World Country Guide

Travel - International

Note
Visitors are strongly advised not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir (with the exceptions of Ladakh via Manali or air to Leh), all travel in the immediate vicinity of the border with Pakistan and the Line of Control (excepting Amritsar and Jaisalmer and for those travelling overland to Pakistan through the Wagah border crossing), and all travel to Manipur and Tripura. Parts of the southern coast of India were hit by a tsunami caused by the Asian earthquake in December 2004.

Air
India’s national airline is Air India (AI) (website: www.airindia.com). British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly to India from the UK; Delta Airlines and United Airlines fly from the USA.

Approximate flight times
From London to Delhi is nine hours, to Kolkata (Calcutta) is 12 hours, to Chennai is 12 hours 30 minutes and to Mumbai is nine hours. From Los Angeles to Delhi is 25 hours 30 minutes. From New York to Delhi is 18 hours. From Singapore to Delhi is five hours. From Sydney to Delhi is 10 hours.

International airports
All the airports mentioned below have money exchange facilities, tourist information offices and hotel reservation services:
New Delhi (DEL) (Indira Gandhi International) is 23km (14 miles) south of the city (travel time – 45 minutes). There are coach, bus and taxi services to the city. There are duty-free shops, banks/bureaux de change, post office, restaurants and car hire.
Mumbai (BOM) (Chhatrapati Shivayi International) is 29km (18 miles) north of the city (travel time – 50 to 75 minutes). Taxi services go to the city. Taxi fares should have fixed rates from the airport to the city. Public transport is also available in the form of the EATS bus service and local buses. There is also a railway system connecting with the Metro rail system. Facilities include a bank/bureau de change, post office, nursery, restaurant and shops.
Kolkata (Calcutta) (CCU) is 13km (8 miles) northeast of the city (travel time – 40 to 70 minutes). There is a 24-hour coach service to Indian Airlines city office and major hotels. A bus goes every 10 minutes, 0530-2200. Taxi services go to the city. There is a post office, bank, bars, duty-free shops and restaurants available.
Chennai (MAA) is 14km (9 miles) southwest of the city (travel time – 20 minutes). A coach meets all flight arrivals 0900-2300. There is a train every 20 to 30 minutes from 0500-2300. Bus 18A runs every 25 minutes from 0500-2200. Taxi services go to the city.
Amritsar (ATQ) is 11km (7 miles) from the city. Car hire, taxis and hotel pick ups can be arranged from the airport.

Departure tax
£10. (£8 for neighbouring countries only.)

Sea
The main passenger ports are Calicut, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai, Panaji (Goa) and Rameswaram (the main departure point for the sea crossing to Sri Lanka; passenger services are presently suspended owing to the political situation in Sri Lanka). Indian ports are also served by several international shipping companies and several cruise lines. There are, however, no regular passenger liners operating to South-East Asia.

Departure tax
Seaports levy the following departure tax: RS150 (for journeys to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). RS500 (all other destinations).

Rail
This section gives details of the major overland routes to neighbouring countries (where frontiers are open); in most cases these will involve road as well as rail travel. Details should be checked with Incredible India as they may be subject to change (see Contact Addresses section).

Connections to Pakistan
Currently only possible between Amritsar and Lahore (New Delhi–Amritsar–Lahore– Hyderabad–Karachi).

Connections to Nepal
The most practical and popular route to Nepal is by train to Raxaul (Bihar) and then by bus to Kathmandu or by train to Gorakphur (or by bus if coming from Varanasi) and then by bus to Kathmandu crossing the border at Sunauli; also, by train to Nantanwa (UP) and then by bus to Kathmandu/Pokhara, or Bhairawa to Lumbini for Pokhara. It is also possible to make the crossing from Darjeeling by bus to Kathmandu across the southern lowlands.

Connections to Bhutan
The best way of reaching Bhutan is by train to Siliguri, then bus to Phuntsholing. There is also an airlink from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Paro by Druk Air.

Connections to Bangladesh
The best route to Bangladesh is Kolkata (Calcutta) to Bongaon (West Bengal) by train, rickshaw across the border to Benapol, with connections via Khulna or Jessore to Dhaka. Another route is from Darjeeling via Siliguri, then train or bus from Jalpaiguri to Haldibari.
Currently, no land frontiers are open between India and Myanmar or India and China (PR).

Road
Of late, the overland route from Europe to India has become very popular, but travellers should have accurate information about border crossings, visa requirements and political situations en route. The most popular border crossings into India are Sunauli (for Delhi and northwest India), Birganj (for Kolkata (Calcutta) and east India) and Kakarbhitta (for Darjeeling). Amritsar is now open for overland crossings into Lahore (Pakistan). Several ‘adventure holiday’ companies arrange overland tours and buses to India. A bus service between New Delhi and Lahore (Pakistan) has recently been launched (the first one in 50 years). The journey takes roughly 10 hours and there are four weekly return trips available. For information on this and other overland routes to neighbouring countries, contact India Tourism (see Contact Addresses section).