Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana.
Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Amritsar district. It is situated 217 km (135 mi) north-west of Chandigarh, and 455 km (283 mi) north-west of New Delhi. It is 28 km (17.4 mi) from the India-Pakistan border, and 47 km (29 mi) north-east of Lahore, Pakistan.
Getting to Amritsar
The best time to visit Amritsar is during winter, October–March.
- 01Raja Sansi International Airport
- 02Amritsar Junction Railway Station
- 03Train Booking Office
Golden Temple Unit, Baba Attal Road (In the Golden Temple Complex, next to the tourist dorm).
- 04Amritsar Bus Terminal
Worth seeing
- 01Jallianwala Bagh
- 02Gobindgarh Fort
- 03Ram Bagh
A tribute to Guru Ram Das, the founder of the city.
- 04Maharaja Ranjith Singh Museum
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bagh (Ram Bagh), Lawrence road (east of Punjab Lawn Tennis Association (PLTA) Tennis Court).
- 05Statue of Netaji
Subhas Chandra Bose (Netaji) was an important leader in the Indian struggle for independence.
- 06Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh'
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Nagar, Hasanpura Chowk (Ram Bagh park.).
Things to do
Amritsar Heritage Walk. Despite visiting Amritsar and Golden temple several times, visitors find Heritage Walk experience extremely enjoyable and informative. Old City Shopping. As you move through narrow path of old city and some other heritage buildings, you can see stalls selling everything from jootis to roasted sweet potatoes.
Where to eat
Amritsar is famous for Amritsari Kulcha, a flatbread cooked in tandoor which is usually eaten with pindi chhole (chickpeas) for breakfast.
- 01Golden Temple Community Kitchen
A dining hall (langar) serving free basic meals to all.
- 02Charming Chicken
Nari Niketan, Majitha Road (From bus stand direct auto service available),.
Getting around Amritsar the local way
- Get inYou could walk this in about 15 minutes or take a rickshaw or auto from there.
- Get inFrom the roundabout northeast of the Golden Temple in the center, the roundabout where also rickshaws go to the border, the bus should leave towards the airport about 1 hr before these times, but best to inquire with the Golden Temple staff beforehand.
- Get inBy rickshaw – If you just head to the highway, or even just outside of the airport, there should be rickshaws waiting for potential customers—say ₹100-200.
- Get inFor a trip into town, even the prepaid taxi can be bargained down with the drivers to ₹300 from initially ridiculous prices of ₹550 a person (as of March 2014; became ₹850 as of May 2023) before you pay, but there is a significant dearth of official taxis or even auto-rickshaws, so prepare for a hard time.
- Get inIf coming from Wagah at the Pakistani border, take a rickshaw (₹20, 3 km) to the Attari station, where you can catch a local bus to Amritsar (₹40, 25 km).
- Get inTaxis and rickshaws also use this route and charge ₹200-500 for the entire journey.
- Get aroundAn auto-rickshaw from the train station to the temple should cost around ₹20, while a cycle-rickshaw will cost about ₹30.
- Get aroundElectric rickshaw between the Golden Temple area and the bus stand are ₹10.
From Wikivoyage: Amritsar, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: This picture has been taken by Oleg Yunakov (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.
