West Bengal, a state located in Eastern India, boasts of varied landscapes. If you're looking to spend some time in the mountains, you can head to various hill stations in the Himalayas in North Bengal. You can also visit a few forests, such as Gorumara National Park and others to catch a glimpse of the wildlife there. However, West Bengal isn't going to disappoint you even if you're looking for a pristine sea beach to spend an amazing beach vacation.
With the Bay of Bengal located on its south, West Bengal has quite a few sea beaches, which offer an outstanding experience to the tourists. Most of these sea beaches are located in the district of Purba Medinipur, which borders the neighboring state of Odisha.
Here's a quick look at some of the most beautiful sea beaches in West Bengal.
Digha
When it comes to beaches in West Bengal, Digha surely rules the roost. It's not only one of the best sea beaches in West Bengal, but also one of its oldest. In fact, Digha was once the only renowned sea beach in the state. So, whenever people wanted a beach vacation close by thronged to this place.
Located in the district of Purba Medinipur, Digha surely is the most popular sea beach in West Bengal. A lot of people from different parts of the state visit this beach town during weekends.
There are a couple of popular beaches in Digha - the New Digha Sea Beach and the Old Digha Sea Beach. While there are boulders at some places of the beaches, these are mostly sandy beaches where people can enjoy to the fullest.
There are also a few places near the beach where you can sit and enjoy the beauty of the sea. You can even go to the Digha Mohana Fish Market, from where some amazing sea fishes are sold at a wholesale rate.
Mandarmani
When it comes to the speed at which its popularity rose, no other sea beach in West Bengal can compete with Mandarmani. Located close to Digha in the district of Purba Medinipur, this fast-developing beach resort has an amazing, long beach. Surely one of the cleanest beaches of the region, Mandarmani Sea Beach offers an amazing view of the sunrise.
Tajpur
Even a few years back, Tajpur wasn't considered to be an important destination on the map of West Bengal. With its immense popularity, Digha was getting extremely crowded with every passing day. So, the state's tourism industry needed to find other enchanting beaches. So, work was started to develop Mandarmani and Tajpur into beautiful sea beaches where tourists could spend some mesmerizing time.
Located at a distance of 175 Kilometers from Kolkata, it takes a little more than four hours to reach Tajpur. Even to this day, this beach isn't as frequented as Digha or Mandarmani.
So, it's still one of the most pristine beaches in West Bengal. There are quite a few beach shacks offering delicious seafood, such as crabs or fishes.
You can have them while feeling tired after a walk on the beach. Casuarina trees border the beach, making it a perfect spot for a short romantic trip.
Shankarpur
Why is Shankarpur not one of the most visited sea beaches of West Bengal yet?
Well, there's no answer to this question. However, the fact that it's not crowded and still pristine is surely great news for travel lovers.
If you want to spend an amazing weekend away from the hustle and bustle of the city close to a sea beach in West Bengal, Shankarpur can be one of the best destinations for you.
One of the plus points about this beach is that it's one of the cleanest beaches in West Bengal, thanks to the fact that it's less crowded. However, if you're looking for a sea beach in West Bengal that offers myriad activities, this isn't the right place for you. Instead, you can spend a lazy weekend on a tranquil beach in Shankarpur, West Bengal, and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Bakkhali
When it comes to the oldest beaches of West Bengal, Bakkhali can compete with Digha. This sea beach is located in the district of South 24 Parganas near Kakdwip. Although not considered to be one of the best beaches of the state, Bakkhali surely is one of the oldest.
It takes about 4 hours to reach Bakkhali from Kolkata. The road takes you through Namkhana to the banks of river Hatania-Doania. Earlier, even buses and cars were ferried across the river on a barge. However, a bridge has recently been constructed, which has helped to reduce the time taken to reach this beautiful sea beach in West Bengal.
