Volatile yet vibrant, edgy yet exciting, Kolkata is a city of many charms. Shopping in Kolkata's old-fashioned bazaars and streets is an experience in itself. New Market on Lindsay Street is one of the favourite shopping hubs in the city. It boasts of almost 2500 shops where you can find everything from Chinese sausages to cookies and Tibetan curios. There is an excellent confectionery in New Market for the best cakes, patties and homemade cookies. Gariahat, in south kolkata, is the best place to head for if you are looking for a bargain. Both at Gariahat as well as at Bowbazaar you can sample the unique hand-woven cotton saris, including dhakai and kantha saris, for which Kolkata is well known. The best places for saris are Ananda, Meera Bose and Kundahar. Handicrafts such as terracotta items, jute bags and cane products can be bought from Bengal Home Industries, Craft Council of West Bengal and Sasha. Emporiums of various states are set up in the Dakshinapan Shopping Complex. At Hatibagan, you can buy every possible breed and species of pet, here. Book lovers can head straight to College Street with its innumerable bookstores selling all time classics and rare books, while music buffs can find record albums of Elvis Presley and Beatles at Free School Street. Bengal is renowned for its sweet tooth and you can leave Kolkata without savouring some of these delectable sweets and maybe packing some for home. Some of the well-known sweet shops in Kolkata are KC Das & Sons, Nakur Nandy and Girish Chandra Dey. The Hayden Hall on Laden La Road in Darjeeling is well-known for its finely crafted Tibetian Carpets. The famous Baluchari sarees of Murshidabad is another thing that you should include in your shopping list. Excellent clay and terracotta items are available at Birbhum, Hoogly, Jessore, etc. Find hotels in West Bengal