How to Reach?
Siliguri has a population of half a million (around one million for the entire metropolitan area), making it the third-largest city in West Bengal.
With massive developments in recent times, the city has grown from a small, sleepy town into one of the most important commercial hubs in north east India. Sprawling and boisterous, modern condominiums dominate the landscape on entering the city, followed by streets of market stalls that surround a core of up-scale shops and shopping malls. Due to its position as a shopping and business hub and a centre of learning, the city enjoys a sophistication and range of shopping usually only associated with the metro cities. Siliguri is also the only city in West Bengal other than Kolkata to have a commercial airport and, perhaps due to the high concentration of colleges, institutes and private schools, the city has the highest literacy rates in the state. Siliguri is also known for the four 'T's — tourism, timber, tea and transport — and is the gateway to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan and the North East.
Get in
By train
- Siliguri has three railway stations: New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri Junction and Siliguri Town. These stations connect Siliguri with different places across India. New Jalpaiguri is about a twenty- to thirty-minute ride from the city center. Now Siliguri Junction also has some long distance trains including Mahananda Express (from New Delhi) and Kanchankanya Express (from Sealdah).
By bus
Siliguri Bus Station is located across the street from the Sher-e-Punjab Hotel on Hill Cart Road (Tenzing Norgay Road).
- There are regular buses to/from Kolkata. The well-known and comfortable Siliguri Rocket, run by the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC), leaves Kolkata at 8 PM arriving Siliguri at 8 AM (₹245). Some private bus lines also ply the route. The 'Royal Cruiser' Volvo buses run by Gupta Travel (Tel: +91 353 251-3451) leaves Kolkata at 8 PM arriving Siliguri at 9 AM (₹745 AC/₹325 non-AC).
- Under a joint understanding between Indian and Bangladeshi transport authority, there are regular bus services to/from Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) buses leave Dhaka every night at 8 PM and reach India-Bangladesh border at Changrabanda post at early morning. These buses will not cross the border and the passengers have to clear customs, walk a few hundred yards to cross the border and board the waiting Indian buses for another three-hour ride to Siliguri. The buses are air conditioned, very comfortable and depart on time. One-way fare from Dhaka to Siliguri is between USD 20 to 25, depending on conversion rates.
- There is a regular bus service from Phuentsholing in Bhutan and the Bhutanese border town of Jaigon. The bus from Phuentsholing heading towards Siliguri leaves at 7 am, 7:30 am, 8:15 am and 3 pm daily and takes approximately 4.5 hrs.
By plane
- The closest major international airport is at Kolkata, approximately 570 km south of Siliguri. The Bagdogra Airport is just 14 km from the heart of Siliguri and has links with most major Indian cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati, while Druk Air operates flights from Bangkok twice a week (incoming on Sundays and Wednesdays, outgoing on Tuesdays and Saturdays). Flights on the Bangkok route begin or terminate in Paro, Bhutan. Taxis are available from the airport to Siliguri, as well as to Darjeeling and Gangtok, though these are expensive. Cheaper options are available from Siliguri bus station.
Source - Wikivoyage