India Transportation

Indira Gandhi International Airport is the major international airports in India. It has been the biggest airport in the country and Southeast Asia with the operating of the new Terminal3. The airport, located in the southwest of Delhi, is 10mi far from New Delhi. Its name is in memory of Indira Gandhi, the first female prime minister of the country.

The international flights available at Gandhi International Airport include those from and to Moscow, Seoul, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, London, San Francisco, Chicago, Dubai, Vienna, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.

Terminal 1C, 1D and Terminal3 have been operated. T1C is only for domestic arrivals. T1D is also called "Palam" or "Domestic" and is mainly used by the budget airlines including IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet. Terminal3 is the main terminal and is used for all the international flights and most domestic flights; the main airlines include Jet Airway, Air India and Kingfisher.

How to transfer between Indira Gandhi International Airport and downtown:
The best way to travel between the airport and downtown is by Delhi Airport Metro Express (DAME). The other end is at New Delhi Metro Station. The metro train departs every 20 minutes from 05:00 to 23:00. The airport shuttle buses running to/from Kashmiri Gate Bus Station in downtown and pre-paid taxis which take around 600 to 1,000 rupees to downtown are also good choices.

The airports in Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Cohinalso also operate a few international flights in and out of the country. You may check the real-time schedule on our website.

Attention: Please do not take Rosewood logs, medicines made in India, unexamined food and other prohibited items into or out of the country.
 Visitors can also take a bus to India. It starts from Lumbini, Nepal to the border of Sunauli. After passing through the border, visitors can take a bus to Varanasi within 12 hours; or take a bus to Gorakhpur within 3 hours and then get to Varanasi by train. There is also a bus to Delhi in Sunauli, but it takes a long time and the road condition is bad, hence not recommended.
 The Air India has the flights between Mumbai and Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta, Delhi and Calcutta, and Mumbai and Chennai. Except this airline, Kingfisher and Jet Airways are also the good choices for tourists.
 One of the most frequently-used ways to travel in the country is by train. Travelers can take the train to most large and medium-sized cities and tourist cities. However, you may carefully choose a suitable class as some may be poorly equipped, overloaded and unpunctual.

There are two kinds of trains. One is Mail/ Express, the other is Ordinary. The former is faster than the latter.

Major Classes of Indian Trains:
Air-conditioned First Class, or AC1: 2 or 4 berths in a separate compartment and the berths are converted to seats in daytime.
Air-conditioned 2-Tier, or AC2: The compartments are open with curtained 2 or 4 berths. The lower berths can also be converted to seats in daytime.
Air-conditioned 3-Tier, or AC3: Similar to AC2, but with 2 or 6 berths in an open compartment. The curtains for privacy may also be unavailable.
Air-conditioned Executive Chair Class or EC: 2 seats on each side of the aisle
Air-conditioned Chair class or CC: 2 seats on one side of the aisle and 3 on the other side
Sleeper Class or SL: 2 or 6 berths in open compartments; no curtains, beddings or air-conditioner
Second Class Seats: plastic or wooden seats only, no air-conditioner

For foreign visitors, they'd better choose AC1, AC2 and AC3 for long-distance trips and EC and CC for short-distance trips. SL and second class seats are the last choice for tourists, for it is crowded and is in bad condition.

Ways to Buy Tickets:
1. Booking on the Internet:
The official website intoirctc.co.in is the best choice.
2. Booking in the train station:
There are usually tickets counters for foreigner passengers there.
 The buses are generally not well-equipped and crowded, hence not recommended to foreign travelers. If insist, you'd better book a ticket in advance to guarantee a seat. Passengers should take the seat according to the number showed on the tickets. The buses are mostly punctual but have less numbers of runs. In some cities, there is only one bus a day. So you are recommended to check the bus schedule earlier; the hotel staff is usually nice to help you with that. In addition, taking a long-distance bus will cost 5-6 hours at least, so you'd better prepare some food.
 Tuktuk is very convenient and frequently used and visitors can find it everywhere in the country.

It has different sizes in different areas. In most occasions, it can take 3 persons each time, while in some areas with narrow streets, the tuktuk can only hold 2 passengers at most.

Most tuktuks have meters but the drivers are unlikely to use them when serving foreign passengers. They usually negotiate a price with tourists, when will be much more expensive, almost twice of the fare if using the meters.
 Many streets in India have no traffic lights and zebra crossings. People go across the road whenever they like. You should pay more attention when crossing the street.