By plane[edit]
- 1 Chandigarh International Airport (IXC IATA) (about 8 km (5.0 mi) from the city centre.). An attractive and pleasant airport. Air India and GoAir fly to the city. GoAir offers direct flights from Mumbai and Delhi. Tickets cost around ₹3,000 (from Delhi, including taxes) for most of the airlines. AirAsia has a direct flight from Bangalore.
By train[edit]
- 2 Chandigarh Junction railway station (ਚੰਡੀਗੜ ਰੇਲਵੇ ਸਟੇਸ਼ਨ) (8 km east of the city centre, well connected with local buses as well as numerous taxis and rickshaws).
There is a frequent service to and from New Delhi. Trains connecting New Delhi include Kalka (Chandigarh) Shatabdi Express (twice daily) and the economical Chandigarh Jan Shatabdi Express (Una (HP) to Delhi). Shatabdi Express is quite popular and it is better to have an advanced reservation at least 2–3 days prior to the journey.
Popular long-distance trains include the following:
- Paschim Express (daily) from Mumbai
- Kalka Mail (daily) from Howrah
- Dehradun-Chandigarh Madras Express (Monday) from Chennai
- Kerala Sampark Kranti (Wednesday) from Kochuveli (Kerala)
- Chandigarh Lucknow Express (daily) from Lucknow.
- Chandigarh-Jaipur Garib Rath from Jaipur.
By car[edit]
Chandigarh has an equally good connectivity via road. It is a 4–5-hr drive from Delhi, the road comprising mainly of NH 1 is quite good. Chandigarh serves as a gateway to the state of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Distances from selected cities:
- New Delhi – 260 km (160 mi)
- Shimla – 110 km (68 mi)
- Manali – 320 km (200 mi)
- Dehradun – 175 km (110 mi)
- Amritsar – 250 km (155 mi)
There are many car rental companies available in Chandigarh. If you are travelling from Delhi, you can book a cab from a number of travel agencies present in various nooks and corners of the city or you can book a cab just a call away. Travelling by smaller vehicles like Indica is the most common mode of cab transfers on this route. The highway is pretty scenic.
While it is good to take the cabs for travel on this route in summers, it should be avoided in winters due to heavy fog. Dec-Feb are winter months in India. Chandigarh, being situated in laps of mountains, faces heavy fog at night and in the early morning. At such times, the visibility on roads can be less than six feet.
By bus[edit]
Chandigarh is served by two bus terminals.
- 3 New Inter State Bus Terminus, in Sector 43, ☏ +91 172-2624403. It provides connectivity from all major destinations in the neighbouring states Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Jammu, and Delhi (limited). The cheap accommodation options in the terminal don't allow foreigners.
- 4 Inter State Bus Terminus in Sector 17, ☏ +91 172-2700006. Offers connectivity from all major towns of Haryana (except those on Himachal Route like Kalka) and Delhi.
Note, if you decide to leave Chandigarh again immediately due to the lack of affordable accommodation, there are many night connections to various distant cities, with both AC and regular buses.
Delhi is extensively connected with a bus service every 15 min offered by Chandigarh Transport Undertaking, Haryana Roadways, Punjab Roadways and Himachal Roadways. Volvo A/C buses are also run on the Chandigarh-Delhi section and offer connection to the Airport and towns like Gurgaon. The fares of Volvo buses are usually comparable with the Shatabdi Express. The timetable for Chandigarh Volvo Buses can be found here.
Chandigarh Transport Undertaking offers a comprehensive connectivity between the two bus terminals with air-conditioned and normal buses plying throughout the day between the terminals.
