Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · Nepal

Birgunjबीरगंज

Cross the border at Raxaul, sleep one night on the main road, then leave for Kathmandu or Chitwan: there is no sightseeing that justifies a second day.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
NPR
Best months
Oct–Mar
avoid Apr–Jun (40 °C heat and mosquitoes), monsoon Jul–Sep
Airport
SIF
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6
  • South Asia ↗Trekking regions, border districts and several Indian states need separate permits on top of the visa; check the permit before you book transport into them.
  • South Asia ↗Remove shoes (and in many Jain and Hindu temples, leather) before entering; cover shoulders and legs; ask before photographing people or rituals.
  • Nepal ↗Get visa information only from the Department of Immigration; visa-service lookalike sites charge extra, and the rules differ by nationality.
  • Nepal ↗At stupas walk clockwise; at temples and homes remove shoes where there is a rack or a raised floor; cover shoulders and knees.
  • Nepal ↗Carry Nepalese rupees in small notes: many stalls, taxis and tea shops are cash-only, and shops rarely take foreign notes.
  • Nepal ↗Strikes (bandh) and protests can close roads without notice: check the news and your hotel the night before any airport or highway day.

Birgunj sits on the Nepal–India border opposite Raxaul, 3 km from the frontier post, and is the main overland gateway for goods and travellers arriving from Bihar and Kolkata. There is almost no sightseeing: a clocktower, a lake, a 200-year-old temple and a wildlife reserve to the north. Most travellers spend one night, or pass through in a few hours between the Indian railhead and a Kathmandu bus.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Birgunj, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeTea or coffeeNPR 30–100
  • Sit-down mealHotel restaurant mealNPR 200–500
  • Street or quick mealStreet snack (sweets, paratha, biryani)NPR 50–250
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekNPR 500–1,500
  • Budget bedBudget double room, a night, per roomNPR 800
  • Mid-range bedBudget double room, a night, per roomNPR 1,500
  • High-end bedBudget double room, a night, per roomNPR 2,500

A day, not counting the bed: Budget NPR 2,500 · Mid NPR 5,000 · High NPR 9,000

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Nepal–India border crossing at RaxaulGhantaghar clocktower and Maisthan MandirParsa National ParkGadhi Mai temple fair (every five years)
Airports
SIF Simara Airport (Jeetpur Simara) (About 30 min by road from Birgunj; flights from Kathmandu (check schedules and operators))

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Birgunj: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

22°C

8°C

2 rd

Feb

26°C

11°C

2 rd

Mar

32°C

15°C

2 rd

Apr

37°C

21°C

3 rd

May

38°C

24°C

6 rd

Jun

36°C

26°C

11 rd

Jul

33°C

26°C

16 rd

Aug

33°C

26°C

14 rd

Sep

33°C

25°C

11 rd

Oct

32°C

21°C

3 rd

Nov

29°C

14°C

1 rd

Dec

24°C

9°C

1 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The town is flat and short: cycle rickshaws cover the main road for around NPR 80, and shared jeeps and tempos run the same strip. Walking from the border to the clocktower takes about 30–40 min. For the bus park, take a rickshaw or jeep rather than walking with bags.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Parsa National Park

caution

Door to door: 1–2 h each way

Jeep or taxi north from town, then a guided walk or jeep safari

Entry and guide fees are paid locally; arrange transport and a guide before you go, and do not walk in alone.

Raxaul, India

go

Door to door: About 30 min

Rickshaw or walk to the border post, then cross on foot

Indian railhead for Patna and Kolkata; carry your passport and Indian visa.

Chitwan

overnight

Door to door: 3–4 h

Bus or jeep via Bharatpur, or a private transfer

Too far for a return day; sleep there.

Kathmandu

overnight

Door to door: 6–9 h

Bus or shared jeep from the bus park

Buses leave 06:00–10:00 and 19:00–22:00; jeeps 06:00–15:00.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Main Road / Adarshnagar

Most hotels sit on or just off the main road between the border and the clocktower; walkable to food and the Ncell shop.

New Bus Park area

North end of town, 3 km from the border; convenient if you leave early by bus or jeep.

Jeetpur Simara

Outskirts near the airport; only useful for a flight the next morning.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
NPR 2,000–3,500 excl. bed
Mid
NPR 3,500–7,000 excl. bed
High
NPR 7,000+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range hotel double1 × 1 night × NPR 4,000NPR 4,000
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × NPR 5,000NPR 10,000
Cycle rickshaw across town2 × NPR 80NPR 160
Shared jeep Birgunj → Kathmandu2 × NPR 500 · Private jeep about NPR 6,000NPR 1,000
Ncell SIM with data2 × NPR 500 · Official Ncell store on the main roadNPR 1,000
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeNPR 1,620
Trip total≈ NPR 8,890 per person per day, bed includedNPR 17,780

13% VAT is often added on top.

2026 estimate in Nepalese rupees; border-crossing costs and onward transport excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Hotel restaurant mealNPR 200–500
Street snack (sweets, paratha, biryani)NPR 50–250
Tea or coffeeNPR 30–100
Cycle rickshaw, main roadAgree the fare first.NPR 80–150
Bus Birgunj → KathmanduDeluxe night bus costs more.NPR 700–1,500
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekNPR 500–1,500

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Birgunj is a busy trading town, not a tourist town: petty theft and overcharging are the real risks, and the border area is crowded. Avoid walking the highway at night, keep bags zipped, and treat the April heat as a genuine hazard.
  • April brings 40 °C heat and heavy mosquitoes; a room without a working fan is unusable.
  • Border formalities at Raxaul can be slow and chaotic: keep your passport and Indian visa or e-visa printout to hand.
  • Ask the fare before you get into a rickshaw or jeep; there is no meter.
  • Book buses and jeeps through your hotel where possible; touts at the bus park quote high.

Emergency numbers

Police
100
Ambulance
102
Tourist police
1144

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Birgunjबीरगंज

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

यो ठेगानामा जानुहोस्To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police100
  • Ambulance102
  • Tourist police1144

Embassy

No embassies in Birgunj; the nearest are in Kathmandu. Indian nationals can use the consulate in Birgunj (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Rickshaw, border → clocktower: about NPR 80–150, agree first
  • Shared jeep Birgunj → Kathmandu: about NPR 500 per person, 6–9 h
  • Private jeep Birgunj → Kathmandu: about NPR 6,000 per vehicle

Say or show

  • नमस्ते — Hello / Greetings (namaste)
  • धन्यवाद — Thank you (dhanyabad)
  • कति पर्छ? — How much is it? (kati parcha)
  • बस पार्क कहाँ छ? — Where is the bus park? (bus park kaha chha)
  • मलाई कोठा चाहियो — I need a room (malai kotha chahiyo)
  • यहीं रोक्नुहोस् — Stop here, please (yahi roknuhos)

Border crossing at Raxaul is on foot; keep your passport and Indian visa printout accessible.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Birgunj. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Oct–Mar · avoid Apr–Jun (40 °C heat and mosquitoes), monsoon Jul–Sep · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Border-crossing fixture: Raxaul immigration and customs hours, walk times and the rickshaw fare to the post.
  2. Bus and jeep departure board for the Kathmandu run, with the deluxe night bus and shared-jeep fill times.
  3. Parsa National Park entry, guide and jeep rates, plus a monsoon-closure check.
  4. Hotel shortlist on the main road with fan and air-conditioning confirmed, since April heat decides the room.

Meanwhile

Back to Nepal

Sources