Pride Of West Bengal & a favourite amongst film fraternity (Barfi, Mein Hu na,Barsaat ki ek Raat..) Darjeeling is strategically located bordering Sikkim (falls under union of India) and Nepal. It is known world wide for Tea, the iconic narrow gauge train (toy train) & the 3rd highest peak in the world , Mt Kanchenjunga
How to visit? How to book tickets?
Train: The nearest railway station , New Jalpaiguri (NJP), is around 73 kms. You can get cabs , shared rides to Darjeeling from station premises .Book tickets @ irctc.co.in
Air: The nearest airport is @ Bagdogra which is around 70 kms .Book taxi from airport. Get air tickets from popular aggregators like MMT, Goibibo.com etc.
Toy Train: You can also avail toy train from NJP station. Travel time will be around 7 hrs 30 mins with tickets costing between Rs 1200-1400 per person. However be mindful that this train is not regular & no prior information is shared while booking tickets. As on Dec 5th 2021 this train is running from Kurseong to Darjeeling. Book tickets @ irctc.co.in
Where to stay?
It is advisable to stay as close to the mall. We stayed @ Hotel Pineridge (Rs 1950 per night) which is right on mall. Book hotels @ Booking.com,Agoda.com etc
Where & what to eat?
Do feast on to some lip smacking pastries, cakes & Chinese main course @ Glenary's , snack item @ Keventers & Street food (during evening), all in Nehru Road(Road from Keventers to Mall) . If you wish to taste local bengali cuisine then Mahakal restaurant might be the right place to visit.
Local Sightseeing Cost
Cabs are available for local sight seeing tours. 3 point tour will cost Rs 1200 & 7 point will cost Rs 2500
What to visit & experience?
We planned to take train from NJP station; however to our utter disappointment, we could experience ride from Kurseong to Darjeeling. There was no such information in IRCTC portal, on reaching station we were told that a bus will take us till Kurseong from where we will board the train.
Enroute Darjeeling to Kalimpong
Around 1 hr from Darjeeling, enroute Gangtok/Kalimpong, we came across this wonderland called Lamahatta Pine forest. A must visit place in your itinerary even if you are not visiting Kalimpong/Gangtok. A to & fro journey from Darjeeling will cost you around Rs 2k. Advisable to spend a minimum of 2 hrs.
Perched on a ridge above the Teesta River, some 52 km from Darjeeling lies this small town which is famous for its colonial era buildings & cakes & pastries.
Where to stay?
You can either choose to stay in city or in outskirts in govt hotels (which is advisable). You can book govt hotels @ https://wbtdcl.wbtourismgov.in/home
There are multiple colonial era buildings which are converted into hotels by Govt. You can book in any of the following, Morgan House, Delo Park & Hilltop Tourist Lodge. We stayed @ Hilltop Tourist Lodge.
What to see?
Tips: As on Dec 2021 local sightseeing will cost Rs 2500 in Innova. You can expect Rs500 less for Scorpio or Bolero
