By road
~68-94 km from Bagdogra
East India · West Bengal
Darjeeling, West Bengal
Tea gardens under Kanchenjunga · ~68-94 km from Bagdogra
Getting there
By rail
New Jalpaiguri (NJP), ~70-88 km, from where the narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (UNESCO toy train) climbs the rest of the way
By air
Bagdogra Airport, ~67-94 km
Best time to visit
October to December and March to May — clear peak views
Don't miss
Tiger Hill
Batasia Loop
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
Peace Pagoda
Things to do
Toy train joyride
Tiger Hill sunrise
Tea tastings
Himalayan zoo
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Arne Hückelheim · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Woollens, sunrise alarm for Tiger Hill, toy-train tickets ahead
A quieter corner
Happy Valley Tea Estate's first-flush tasting at the source
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time for Darjeeling?
October to December and March to May, when the peak views are clear.
How do I get to Darjeeling?
Bagdogra is the airport, 67-94 km away, and New Jalpaiguri is the railhead — the toy train runs from there.
What should I sort out in advance?
Toy-train tickets. Bring woollens, and set an alarm for the Tiger Hill sunrise.
Where should I taste the tea?
Happy Valley Tea Estate, at the source, for the first flush.
Where do people eat?
Glenary's, Keventer's rooftop for breakfast, Kunga's for momos, and Nathmull's tea room.
About Darjeeling
- Mountains
Where it is
Darjeeling is a hill town in the far north of West Bengal, at about 2,000 m on a ridge of the eastern Himalaya facing Kangchenjunga, linked by road and a mountain railway to Siliguri on the plains.
History
Darjeeling belonged to the Kingdom of Sikkim until 1835, when the East India Company leased the ridge from the Chogyal as a sanatorium. Tea planting began in the 1840s, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway opened in 1881, and the town became the summer capital of the Bengal Presidency; the railway was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
People
Darjeeling's people are mainly Nepali-speaking Gorkhas, with Lepcha, Bhutia, Sherpa, Tibetan, Bengali and Marwari communities, and Buddhist monasteries, Hindu temples and churches share the ridge. Tea, tourism and old boarding schools founded in the 19th century are the town's mainstays.
Known for
- Darjeeling tea and its hillside estates
- The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway toy train
- Sunrise over Kangchenjunga from Tiger Hill
- The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
- Momos and thukpa
Did you know?
Darjeeling tea was the first product in India to receive legal protection as a Geographical Indication, in 2004.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.