Darjeeling, the most famous hill station of West Bengal is approximately 684 km away from Ranchi by road, one of the major cities and the state capital of Jharkhand. From the banks of Subarnarekha in the Chota Nagpur plateau, there are several ways to reach the beautiful place, which are as follows:
Ranchi to Darjeeling: Through Air:
There is no airport in proper Darjeeling. The nearest airport is in Bagdogra (Airport code: IXB), which is 67.5 km from Darjeeling, and it takes around 3 hours to reach by car from the airport. There are a number of flights that connect Bagdogra to Ranchi, as it received the status of a major airport recently.
The average fare ranges between INR 3,900 to INR 5,200 per person, and a flight with one stop in Kolkata International airport (CCU) takes around 5 hours to reach the airport. For an approximate idea of the fare and timing, the important flight details are given below, after 3 months from the date of booking.
Ranchi to Darjeeling: Through Train:
There is no major rail-station in Darjeeling with direct rail connectivity with Ranchi.
However, you can take a train to New Jalpaiguri, which is a major station, and then take a car to reach Darjeeling in 4-5 hours. The road is beautiful, with an amazing mountain experience. As there is only one direct train, you may do a break-train journey i.e. get down in Asansol in a train from Ranchi, take a train to Burdwan, and from there, and get on a train to New Jalpaiguri.
If you want a very unique experience and have time, opt for the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway that is the UNESCO-World heritage site from New Jalpaiguri Jn. to Darjeeling (Starts at 08:30 from NJP station and reached Darjeeling at 15:35 every day.)
Major Train leaving from Ranchi to New Jalpaiguri:
| Train No. | Train Name | Days of departure | Station of Departure | Arr. | Dep. | Travel Time |
| 15661 | RNC-KYQ Express | Sun | Ranchi | 20:30 | 12:40 | 16:10 |
Ranchi to Darjeeling: Through Road:
As there is only one direct train available from Ranchi to NJP, and the flights are costly with no direct flight, you may wish to take the journey by car, with a nice experience of the plateau landscape too. There are three major routes by NH-27, NH-310 and Ranchi-Purulia road.
Route 1 is 684 km which takes around 16 hours to reach depending on toll and traffic, but the road condition is often great. It has Giridih and Deoghar on the route too, which are two major tourist points.
For Route 2 passes by Bokaro and Dhanbad, which joins with Route-1 near Hansdiha. It is 697 km which takes around 17 hours to reach. Route -3 is 714 km and the time taken on this road is around 18 hours. This route passes Muri, Ajodhya Hills and Asansol and then joins with Route 2 after Dumka. You can stay for the night in Kishanganj if you start early from Ranchi, or else you need to take a break earlier.
So, hopefully, you got everything that wanted to know about how to go to Darjeeling from Ranchi.
Here are a few great options to stay at Darjeeling. You will not find them everywhere.
4 Pointers on Us: Nomadic Weekends
- We are retired, corporate people. So, we have taken a lot of stress and we understand what a holiday means to you
- We have a team that is travelling on the streets of Darjeeling to find out great stay options
- We have ourselves experienced these places and we can guarantee a great stay for you
- Unlike others, we are never about dhobi list of options. We are the shortlist by the travellers just like you.
Why go Offbeat?
Away from super congested Darjeeling city
Close to nature
Mindblowing locations
All modern amenities
Perfect Chillout. Guaranteed.
Darjeeling Offbeat Stay Options:
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If you are finding these interesting, here 25 such awesome unknown and offbeat Destinations Near Darjeeling. Do check out. You won’t waste your time.
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Here are a few other articles on Darjeeling that you may like reading
Darjeeling Weather And Temperature: All Your Questions Answered
8 Awesome Things to Do in Darjeeling Which You Just Cannot Miss!
15 Tourist Places Near Darjeeling that You Must Include in Your Darjeeling Tour
Darjeeling Toy Train: History, Experience and All Useful Information
Awesome things to Do in Darjeeling
Bagdogra To Darjeeling: Different Routes & Fun Stopovers In Between