How to travel from Dhaka to Kolkata overland: Crossing the Benapole/Petrapole border
This post is based on my experience crossing the Benapole/Petrapole border, which is the only border open to foreigners between Bangladesh and India.
So, if you are planning a trip to Bangladesh or India and want to know how to cross between the countries, then read my practical guide below.
What to know before you leave
Visa
Obviously the most important thing to check before you leave for the Benapole/petrapole border, is that you have a valid visa or can obtain one on arrival. For me, I had previously crossed the Wagah border from Pakistan to India, so I already had a sticker visa that allowed multiple entry, which allowed me to cross back into India from Bangladesh.
If you are also going from Bangladesh to India then you will also need a physical Indian visa or you can use an eVisa that allows multiple entry which has already been used to enter India through one of the available airports or seaports.
If you are planning to cross into Bangladesh, then you need to check that your nationality can get a visa on arrival.
My Sticker visa for India
Money
In Bangladesh you will use the Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) and in India you will use the India Rupee (INR). The current exchange rates are:
1 USD = 123 BDT
1 USD = 95 INR
At the Benapole/Petrapole border you can easily exchange money. Just use any of the bus companies and know the exact rate before you exchange.
Time
India is half an hour ahead of Bangladesh. The border is not 24/7, it is generally open from 6 AM to around 5PM, so make sure that you leave plenty of time to get through customs.
What route to take from Dhaka to Kolkata?
The main route and the one that I took is Dhaka > Benapole > Petrapole > Kolkata or you can do this in the reverse order.
As far as I know, you can also get a bus straight through from Dhaka or Kolkata. I don’t recommend taking this route as I do not think it is much quicker and you are likely to spend over an hour sorting your visa which may cause you to miss the bus.
There used to be a train which went between Kolkata and Dhaka, but India have stopped running this route since 2024.
Dhaka to Benapole
The best way to get from Dhaka to Benapole (or vice-versa) is most certainly to take the train. There are two trains that run daily between Dhaka and Benapole.
The weekly train timetable for Dhaka to Benapole
Train timetable for Benapole to Dhaka
I recommend you book the morning train and not the overnight one if you are traveling to the border from Dhaka. This is because there may not be any sleeping berths left for the overnight train so you may get stuck on a very uncomfortable chair for eight hours. In my case, it also arrived early so I was at Benapole at 7 AM.
Luckily the trains on this route don’t tend to sell out so you can book your ticket a few days before or even on the day if you really need to. To book the ticket you can simply go to any train station and book it at the counter.
If for some reason you decide you want to take a bus to Benapole then you can simply head down to Gabtoli Bus Terminal and catch one of the many buses that leave daily.
Note: Triple check which station you to get on train.
Kamalapur Railway Station - the main railway station in Dhaka
Crossing the Benapole/Petrapole border
When you arrive in Benapole, you will instantly be flooded with folk trying to scam you for a tuk-tuk ride. From what I could gather, the tuk-tuk drivers could only take you a small way before you have to walk yourself. So, I recommend you just walk the long straight road towards the Benapole/Petrapole border.
When you get close to the border you should stay on the right side of the road. Once there you will see a big building for immigration.
Exiting Bangladesh here is pretty straightforward. I arrived early in the morning and had no queues and no questions asked.
Note: If you are going through Bangladesh immigration to enter the country then just make sure you have an outward flight, hotel booking and $51 exact for the VOA.
Going towards the border
Once stamped out of the country, you will walk through a stadium where they perform a ceremony, like the one at the Wagah/Attari border in India/Pakistan. At the stadium, you will officially cross into India where soldiers on both sides will quickly check your passport.
After this, you will get in a cart that will take you up to the Indian immigration building. This building is huge, honestly felt like I was going through an airport. Despite this, I still managed to get through fairly quickly (about 20 minutes). After getting stamped into the country, you just walk straight ahead and go down the stairs. Here you will see plenty of bus services and places to eat.
Finally, welcome to India!
The Indian Border terminal
Petrapole to Kolkata
The easiest way to get from Benapole to Kolkata is to take a bus.
To get a bus, you first need to walk back towards the border. Here you will see many counters for different bus services going to Kolkata, which run every hour during the day. I paid 500 INR, and got an air-conditioned bus which took me to Marquis Street. The bus took roughly 3 and a half hours and was pretty comfy.
If you do want to take the train, then the best option is to get a twenty-minute rickshaw to Bangaon Junction. From there, you can book one of the hourly trains to Sealdah Railway Station. This train should only take about two hours.
To go from Kolkata to Petrapole, simply do either of these options in reverse.
Jessore Road - where all the bus counters are
The border ceremony
As I mentioned earlier, there is a border ceremony which is like the one at the Wagah/Attari border. However I think this one is much smaller. But if you do want to visit then I believe it takes place around 5 PM.
Personally, I never seen it but if you want see what it is like then you can watch the video below.
