Howrah Bridge
The Rivet-Built Gateway to Kolkata
Overview
Howrah Bridge, officially renamed Rabindra Setu in 1965, is a steel cantilever bridge over the Hooghly River linking Howrah and Kolkata, West Bengal. Opened to traffic in 1943, it stretches roughly 705 metres and was famously assembled with rivets rather than nuts and bolts, its suspended main span slung between two 82-metre towers with no piers standing in the river. One of the busiest cantilever bridges in the world, it is the defining symbol of Kolkata. Photography from the bridge itself is officially prohibited; MyTripMyTravel arranges the best riverside vantage points instead.
Howrah Bridge is the working icon of Kolkata, a black steel cantilever leaping the Hooghly, carrying a torrent of vehicles, hand-carts, and pedestrians between the city and Howrah station every hour of the day.
Opened in 1943 and renamed Rabindra Setu in 1965 after Rabindranath Tagore, it is an engineering landmark: a balanced cantilever whose suspended central span hangs between two towers rising about 82 metres, riveted together without a single nut or bolt and built without piers obstructing the river.
The bridge is best appreciated from the water and from beneath. MyTripMyTravel pairs it with the frenetic Mullick Ghat flower market on the Kolkata bank and a Hooghly crossing, working within the official ban on photographing the bridge from the deck itself.
At a glance
Howrah Bridge in brief
What to see
Highlights
The rivet-only engineering
A cantilever assembled entirely with rivets rather than nuts and bolts, using largely Indian-made steel.
The two 82-metre towers
The great steel pylons between which the suspended central span is slung, with no piers in the river.
Mullick Ghat flower market
The riotous wholesale flower market beneath the Kolkata end, best at dawn.
The Hooghly crossing
The ferry between the banks that gives the classic broadside view of the whole structure.
The bridge at night
The illuminated silhouette over the river, seen from the ghats and the water.
Visitor information
Our tips
Do not photograph from the bridge deck, it is officially banned; our escort positions you on the riverbank instead.
Visit Mullick Ghat flower market at dawn beneath the Kolkata end for the best foreground and light.
Take a short Hooghly ferry crossing for the full broadside view of the cantilever.
Combine it with an Old Kolkata / BBD Bagh heritage walk in the same morning.
Good to know
Howrah Bridge, your questions
Why can't you photograph the Howrah Bridge from the bridge?
It is classed as a sensitive structure, and photography from the bridge itself is officially prohibited. We arrange the best views from the riverbank and the water instead.
Is it really built without nuts and bolts?
Yes, the entire cantilever was assembled with rivets rather than nuts and bolts, an engineering feat of its era.
What is the bridge's official name?
It was renamed Rabindra Setu in 1965 in honour of Rabindranath Tagore, though everyone still calls it Howrah Bridge.
Where is the best place to see it?
From the Mullick Ghat flower market beneath it and from a Hooghly ferry crossing, both of which we build into a Kolkata morning.
More in Kolkata
Visit with us
See Howrah Bridge, properly.
A private, chauffeured visit with a licensed expert guide, timed for the best light and the smallest crowds. We fold Howrah Bridge into a wider Kolkata and East India itinerary, built entirely around you.
- Skip the queue where possible, at the right hour
- Licensed local guide who brings the story to life
- Private car and chauffeur, door to door
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