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Voykit pocket guide · India
Bareilly
बरेली
Give Bareilly one night as a rail stop between Delhi and Lucknow, or skip it unless you are here for the Ala Hazrat dargah or Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.
Bareilly is a crowded rail and road junction on the upper Ganges plain, roughly halfway between Delhi and Lucknow, with about a million people and narrow, congested streets. Its draw is a Sufi shrine and a gateway to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, not a sightseeing circuit. Most travellers pass through; one night covers the centre.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- बरेली
- Best months
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Apr–Jun (40 °C (104 °F)+ heat), Jul–Sep (monsoon, heaviest in Jul–Aug)Apr–Jun (104 °F (40 °C)+ heat), Jul–Sep (monsoon, heaviest in Jul–Aug)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- INR
- Money
- Indian rupees (INR, ₹) in small notes for autos, street food, tips and entry tickets.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₹1,500–3,000 excl. bed · Mid ₹3,000–6,000 excl. bed · High ₹6,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Jio, Airtel and Vi sell tourist SIMs at airport counters and their shops; passport, visa and a photo needed; activation can take a few hours.
- Emergency
- All services 112 · Ambulance 108 · Tourist helpline (24 h) 1363
- Plugs
- Types C, D, M · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin C plugs fit most sockets; D (three round pins) is the common wall socket; hotels often have universal sockets. UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food and dhabas: Nothing.; Restaurant: 5–10% if no service charge is on the bill.; Car and driver: ₹300–500 a day at the end of the trip.; Guide: ₹300–500 for a half day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₹50–100.; Auto or Uber: Round up.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Buy sealed bottles (check the cap), or use RO-filtered refill stations in hotels and cafés; avoid ice from street stalls.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and airports; squat toilets with a water jug or hose in stations and villages. Carry tissue and sanitiser; paid public toilets (Sulabh) cost ₹5–10.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Chai at a street stall | ₹10–20 |
| Thali or biryani at a local restaurant | ₹150–400 |
| Bottled water, 1 L | ₹20–30 |
| Auto ride across the centre | ₹50–150 |
| Train, Bareilly Junction to Moradabad | ₹100–400 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₹500–1,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BEK · Bareilly Airport
- Domestic only, north of the city; flights to Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai — check current schedules and days.
Typical fares
- Auto, Bareilly Junction → Civil Lines
- ₹80–150, about 10 min (check)
- Taxi, Bareilly Airport → city centre
- ₹400–700, about 20–30 min (check)
- Train, Bareilly Junction → Delhi
- about ₹300–1,500, 5–7 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Autos and cycle rickshaws cover the centre; agree the fare before you get in, or use a metered app if one is running. Streets are narrow and shared with cars, so short hops are often faster on foot. Bareilly Junction is the main railhead; the Roadways Bus Stand handles state buses. For Pilibhit or the Nepal border, a hired car with driver is the practical option.
See and do
Known for
- Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat (Tomb of Ahmed Raza Khan)
- Rohilkhand rail junction
- Panchala Museum at Rohilkhand University
- Gateway to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pilibhit Tiger Reserve | Hired car or taxi on the Pilibhit road, about 70 km (43 mi)Hired car or taxi on the Pilibhit road, about 43 mi (70 km) | About 1.5–2 h each way |
| Moradabad | Train from Bareilly Junction toward Delhi, or a car on the highway | About 1.5–2 h by train |
| Delhi | Train from Bareilly Junction on the Delhi–Kolkata line | About 5–7 h by train |
| Nepal (Banbasa–Mahendrenagar border) | Car or bus toward Tanakpur, about 115 km (71 mi)Car or bus toward Tanakpur, about 71 mi (115 km) | About 3–4 h |
Sleep
- Civil Lines
- Colonial-era grid with most mid-range hotels, restaurants and bars; 5–10 min by auto from Bareilly Junction.
- Station Road / Chowki Chouraha
- Walkable to the junction and the main bazaar; budget hotels and the busiest market streets.
- Pilibhit Bypass Road
- Resort-style hotels with gardens and pools, about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the junction; only useful with a car.Resort-style hotels with gardens and pools, about 6.2 mi (10 km) from the junction; only useful with a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Namaste | नमस्तेnamaste |
| Thank you | धन्यवादdhanyavaad |
| How much is it? | कितने का है?kitne ka hai |
| Too expensive | बहुत महंगा हैbahut mehnga hai |
| Where is the toilet? | शौचालय कहाँ है?shauchalay kahan hai |
| Please take me to this address | कृपया मुझे इस पते पर ले चलिएkripya mujhe is pate par le chaliye |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Namaste (palms together) or a handshake between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging or kissing strangers
- Hands and feet: Give and eat with the right hand; apologise if your foot touches someone; avoid: Pointing feet at people or shrines; touching books or food with your feet
- Temples: Shoes off, walk clockwise around shrines, accept prasad (blessed food) with the right hand; avoid: Leather in Jain temples; entering sanctums that say Hindus only
- Home visit: Bring sweets or fruit; accept tea at least once; avoid: Refusing all food; wearing shoes inside
- Questions: Expect personal questions (married? job? salary?) as friendliness; avoid: Taking offence; answer vaguely if you prefer
- Saying no: A firm, polite 'nahi, dhanyavaad' (no, thank you) and keep walking; avoid: Long explanations to touts
- Dress: Loose clothes covering shoulders and knees; kurta tops are cheap and cool; avoid: Swimwear or shorts away from Goa beaches
Scams and watch-outs
- Streets are congested and pavements are uneven: watch for traffic, not just for touts.
- Summer heat from April is severe; carry water and plan indoor stops in the middle of the day.
- Monsoon flooding and waterlogging are common in Jul–Aug.
- Agree auto and rickshaw fares before boarding; ask the hotel to book airport or station transfers.
- Dress modestly at the dargah and temples; shoes off, head covered where required.
Bareilly is a busy, ordinary Indian city; the real risks are traffic, heat and monsoon waterlogging rather than crime. Keep valuables out of sight in crowds, use app or hotel-booked transport after dark, and treat the dargah and temple areas with normal respect.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Bareilly yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat (Tomb of Ahmed Raza Khan)
- Rohilkhand rail junction
- Panchala Museum at Rohilkhand University
- Gateway to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Bareilly, revision 5332246 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5332246
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Bareillyबरेली
इस पते पर ले चलिए
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Bareilly; most countries are represented in New Delhi. The US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all have missions there — check their sites for consular hours.
112 works from any phone; 1363 is the national tourist helpline.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/bareilly). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.