Chandipur

Chandipur is a beach resort in Balasore district of Odisha (formerly Orissa).

Get in

By plane

The nearest airports are Kolkata and Bhubaneswar.

By train

The nearest railhead is Balasore (17 km), car rental: ₹200-₹300. Balasore is 207 km from Bhubaneswar and 236 km from Howrah.

Some of the trains which stop at Balasore are: 2073/2074 Howrah Bhubaneswar Janashatabdi (no train on Sunday), 2837/2838 Howrah Puri Express, 8409/8410 Howrah Puri Sri Jagannath Express, 2821/2822 Howrah Bhubaneswar Dhauli Express, 6003/6004 Howrah Chennai Mail, 2703/2704 Faluknama Express, 8645/8646 East Coast Express, 6358/6357 Gurudev Express, 2863/2864 Howrah Yeshvantpur Express, 5228/5227 Muzaffarpur Yeshvantpur Express (weekly), 6355/6356 Kanyakumari Express (weekly), Howrah Tiruchirapalli Express (biweekly), 2508/2507 Guwahati Ernakulam Express (weekly), 2530/2509 Guwahati Bangalore Express (triweekly), 5628/5627 Guwahati Trivandrum Express (weekly), 5630/5629 Guwahati Chennai Egmore Express (weekly).

For timings etc. check with Indian Railways. You can also go to http://www.erail.in and http://www.distancesfrom.in/train-between-stations/%5Bdead+link%5D; however for ticket booking the only railway site that will allow an individual to book tickets is http://www.irctc.co.in%5Bdead+link%5D.

By road

If you want to drive down to Chandipur from Kolkata (Calcutta) - the directions are as follows:

• Take the Second Hooghly Bridge
• Follow Kona Expressway (4-Lane road)
• At the Bombay Road crossing - take a left.
• Follow Bombay Road (4-Lane road)
• You may break at the A1 Plaza inside the Reliance petrol station. It would be to your left - a 30-40 minute ride from the Kona Expressway - Bombay Road junction (Avoid the Azad Hind Dhaba - it is no longer up to the mark)
• Keep straight until you cross the Rupnarayan river (the bridge is one way and the river is wide)
• After you cross the river you will see the Kolaghat Thermal Power Station to your left
• Immediately after the Power Station is a junction (Haldia junction)– go straight. (left goes to Haldia)
• Kharagpur Junction. Go straight towards NH 60 (4-lane concrete road - careful of the turn you take)
• NH 60 after Kharagpur is peaceful compared to NH 5. Very few buses and trucks and road is bordered by paddy fields stretching to the horizon. This is an amazing road - but careful they are constructing speedbreakers on the road now.
• A toll is charged at Jaleswar border (₹40 for cars), but no entry tax (as of 2011)
• Before reaching Jaleswar town, you'll find that the new 4-lane NH-60 stretch is under construction.
• Basleshwar (Balasore) town. Traffic congestion. Take a left turn under overhead bridge.
• Go straight. You'll reach the bus stand. Cross the flyover after it and take a right turn immediately after crossing the flyover.
• Take a right turn in the next junction
• Go straight till you reach a Police point. There is a Cinema hall just behind it. Take right turn and go straight till the road meets another road.
• Take left turn and go straight.
• Around 10 km off, you'll see some signboards of various hotels in Chandipur-on-sea. Take left turn and go straight. This is easy to miss - try not to go into the Integrated Test Launch Zone. You're there!

From the flyover mentioned above, we do not agree with the route : the flyover lands into a roundabout. Take a left from there and you will be guided to Chandipur. We travelled on 19th Sep 2009 and found the road nearing Balasore is still under construction. Also, roads within Balasore are narrow and has a lot of rush. For more visit road distance related info visit : www.roaddistance.in

By bus

Banadurga Travels runs AC buses from Balasore to Kolkata (6AM) and back (6PM), starting at Dharamtala in Kolkata. A ticket costs ₹230.

Get around

Hire cars are available. Charge: ₹900-₹1,200 for sight seeing. You can also get an OTDC tour bus from Chandipur, that goes to the nearby temples in the area.

See

• Movement of the sea – it recedes 5 km with low tide and comes back all the way with high tide.

Do

If you are tired of the sea, move around. Go to Balasore and nearby places.

Buy

There is always something to buy. Nothing special here. But you can buy delicious sweets here. Items of clothing are cheap compared to other cities nearby.

Eat

Prawns are very cheap. You can have a delicious prawn item at Anandamayee Hotel or Panthanibas or elsewhere. However, as sea prawns sometimes cause allergic reactions, be careful.

Drink

Green coconuts recommended. However, if one is fussy about hard drinks, it is safer to carry it.

While going from Chandipur towards Balasore, just where the road to ITR splits off, there is a small shack with some of the best sweets in that area. The Road distance between Chandipur to Balasore is 12 kilometres and it will take 23 minutes to reach there.

Sleep

• Panthanibas, ☏ +91 6782 270 051, otdc@ortelm.net.in. Run by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. The location is its biggest selling point. It is right in front of the beach, and you get a sea view from the AC rooms only. But the service is just about ordinary for the price. This may not happen when the hotel is fully booked. The food isn't great either. You may prefer walking down to Subham for a better experience. Rooms ₹650-₹1,200, Dormitory Bed ₹70-₹80.. 

• Anandamayee Hotel [P] Ltd, ☏ +91 6782 270012, +91 33-23970427 (Reservations), info@anandamayeehotel.com. Largest campus in Chandipur, great landscape, lawns and children park . A/C - Non A/C, Family Rooms, Dorms. Restaurant. Rooms ₹450-₹650-₹1200-₹1800. 

• Hotel Subham, ☏ +91 6782-270025. Contact- Mr. Rohini Roy. 'Couples' are allowed on an hr. basis at a special cost. Some rooms have attached baths! Rooms ₹550-₹700. 

• Hotel Chandipur, ☏ +91 6782 270 640, +91 6782 270 027. Rooms ₹100-₹250. 

• Santinibas, ☏ +91 6782 270 018. The hotel is on a 3-4 acre campus filled up with trees. There is a pond and a temple as well. An old fashioned hotel with modest but clean rooms. The food is OK, especially the prawns and paranthas. ₹500-₹1200. 

Stay safe

• Integrated Test Range for test launching missiles is located at Chandipur but all that is out of reach for tourists. Check before going if there is a test firing. It may be matter of inconvenience for some.

Go next

• Bhitarkanika - The second largest Mangrove Forest Sanctuary in the Country.
• Nilagiri Nalagiri is mostly identified with the Jagnnath temple and is located near the Kuldiha sanctuary. Kalidiha is also an ideal base for trekking. Nilagiri was the capital of an ex-princely state.
• Panchalingeswar - 45 km away from Chandipur lies this Shaivite shrine famous for its elevating natural splendour amidst the lush Nilagiri Hills and fine lingams over which runs a continuously flowing stream. But you will have to ask for directions all the time, since there is no signs around.
• Remuna - 25 km away, Remuna is mainly identified with the shrine of Khirchora Gopinath. It has been a bastion of Vaishnavism for centuries. Sri Chitanya Mahaprabhu - apostle of Vaishnavism, his Guri - Madhavendrapuri and disciple Jeevaswami Goswami are said to have worshipped the Lord at Remuna.
• Sajanagarh - 5 km away from Nilagiri, a centre whose presiding deity is Chandi. This place is rich in archaeological remains and antiquities.
• Simlipal - wildlife sanctuary, is 100 km away.
• Talasari beach and Chandaneswar temple – about 90 km away.