How to Go to Kathmandu

The best way to reach Kathmandu is via boarding a flight from India. Tribhuvan International Airport of Kathmandu, located only 6 km away from the city is the busiest and most popular one in the country. It is well-connected with multiple Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Pune, Bangalore and more, and covers the distance of 800 kms in around 1 hour and 30 minutes. The international terminal connects Kathmandu and consequently Nepal with around 30 cities in Europe and Asia. The best India to Kathmandu flights are mostly operated by Air India and Jet Airways.

To go from India to Kathmandu via train, one must go through the Delhi-UP route. The nearest railway station to Kathmandu is Gorakhpur in UP which can be easily reached from Delhi. There is no India to Kathmandu Nepal train that reaches the city directly, but this is as close as it gets. There was one between Janakpur in Nepal and Jainagar in India, but the line at present is redundant. From Gorakhpur, the rest of the commute has to be made via road. There are local buses or jeeps to take passengers to the border at Sunauli in 3 hours, and then across the border from Bhairawa, there are overnight buses to Kathmandu.

There are several roadway connections between India and Kathmandu, and they are quite extensively used by residents of both countries. The Sunaili border crossing, accessible from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh is the busiest India-Nepal border. Raxaul crossing near Patna in Bihar is also frequently used, although the town itself is not a very eventful one. There are direct bus services from Delhi, Varanasi or Raxaul to Kathmandu as well, which take from 7-10 hours to reach Kathmandu depending on the starting location. For people living in the east – West Bengal, Sikkim and north-eastern states of India, the Panitanki border is the best option. There are Kathmandu bus services, jeeps and hired cars from Siliguri in WB and Gangtok in Sikkim. The journey takes around 14-16 hours.