorly concentrated in two distinct areas:

• University campus area (within 3 Km from Station)
  • Shantobitan Tourism Property (Govt. of West Bengal)
  • Hotel Sonar Bangla
  • Hotel Royal Bengal
• Eco resorts adjacent to Ballavpur Sanctuary (within 6 Km from Station)
  • Mohor Kutir Resorts
  • Shakuntala Resorts
  • Ram Shyam Village Resorts
• Premium category hotels: Room tariff is upwards of Rs.3500
  • Mark & Meadows
  • The Creek

Explore Hotels in Shantiniketan

• Assuming you reach between 11 am to 12noon, check in to the hotel and get ready for a tour of Shantiniketan.
• Options for lunch: Nola Food Boutique / Sonajhuri Restaurant are a multi-cuisine restaurant within 2km from the Railway Station. Else, delicious Bengali Lunch is traditionally served in the resorts (Near Sonajhuri) mentioned above.
  
  TIP: Cycle rickshaws and toto (e-rickshaws) are the most convenient modes of transportation within the town. If one is not travelling in his/her own four-wheeler, hire a toto for the sightseeing trips in and around Shantiniketan.

Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary (popularly known as Deer Park): Amidst the lush green forest of Sal, Piyal, Amla and Sheesham trees, it is a small park to be explored on foot. This conservation park is home to Blackbuck and Spotted Deer. It is 5km from the station.

• Timings: 10 am to 4 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)
  Pratichi: Private property of another Nobel Laureate from Bengal, Amartya Sen, is a famous Landmark in the vicinity of Deer Park.

Srijani Shilpagram: The culture and tradition of the rural people of the Eastern and North-Eastern states of India are represented here. It is a hub for local artisans to sell their fabric, sculptures and artefacts. Managed by the Ministry of Culture, GOI, the premises are within 4km from Deer Park.

• Timings: 9:30 am to 5 pm
• Entry Fee: Rs.10 for adults / Rs.5 for children. Additional charges for Camera

Amar-Kutir Society for Rural Development: Around 4km from Srijani Shilpagram, this is an attractive place for shopping handicraft items. You may also visit Eco Park beside the showroom.

Prakriti Bhavan: One of its kind Nature Art Museum, beside Amar Kutir Society. Pieces of rock or tree trunks resembling animals or sculptures are displayed here. While reaching Prakriti Bhavan, walk through the forest of Sal Trees (known as Salboni), which is a famous shooting spot of major Bengali FilmsEntry Fee: Rs.30

• Time Required: 30 minutes

All the above-mentioned places are within a radius of 5-6km that may be covered comfortably under three hours’ time. Travellers may decide to skip any place as per personal preference.

Sonajhuri Haat: A temporary market set up on the grounds at Khoai only on weekends, is half a km from Prakriti Bhavan. Stalls sell a wide range of home-décor items, handloom sarees, leather and jute bags and exclusive junk jewellery. Baul (native folk-singers) and tribal dancers also perform in the fair area to keep the atmosphere upbeat. Dancing to the tunes of local music is a must for some fabulous Insta-reels!
Evening Snacks: Feast on local sweets, pickles and fried food available at stalls in the fair-ground.

Recommended time in the haat: 1.5hours

Enjoy Sunset at the Kopai riverside and later come back to your hotel. On the way back, check out the illuminated Banyan Tree at Teen Pahar.

If you are particularly interested in folk music and dance, some resorts may be able to organize Baul singers and madol dance on the lawns for visitors. This is similar to how Desert Camps in Jaisalmer organize cultural programs in the evenings. It is advisable to have dinner in the hotel.

You may start your day early. Either you can have breakfast in your hotel or in streetside stalls on your way to the University Campus.

Maa Kankalitala Temple: Visit the temple (about 9km from Shantiniketan). Situated on the banks of the Kopai River, this temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeth. Here, the waist of Sati is supposed to have fallen. Expect to stand in a long queue on Tuesdays and Saturdays when pilgrims gather in large numbers.

Breakfast at Sanat Da’s Shop: Kachori / Curry and Sweets is highly recommended here. ‘Hiramoni’ is a speciality sweetmeat. This place is near Prantik Railway Station – 5km from Bolpur Station.

Upasana Griha: A deity-less prayer hall, made of coloured Belgium glass with marble steps on all four sides. Entry is allowed to tourists only if they wear white clothes. Guides are generally available at the entrance of this temple. Guide charges for about two hours’ tours of the campus are between 150 and 200.

Chhatim-Talla: Commonly called the blackboard tree, Chhatim (Saptaparni in Hindi) is the tree under which Maharshi Debendranath used to meditate. The state of West Bengal derives its state tree from this connection.

The vast campus is famous for all the schools, institutes and departments that the University is divided into:

• Patha Bhavan (co-educational open-air school),
• Kala Bhavan (Institute of Fine Arts),
• Sangeet Bhavan (Institute of dance, drama and music),
• Cheena Bhavan (Institute of Chinese learning),
• Nippon Bhavan (Institute of Japanese education),
• Bhasha Bhavan (Institute of Languages and literature) are the main highlight of the campus.
• The Mango Grove (AmraKunja) is the place where the annual convocation is held every year.

Uttarayan Complex: A garden with five heritage buildings, named – Udayan, Konark, Shyamoli, Punascha and Udichi, associated with the Nobel Laureate. The gifts he had received, his manuscripts, medals, paintings and his Austin car are displayed in the Rabindra Bhavan Museum.

• Timings: 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Innumerable sculptures and frescos by famous artisans like Ramkinkar Bej, Nandalal Bose and more are found along the campus area.

Sinha Sadan Clock Tower: Shantiniketan was originally a part of the ancestral zamindari of the Sinha family of Raipur. Satyendra Prasanna Sinha had constructed Sinha Sadan with a clock tower and bell. It was in this building that Oxford University conferred its honorary doctorate on the poet, Rabindranath Tagore.
The tour should ideally be over in under three hours’ time.

Lunch Options 3 Km radius of campus:

• ‘Kasahara’, named after a master Japanese artisan, Mr Kimtaro Kasahara, is a famous café on the campus. It serves Chinese dishes as well as Bengali Thali at reasonable prices.
• The Tamarind – Small South Indian Restaurant
• 9×9 Restaurant – a multi-cuisine Restaurant

If you are travelling in your vehicle, ‘Banalakshmi’ (10km from Bolpur) is an exclusive option for meals. This restaurant nestled within mud huts and serene greenery serve organic food prepared with vegetables grown on their own farm. Reservation over call needs to be done within 8 am for lunch. It is a cottage industry. Honey, squash and ghee are also prepared and sold here.

If you are travelling back by train, check out ‘Gitanjali’, the Railway museum at the station complex. The museum houses the salon car in which the Nobel laureate had travelled back to Kolkata for the final time in 1941.

• Timings: 9:30 to 1 pm and 2:30 to 5 pm (except Wednesday)
• Entry: Free