How to reach Darjeeling…

 

Mt. Kanchenjunga

Darjeeling is a hill station located at the northern part of West Bengal and it is known for its tea industry, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway i.e. “Toy Train” and Scenic view.

In this article I am gonna tell you “how to reach Darjeeling from Kolkata”.

There are three modes of travel:-  

1.     By Flight

2.     By Train

3.     By Bus

 

Kolkata to Darjeeling by Flight:-

 

There is no airport in Darjeeling. The nearest airport to Darjeeling is Bagdogra airport which is approximately 69 km away from the city. There are lots of flights from Kolkata to Bagdogra.

You will have to catch flight from Kolkata i.e. from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to Bagdogra airport. Once you reach at Bagdogra airport, you can hire a taxi which will take almost 3 hours to reach Darjeeling. Shared Taxis and Buses are not available at Bagdogra airport, only reserved taxis are there. Or you can reserve a taxi to siliguri from Bagdogra which will cost you around 400 rupees and from Siliguri taxi stand you can hire a taxi which will cost you around 2000 to 2500 rupees or by shared taxi which will cost you 150 rupees per seat to reach Darjeeling. You will get buses too from Siliguri main bus terminal located on Hill Cart Road, Bus fare is Rs 100/-.

There are two ways to get taxis in siliguri - 1. By taxi stand agencies (Association) having fixed rate and 2^nd one is by private taxis where you can bargain.

 

 

Kolkata to Darjeeling by Train:-

 

There are lots of train which run on daily basis from Howrah and Sealdah stations to New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri stations.

Howrah and sealdah stations are major stations in Kolkata and they are approx 4 km apart.  New jalpaiguri and Siliguri stations are nearest station to Darjeeling.

So you will have to take a train from Howrah or Sealdah station to New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri station, which will take around 11 hrs to reach. And from there you can hire a taxi or have a bus from bus terminal to Darjeeling.

Also you can reach Darjeeling from New Jalpaiguri station and Siliguri station by toy train which runs daily (Departs at 08:30 am and reaches at 03:15 pm). It takes 7 hours to reach. It’s a time taking route but you will get to see scenic Mountain View and have a great experience. (You can book toy train (Njp Dj Passenger 52541) ticket from irctc website.

Kolkata to Darjeeling by Bus:-

There is no direct bus services from Kolkata to Darjeeling. But bus services are available from Kolkata to Siliguri. And then from Siliguri to Darjeeling.

You will have to take bus from Esplanade, Babughat because these are the boarding points of Kolkata and Most of the buses depart in the evening and reaches Siliguri in the next day after a long journey of 16-17 hrs. So here you will get an overnight journey experience but a hectic one. From Siliguri you will get lots of private buses and Taxis which will take you to Darjeeling.

  

Gottaknow:-

 

*Distance from Kolkata to Darjeeling

·        (Road) -606 km

·    (Aerial)- 490km

Route Map

My Opinion:-

Go by flight because it is more convenient, though train is also a good option. I would not recommend you to go by bus.

*The convenient and fastest way to reach from Kolkata to Darjeeling is to

take flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra then take a taxi from Bagdogra to

Darjeeling.

Thank You