Gangtok
Gangtok is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Sikkim.
The seat of eponymous district, Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayan range, at an elevation of 1,650 m (5,410 ft). The city's population of 100,000 consists of the three Sikkimese ethnicities: the Bhutias, Lepchas, Indian Gorkhas as well as plainsmen from other states of India. Within the higher peaks of the Himalayas and with a year-round mild temperate climate, Gangtok is at the centre of Sikkim's tourism industry.
Getting to Gangtok
- 01Pakyong Airport
Worth seeing
Gangtok provides beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and hills. There are also several viewpoints near the city with views of Kanchenjunga ranges. Dodrupchen Monastery. A monastery in the Nyingma tradition, famous for its large chorten. When in residence, Dodrupchen Rinpoche receives devotees to offer blessings from around 20:00 to 21:30. Do-drul Chorten (Deorali district at the bottom of Gangtok).
- 01Enchey Monastery
A 200-year-old monastery in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, located above Gangtok, just off the road to Lake Tsomgo.
- 02Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
A museum and library dedicated to Tibetan culture, language and history.
- 03Rumtek Monastery
One of the most famous things to see near Gangtok.
- 04Tsuklakhang Palace
The palatial monastery of Sikkim's former royal family.
Things to do
A few minutes walk down the hill from Do-Drul Chorten is the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, a small but informative museum providing a general introduction of Tibetan Buddhism using authentic artifacts such as thankas and statues. Entrance fee is ₹10. About 5 minutes from the museum is the Gangtok Ropeway (or Damodar Ropeway), a cable car which connects Deorali to a hill above Gangtok.
Where to eat
There are many great and cheap places to eat in Gangtok. In fact Gangtok is the best place if you want to try the Sikkimese, Nepali and Bhutanese dishes. Along with that you will also get North Indian, South Indian and vegetarian places, but they are few in number. Most of the restaurants are located near Mg Marg.
Getting around Gangtok the local way
- Get inPick up a shared taxi or bus from Siliguri Bus Station, located on Hill Cart Road.
- Get inOnce you arrive in New Jalpaiguri, you can either hire a taxi from the station itself or take an auto-rickshaw to the Siliguri bus stand.
- Get inJeeps to Namchi, a nearby tourist destination with many holy sites, costs around ₹110 and takes about 3 hours.
- Get inFare of the shared taxis is generally fixed, around ₹400 to Gangtok from Siliguri.
- Get aroundHowever, most of these will be shared jeeps that are one-way so it would be prudent to inquire ahead of time.
From Wikivoyage: Gangtok, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Ashinpt at enwiki (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.
