How to Reach Darjeeling

Darjeeling, the Land of the Celestial Thunderbolt, is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India state of West Bengal. It is known for its five Tourism sector, 1) Tea gardens, 2) Trekking spots, 3) Teak forests,4)  Toy train and 5) Tiger hill. Other than scenic grandeur, salubrious climate and enchanting tourist spots, traveling to Darjeeling also offers you a rendezvous with the cultural diversity of India. The local cuisine and local market form the other major attractions of this hill resort. Go through this article and get to know how to reach Darjeeling, easily and safely.

Distances of Some Important Places from Darjeeling.

By Air

The nearest airport to Darjeeling is the Bagdogra Airport, which is about 90 km and 10kms from Siliguri  from this place. It is connected to Kolkata and Delhi by daily flights. This airport also receives direct flight from Guwahati and Patna. From here onwards, one has to hire private cabs or taxis for reaching the hill resort.

By Train

The nearest railhead from Darjeeling comprises of the New Jalpaiguri Railway Station. It is connected to Delhi by Guwahati Rajdhani and to Kolkata by Darjeeling Mail. Except for monsoon, a toy train runs from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in all seasons.

Some important train services : 
(abbreviations used :Cal-Calcutta, Del-Delhi, Guw-Guwahati, Ban-Bangalore, Mum-Mumbai)

By Bus

In case you prefer to travel by road, There is a regular bus service from Silguri to Darjeeling. However, they are quite slow due to the steep, twisty climb up to Darjeeling. Shared jeeps are almost as cheap, and faster.

By taxi/shared jeep

Siliguri is the nearest town connected to the mainline rail network. Ample transport is available to Darjeeling from here. The most popular modes of transport are taxi (usually shared by three to four passengers), shared jeep (ten passengers).

Shared jeeps depart regularly, from several locations around town. They leave when full, and are a cheap, fast and reasonably comfortable way to get to Darjeeling.

If you have arrived by train at NJP, you can take a taxi or shared jeep to reach Darjeeling from the booking counter at the taxi stand in front of the railway station. There is also a prepaid taxi stand in front of the train station. Note that if you arrive too late for the jeep to make a return journey from Darjeeling, you may end up paying more per person. The prepaid counter will tell you that no jeeps are available, so you'll have to find one via a fixer or by negotiating directly with drivers.

Tourists often opt to buy an extra seat or two to have more space for the 3 hour journey up to Darjeeling! Luggage is carried for free on the roof. Jeeps may stop for a snack and toilet break on the way up (normally a few km short of Kurseong).