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
Patna
पटना
Give Patna one full day for Golghar, Kumhrar and the Bihar Museum, then use it as the rail base for Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda — not as a sightseeing city in its own right.
Patna is the capital of Bihar and the old Mauryan and Gupta capital of Pataliputra, on the south bank of the Ganges. Most travellers pass through on the Buddhist and Jain circuit: Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali and Pawapuri are all day trips from here. The city itself is loud, fast-growing and short on polished sights, so plan one or two nights, not a week.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- पटना
- Best months
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Apr–Jun (40 °C+), Jul–Sep (monsoon flooding)Apr–Jun (104 °F+), Jul–Sep (monsoon flooding)
- 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 ₹1,500–3,000 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 · 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 in a mid-range restaurant | ₹150–400 |
| Bihar Museum entry (Indian / foreign adult) | ₹100 / ₹500 |
| Patna Museum entry (Indian / foreign) | ₹10 / ₹250 |
| Buddha Smriti Park entry / stupa | ₹10 / ₹50 |
| Auto-rickshaw across the centre | ₹100–250 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PAT · Jay Prakash Narayan Airport
- Domestic only; daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, about 6 km from the centre.Domestic only; daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, about 3.7 mi from the centre.
Typical fares
- Airport → Fraser Road, prepaid taxi
- ₹400–600, about 20–30 min (check)
- Patna Junction → Patna Sahib, auto
- ₹250–400, 30–40 min in traffic (check)
- Shared tempo, one hop
- ₹5–15
Get around
Shared auto-rickshaws ('tempos') are the cheapest way around, roughly ₹5–15 a hop. Reserve autos cost far more — agree the fare first. Patna Metro is partly open (Blue Line: ISBT, Zero Mile, Bhootnath as of late 2025); the rest is under construction. City buses run from Gandhi Maidan and are cheaper but slower. Driving yourself is not advised for visitors.
See and do
Known for
- Pataliputra ruins at Kumhrar
- Golghar granary
- Bihar Museum
- Takht Sri Patna Sahib (Sikh)
- Gateway to Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bodh Gaya | Train or bus to Gaya, then a 20-min auto; or a direct car | 2.5–3.5 h each way |
| Rajgir | Train to Rajgir, about 2 h, or a car on NH20 | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Nalanda | Car or bus via Rajgir, about 90 kmCar or bus via Rajgir, about 56 mi | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Vaishali | Car or bus north across the Ganges, about 40 kmCar or bus north across the Ganges, about 25 mi | 1.5–2 h each way |
| Pawapuri | Car via Bihar Sharif, about 90 kmCar via Bihar Sharif, about 56 mi | 2–2.5 h each way |
| Bihar Sharif | Train or car, about 80 kmTrain or car, about 50 mi | 1.5–2 h each way |
Sleep
- Fraser Road / Patna Junction
- Walk to the station, Buddha Smriti Park and the main bazaar streets; best for one night with bags.
- Bailey Road
- Quieter, greener, near the Bihar Museum and the planetarium; 10–15 min by auto from the station.
- Gandhi Maidan
- Central for buses, Gandhi Sangrahalaya and the river ghats; mid-range hotels and offices.
- Patna Sahib (east)
- For the Sikh takht and the older riverside quarter; 30–40 min from the station in traffic.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Namaste | नमस्तेnamaste |
| Thank you | धन्यवादdhanyavaad |
| How much is it? | कितना है?kitna 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
- Summer heat from April: 40 °C+ and humid; carry water and plan indoor stops midday.
- Monsoon (Jul–Sep) brings street flooding and delays; the Ganges can rise fast.
- Touts at Patna Junction offer 'help' with tickets and taxis — book trains on the official IRCTC site.
- Agree auto fares before boarding; meters are rare.
- Some riverside ghats and older quarters are poorly lit after dark — take an auto back, not a walk.
Patna is busy and poor, not especially dangerous for visitors. The real risks are heat, traffic, monsoon flooding and touts at the station — keep valuables out of sight, use prepaid taxis and don't walk the older riverside lanes after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Patna yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pataliputra ruins at Kumhrar
- Golghar granary
- Bihar Museum
- Takht Sri Patna Sahib (Sikh)
- Gateway to Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Patna district official site: patna.nic.in/
- Jay Prakash Narayan Airport (AAI): www.aai.aero/en/airports/patna
- Wikivoyage: Patna, revision 5325498 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5325498
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/patna). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.