Gandhi Ghat is the main riverfront promenade on the Hooghly, named for Mahatma Gandhi who visited Barrackpore several times during the independence movement. The ghat itself — a set of broad stone steps descending to the water — is a pleasant place to sit in the early morning or late afternoon, watching the river traffic and the opposite bank. Ferries cross from here to the east bank.
The stretch of riverfront near the ghat gives the best sense of Barrackpore's colonial history. The British chose this spot precisely because the broad, navigable Hooghly allowed troop movements between Kolkata and the interior. The Government House grounds (now used as a state guest house) extend along the riverbank just to the south.