Darjeeling
Darjeeling is a city in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal.
Darjeeling is a city in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of 2,045 metres (6,709 ft). To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, to the east the Kingdom of Bhutan, to the north the Indian state of Sikkim, and farther north the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Bangladesh lies to the south and southeast, and most of the state of West Bengal lies to the south and southwest, connected to the Darjeeling region by a narrow tract. Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, rises to the north and is prominently visible on clear days.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Darjeeling
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR, is a 610 mm gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km long.
900 m · Heritage railway between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, India, also known as the Toy Train · Wikipedia - 02Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is a 67.56-acre zoo in the town of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The zoo was opened in 1958, and an average elevation of 7,000 feet, is the largest high altitude zoo in India.
2.5 km · zoological park in Darjeeling · Wikipedia - 03Tiger Hill, Darjeeling
Tiger Hill ) is a mountain located in Darjeeling, in the Indian State of West Bengal. It has a panoramic view of Mount Everest and Mount Kanchenjunga together.
5.2 km · Hill in India with views of the Himalayas · Wikipedia - 04Senchal Lake
Senchal lake, located 10 km to the south-east of Darjeeling, is the main reservoir of potable water for the town of Darjeeling, India. The water body is actually a twin lake: North Senchal lake, built in 1910 and South Senchal lake, built in 1932.
4.9 km · lake in India · Wikipedia - 05Mahakal temple
The Mahakal temple or Mahakal mandir is a sacred Hindu temple located in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. The temple was built in 1782 by Lama Dorjey Rinzing and is perched atop the Observatory Hill and is an amalgamation of Hindu and Buddhist religions.
1.2 km · Temple in West Bengal · Wikipedia - 06Windamere Hotel
Windamere Hotel, built as 'Ada Villa' in 1841 and then turned into a boarding house for tea planters and other Raj types, on contract, in the late 1880s. In 1939, it became 'Windamere Hotel', a colonial hotel situated on Observatory Hill, in Darjeeling, India.
1 km · building in India · Wikipedia - 07Yiga Choeling Monastery
Old Ghoom Monastery is the popular name of Yiga Choeling. The monastery belongs to the Gelukpa or the Yellow Hat sect and is known for its 15 feet -high statue of the Maitreya Buddha.
3.1 km · building in India · Wikipedia - 08Lloyd's Botanical Garden
Lloyd's Botanical Garden, or Darjeeling Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden in Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal.
800 m · botanical garden · Wikipedia - 09Dhirdham Temple
Dhirdham Temple is a Hindu temple located in Darjeeling, India. The temple was constructed in 1939 by Rai Saheb Purna Bahadur Pradhan from Nepal.
300 m · temple in Darjeeling · Wikipedia - 10Bengal Natural History Museum
The Bengal Natural History Museum is a museum in Darjeeling, West Bengal, that exhibits a vast range of natural artifacts and fossils. The museum is home to specimens of over 400 species of birds, 110 species of eggs, 35 species of snakes and 57 species of fish.
2.4 km · natural history museum in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Bose Institute
- 02Happy Valley Tea Estate
Pamphawati Gurungni Rd (walk north along Hill Cart Rd for 2 km, then walk down the hill at the sign),.
- 03Observatory Hill
This hill is also known as the “Makal-Babu-Ko-Thaan” in the local area.
- 04Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre
A rehabilitation centre for the Tibetan refugees in Darjeeling, established on 2 October 1959, following the Dalai Lama's escape from Tibet.
- 05Tiger Hill
Ideal to visit early morning when the first rays of the sun kiss the Kangchenjunga mountain and give it a golden colour.
- 06Lloyd's Botanical Garden
The greenhouse has quite a nice collection of flowers.
From Wikivoyage: Darjeeling, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Darjeeling is one of the oldest hill stations in India, and has plenty of options, both for those seeking a lazy getaway from the hot plains, as well as nature enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies. Apart from sights within the town, there are plenty of trek options along the Himalayan ridges on the India-Nepal border near Darjeeling. The most popular one is the Singalila Ridge Trail.
- 01Darjeeling Ropeway
A 5 km (3.1 mi) long ropeway (aerial lift) consisting of 16 cars and plies between the North Point and Singla, on the banks of the Ramman River.
From Wikivoyage: Darjeeling, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Several eateries that dish out North Indian, Nepali, Tibetan, and continental fare dot the area around the Mall. "Momos", steamed Tibetan delicacies, are a staple food offered by almost every eating joint. Everything closes pretty early in the night (The town goes to sleep before 9PM; plan to be at your restaurant no later than 7PM).
- 01Glenary's Bakery and Cafe
It was known as "Plivas" during the British tim.
- 02Keventers
This place with its awesome western delicacies and cool view was featured in a number of movies and books.
- 03Kunga's
An excellent Tibetan place, situated just above the clocktower.
- 04Revolver
From Wikivoyage: Darjeeling, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Darjeeling
- Airports
- Bagdogra (IXB), 40 km · Paro (PBH), 122 km · Xigaze Peace / Shigatse Air Base (RKZ), 277 km
- Stations
- Ghum railway station, 3.3 km · Darjeeling railway station, 0 m
- Siliguri → Darjeeling39 km · quickest by road, 1h 28m · ₹435–540
- Guwahati → Darjeeling359 km · quickest by road, 7h 34m · ₹3,120–3,900
- Kolkata → Darjeeling497 km · quickest by air, 5h 55m · ₹6,710–10,080
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Darjeeling
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Darjeeling. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThe road however is rough and not paved, so trekking is the better option.
- Get inYou can also opt for package tours conducted by India Beacons Sojourn can customize your stay and arrange for transport.
- Get inIf you plan to trek to Rishop from Lava, the driver will take care of parking it at Lava, which you can avail on return.
- Get inYou should trek the way from Lava and back, as the path is just 4 km amidst mountain forests.
From Wikivoyage: Rishop, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2025-11.
- 01361 km
- 02396 km
- 03428 km
- 04463 km
- 05563 km
If you know how people move in Darjeeling – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Darjeeling
Darjeeling is 40 km from Siliguri, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Puttabong (Tukvar) Tea Estatehuman settlement3.4 km
- SonadaCensus town in West Bengal8.4 km
- Chongtong Tea GardenCensus town in West Bengal7.1 km
- Singtam Tea GardenCensus town in West Bengal4.3 km
- Pubong Tea Gardenvillage in India8.6 km
- Happy Valley Tea Estatehuman settlement in Darjeeling Pulbazar community development block, Darjeeling Sadar subdivision, Darjeeling district, India1.7 km