Things To Do In Digha

When in Bengal and have the sea calling you, it is almost always the name of Digha that pops up in the mind. It is a nostalgic destination for Bengalis who keep going back to relive memories. Digha is a great place for spending quality time with family, for relaxing, for the newly married couples or to celebrate any special occasion. While chilling out on the beach is the obvious thing to do here, there are a few attractions in and around the town for tourists. Let us take a quick look at the activities people can engage in while in Digha.

This is the chief attraction for people visiting Digha. Take time out from the busy schedule, catch a train to Digha and spend leisurely time on the beach. Though quite crowded there are some vacant areas with rows of casuarina where you can relax and enjoy some peaceful moments. Listening to the waves breaking on the shore, watching the fishermen boats disappearing into the horizon, catching the rising or setting sun spreading its hues over the wide expanse of sea are priceless. Despite the crowd, it is these magical moments that keep people going back to the sea town every time.

Within few kilometers of Digha, there are a number of beautiful beaches which tourists can explore. The Shankarpur Beach is a mere 15 km from New Digha and it is charming to say the least. It is relatively less populated than Digha which gives tourists the opportunity to find some solitude. Here they can also catch the fishermen in action as it is a regular fishing harbor. Then they can also hop on to the next beach of Talsari which derives its name from the palm trees that surround the place. It is a picturesque little sea beach with paddy fields, blue waters and the wide expanse of sand. The beauty is intoxicating and such a relief from the concrete jungle which engulfs our daily life.

Located about 18 km from Digha is the beach of Tajpur. It has a crescent shaped beach which is quite unusual and gives a lovely panoramic view of the sea. Here you have beach strewn with small red crabs who play hide and seek during the wee hours of the morning. Tajpur beach is quiet and tranquil and offers a respite from the more crowded beaches of Digha.

If you are a sea food lover and looking for some delicious and mouth-watering sea food dishes, visit Udaipur beach. Sit on the beach lined with casuarina trees and eat the delectable sea food cooked in the stalls run by fishermen’s families. It is the best way to spend one’s holiday.

A regional center of Zoological Survey of India, it is administered by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It now has a marine museum that is open to public and has the largest inbuilt aquarium in the country. It houses quite an interesting collection of marine species like mollusks, crabs, lobsters, prawns, fish, horse-shoe crabs etc. 

There is no dearth of hotels, restaurants and eateries in Digha. The roads and beaches are crammed with shops selling all kinds of delicacies. Here tourists will get treated to authentic Bengal cuisine which is bursting with flavors and some delicious sea food. The lobsters and crab curries are some of the best you will find anywhere in the country. For the fish lovers there are stalls offering “on demand cook” services. All you need to do is buy your favorite fish from the local fishermen and then get them cooked at these stalls. Sounds extremely lucrative! There are popular restaurants where tourists can get a taste of authentic Bengali food like Purbasha and Pabitra Hotel and Restaurant.

Digha has innumerable shops selling all kinds of stuff which tourists can buy as souvenirs of their trip. Old Digha is a shopper’s paradise. Old bazaars, ‘haat’, beach stalls, it has everything. There are sea shell items like photo frames and decorative boxes and home décor products. They are great for gifting purpose. There are locally made bamboo mats, hats and sticks that are very popular and you will come across in almost every household in Bengal which they picked up during their trip to Digha. They are colorful and pretty. For the more religiously inclined, they will find handcrafted statues of Gods and Goddesses.