In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · India
Haridwar
हरिद्वार
Give Haridwar one night, two if you want Rajaji park: see Har Ki Pauri at the 19:00 aarti, then move on to Rishikesh or Dehradun.
Haridwar is where the Ganges leaves the hills for the plains, and the town is built around that: ghats, temples and a river that pilgrims come to bathe in. The centre is walkable and the sightseeing is done in a day, so most trips use it as a one-night stop on the way to Rishikesh, Dehradun or the Garhwal hills. It is a vegetarian, alcohol-free town, and it is at its most crowded during the July Kanwar Mela and the Kumbh years.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- हरिद्वार
- Best months
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Jul (Kanwar Mela crowds), late May–Aug monsoon, Ardh Kumbh 2027 (dates check)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
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 ₹1,200–2,500 excl. bed (2026 estimate, check) · Mid ₹2,500–5,000 excl. bed (2026 estimate, check) · High ₹5,000+ excl. bed (2026 estimate, check) (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 · 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 |
|---|---|
| Chole bhature or a thali at a local eatery | ₹30–80 |
| Bengali thali with unlimited servings | ₹40–45 |
| Chotiwalas Special (paneer and veg in tomato base) | ₹75 |
| Cycle rickshaw, short hop / station to Har Ki Pauri | ₹10 / ₹25 |
| Taxi, three hours of temples and ashrams | ₹400 |
| Rajaji National Park 5-hour tour | ₹1,800 per person |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₹400–800 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DED · Jolly Grant (Dehradun)
- About 20 km (12 mi) from the city centre; taxi to Haridwar around ₹400. Frequent flights from Delhi.About 12 mi (20 km) from the city centre; taxi to Haridwar around ₹400. Frequent flights from Delhi.
- DEL · Indira Gandhi International (Delhi)
- About 200 km (124 mi); the nearest international airport. Train or car from Delhi.About 124 mi (200 km); the nearest international airport. Train or car from Delhi.
Typical fares
- Jolly Grant airport → Haridwar, taxi
- about ₹400, 20 km (12 mi)about ₹400, 12 mi (20 km)
- Haridwar Junction → Har Ki Pauri, cycle rickshaw
- about ₹25, 2 km (1.2 mi)about ₹25, 1.2 mi (2 km)
- Haridwar → Rishikesh, bus
- about 1 h; fare check at the stand
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
Central Haridwar is walkable, and Har Ki Pauri to the railway station is about 2 km (1.2 mi). Cycle rickshaws cost around ₹10 for short hops and ₹25 for the station to Har Ki Pauri run. Auto-rickshaws are around ₹200 and a taxi hired for three hours of temples and ashrams around ₹400.Central Haridwar is walkable, and Har Ki Pauri to the railway station is about 1.2 mi (2 km). Cycle rickshaws cost around ₹10 for short hops and ₹25 for the station to Har Ki Pauri run. Auto-rickshaws are around ₹200 and a taxi hired for three hours of temples and ashrams around ₹400.
See and do
Known for
- Har Ki Pauri and the evening Ganga aarti
- Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi temples
- Kumbh Mela and Kanwar Mela
- Gateway to the Garhwal hills
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Rishikesh | Bus from Haridwar bus stand, about 1 h; a few trains a day are slower and less frequent | About 1–1.5 h |
| Dehradun | Train from Haridwar Junction, about 1 h | About 1–1.5 h |
| Rajaji National Park | Taxi or jeep from Haridwar; the park spreads across the Haridwar–Dehradun foothills | About 1 h each way (check) |
| Mussoorie | Bus or car via Dehradun | About 2.5–3 h |
| Lansdowne | Bus or car via Kotdwar | About 3–4 h |
Sleep
- Har Ki Pauri and Upper Road
- Walk to the aarti and the ghats; noisiest and busiest, book ahead in festival season.
- Railway Road and the station area
- Hotels, eateries and the bus stand within a few minutes' walk; a 2 km (1.2 mi) walk or short rickshaw ride to Har Ki Pauri.Hotels, eateries and the bus stand within a few minutes' walk; a 1.2 mi (2 km) walk or short rickshaw ride to Har Ki Pauri.
- Bhopatwala
- Newer hotels about 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the centre; quieter, but you need a rickshaw or taxi for the ghats.Newer hotels about 3.1 mi (5 km) north of the centre; quieter, but you need a rickshaw or taxi for the ghats.
- Kankhal
- South of the centre near Daksheswar Mahadev temple; less pilgrim traffic, room rates check locally.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Namaste | नमस्तेnamaste |
| Thank you | धन्यवादdhanyavaad |
| How much is it? | कितने का है?kitne ka hai |
| Where is Har Ki Pauri? | हर की पौड़ी कहाँ है?Har Ki Pauri kahan hai |
| No, thank you | नहीं, धन्यवादnahin, dhanyavaad |
| 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
- Alcohol is banned in Haridwar; the town is vegetarian.
- Touts pose as temple or ghat officials and ask for donations: use the donation boxes at the ghats instead.
- July's Kanwar Mela and Kumbh years fill every hotel and block the roads — book rooms and trains well ahead.
- The bus stand has almost no English signage; check your bus before boarding.
- Monsoon rain (late May–Aug) and summer heat make walking the ghats hard work.
Haridwar is a busy pilgrimage town rather than a dangerous one. The real risks are festival crowds, ghat steps and river currents, touts posing as officials, and monsoon flooding: watch your footing at the water and keep bags zipped in the bazaars.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Haridwar yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Har Ki Pauri and the evening Ganga aarti
- Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi temples
- Kumbh Mela and Kanwar Mela
- Gateway to the Garhwal hills
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Indian Railways (official): indianrail.gov.in
- Wikivoyage: Haridwar, revision 5325398 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5325398
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Haridwarहरिद्वार
इस पते पर ले चलिए
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Haridwar; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and most other embassies are in New Delhi (check addresses).
Alcohol is banned in Haridwar and the town is vegetarian; carry small rupee notes for rickshaws and temple donations.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/haridwar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.