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Voykit pocket guide · India
Siliguri
শিলিগুড়ি
Treat Siliguri as a transport base, not a sight: 1 night before or after Darjeeling, Gangtok, Bhutan or the Northeast. Skip it as a destination on its own.
Siliguri is the largest city in north Bengal and the gateway to the Darjeeling Hills, Sikkim, Bhutan and Northeast India. Almost everything worth seeing sits outside the city, so most travellers use it for a single night between a flight or train and the hills. Its own draw is monasteries, malls, tea shopping and cheap food.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- শিলিগুড়ি
- Best months
- Oct–Mar; winter mornings are cold and fog-prone, so treat Bagdogra flight times as check
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (severe monsoon, 80% of annual rain)
- 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 ₹1,200–2,500 excl. bed · Mid ₹2,500–5,000 excl. bed · High ₹5,000+ 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
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Tea stall cup of chai | ₹10–20 |
| Thali or momos meal | ₹80–250 |
| Auto or toto across the centre | ₹20–60 |
| Taxi NJP → city centre | ₹300–500 |
| Bengal Safari Park entry | ₹200 (half hour), ₹400 (one hour) |
| Darjeeling tea, 100 g retail | ₹150–600 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- IXB · Bagdogra International Airport
- About 14 km from the city centre; taxi to Siliguri roughly ₹500. Flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati; some Bangkok connections.About 8.7 mi from the city centre; taxi to Siliguri roughly ₹500. Flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati; some Bangkok connections.
Typical fares
- Bagdogra → Siliguri centre, taxi
- about ₹500, 25–35 min
- NJP → city centre, shared bus
- ₹20–40, 20–30 min (check)
- Siliguri → Darjeeling, shared jeep
- ₹250–400, 2.5–3.5 h (check)
Get around
Shared e-rickshaws (totos) and vans run fixed routes at about ₹20 per person (₹10 short, ₹30 long). App cabs on Uber, Rapido and Yatri Saathi cover longer hops. The core around Bidhan Road and Hill Cart Road is walkable. NJP station is 20–30 min from the centre by bus or taxi.
See and do
Known for
- Gateway to Darjeeling, Sikkim and Northeast India
- Tibetan Buddhist monasteries
- Darjeeling and Assam tea shopping
- Bagdogra airport and New Jalpaiguri Junction
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Darjeeling | Shared jeep or bus from Tenzing Norgay terminus, or the DHR toy train from NJP/Siliguri Junction | 2.5–3.5 h by road; 7–8 h by toy train |
| Kurseong | Shared jeep or bus on Hill Cart Road, or the toy train | About 1.5–2 h |
| Mirik | Shared jeep or bus from the terminus | About 2 h |
| Sevoke | Local bus or auto toward the Teesta | About 45 min |
| Sukna | Bus or taxi on the Sevoke road | About 1 h |
| Mangpoo | Shared jeep on Hill Cart Road | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Hill Cart Road / Pradhan Nagar
- Hotels, the Tenzing Norgay bus terminus and the Tourism Centre; best for one night with bags and early buses.
- Sevoke Road
- Malls, banks and upscale shops; 10–15 min by auto from the centre.
- Bidhan Road / Bidhan Market
- Street markets and cheap eats; walkable core, close to Siliguri Town and Siliguri Junction stations.
- Near NJP station
- Only if you have a very early train; otherwise it is a 20–30 min ride from the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Namaste | নমস্কারnomoshkar |
| Thank you | ধন্যবাদdhonnobad |
| How much is it? | কত টাকা?koto taka? |
| Where is the bus stand? | বাস স্ট্যান্ড কোথায়?bus stand kothay? |
| Please take me to this address | এই ঠিকানায় নিয়ে চলুনei thikanay niye cholun |
| I don't want it, thank you | দরকার নেই, ধন্যবাদdorkar nei, dhonnobad |
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
- Monsoon June–September brings heavy rain and local flooding; hill roads and flights are disrupted.
- Bagdogra airport sits in the Terai fog belt: winter morning flights are often delayed.
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway toy-train seats sell out in peak season; book ahead.
- Touts at NJP and Bagdogra offer 'fixed' taxi rates — use the pre-paid booth opposite NJP's main entrance.
- The Nepal border at Panitanki: entry rules for foreign passport holders are check — confirm with official Indian and Nepali immigration before travelling.
The walkable core is safe by day and after dark. The real risks are monsoon flooding and landslides on hill roads, winter fog delays at Bagdogra, and taxi touts at NJP and the airport: use pre-paid booths.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Siliguri yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gateway to Darjeeling, Sikkim and Northeast India
- Tibetan Buddhist monasteries
- Darjeeling and Assam tea shopping
- Bagdogra airport and New Jalpaiguri Junction
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Bagdogra Airport (Airports Authority of India): www.aai.aero/en/airports/bagdogra
- North Bengal Wild Animals Park (Bengal Safari): www.northbengalwildanimalspark.in/
- Wikivoyage: Siliguri, revision 5335956 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5335956
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Siliguriশিলিগুড়ি
এই ঠিকানায় নিয়ে চলুন
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All services112
No embassies in Siliguri; consulate locations for US, UK and other countries are check. Carry your passport for the Nepal border at Panitanki.
Bengali and Hindi are the main languages; English works in hotels, malls and with app cabs.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/siliguri). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.