Patal Bari (The Underground House)

A quirky architectural marvel on the Strand. Its lowest storey sits below the river line and can slip into shadow (and sometimes water) when the Hooghly swells, lending the house its underground mystique. The Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar both stayed here. It is a private residence, so you can only view it from the outside, but it remains a favourite photo op.