Bakkhali beach is one of the rarest beaches in the world, which offers amazing views of both the sunrise as well as the sunset. Besides, it doesn't even take half an hour to visit the beaches at Fraserganj and Henry's Island from Bakkhali. So, these three are easily parts of well-planned weekend destinations from Kolkata for a large number of tourists.
Fraserganj
Located close to Bakkhali, the Fraserganj beach is often mentioned in the same breath as the former. This place, which is also a fishing harbor, offers almost the same beauty as the Bakkhali beach. Most of the people visiting this beach usually stay at Bakkhali and come here to enjoy the beach. The beach is mostly serene and less crowded. You might find you're the only tourist on this beautiful beach.
This crescent shape beach experiences gentle waves, but strong winds. The old, dilapidated houses close to the beach bear witness to these. There's also a jetty close by that serves the fishing harbor.
Henry's Island
It takes only a few minutes by car from Bakkhali to reach Henry's Island. After getting down from the car, you need to walk a bit to reach a beach, which will surely surprise you with its beauty.
The beach at Henry's Island provides you with the opportunity to reach a spot where you'll find the sea on three sides. Enjoying the sunset and the sunrise from that spot is surely going to mesmerize you.
A little away from the beach is the Watch Tower. You can climb to its top and look around. It offers a glimpse of the Sunderbans, which aren't far away.
Bankiput
Located at a distance of only about 160 kilometers from Kolkata, Bankiput sea beach is one of the most unexplored ones of all West Bengal beaches. Although not the best of all the beaches of West Bengal, Bankiput surely has the potential to be a great weekend getaway.
Bankiput is primarily located by the side of an estuary. So, the beach is mostly muddy and the sea seems quite far away. However, the scenario changes drastically during high tide, when the sea comes calling and you can enjoy to the fullest.
If you're planning to halt for the night in Bankiput, you must book the lodging beforehand, as there aren't many standard lodging options there. While in Bankiput, you can even visit the Dariapur Lighthouse or spend your time fishing in the estuary.
Haripur
Not many sea beaches in West Bengal are untouched and pristine. But Haripur is surely one such sea beach in West Bengal. Located close to Contai, this seaside town offers a perfect ambiance if you want to spend a peaceful vacation by the seaside.
Unlike beach towns, such as Digha or Mandarmani, the Haripur sea beach is not visited by lots of tourists. The rows of casuarine trees on the beach and the enchanting scenes help to make your beach vacation at Haripur memorable.
Baguron Jalpai
One of the most pristine beaches in West Bengal, Baguran Jalpai can be the perfect destination if you're looking for some time away from the hustle and bustle of a busy life. This beach at Baguran Jalpai wasn't on the tourists' map even a few years ago. This is why the Baguran Jalpai sea beach is mostly unexplored.
The casuarina trees close to the beach make give the mostly deserted Baguran Jalpai sea beach a look of wilderness.
Mousuni Island
The Mousuni Island, as the name suggests, is an island located close to the Bay of Bengal.It is one of the islands of the Ganges delta. As a result, the place is just outside the inland and hence, the Mousuni Island sea beach does not offer great waves.
However, the tranquil bay also has many things to offer. You can always enjoy your time at Mousuni Island by sitting on the beach of a calm bay.
Sagar Island
Sagar Island or Sagar Dwip is the spot where the River Ganges meets the Bay of Bengal. The Sagar Island sea beach is often referred to as Gangasagar sea beach as well.
As it is located close to the mouth of the river, the waves at this beach aren't too high. However, it's surely a great place to unwind if you're looking to spend some time near a tranquil sea beach in West Bengal.
Sagar Island is also famous as a religious site and millions of people throng this place during the month of January every year. If you're looking for a vacation away from the crowd, it's best to avoid this island during that time.
Winding It Up
With the Bay of Bengal situated just south of it, there are quite a few sea beaches in West Bengal. However, not all of them might give you the perfect experience as a tourist. Therefore, choose prudently from these beaches and spend an amazing vacation on one of the sea beaches in West Bengal.
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