By train to McLeodganj and Dharamshala

You want to come by train and have discovered that no line reaches McLeodganj or Dharamshala. This guide says which station to book to, how to choose between the trains, and how to cover the last 90 km without it eating the day.

The nearest railway station is Pathankot, about 90 km away and 3 to 4 hours by road. Book an overnight train from Delhi that arrives in the morning, then take a bus or taxi up. That is the whole plan for most people; the rest of this page is the detail.

Which station: Junction or Cantt?

Pathankot has two. Pathankot Junction is the main station in town. Pathankot Cantt, which timetables still call Chakki Bank, is about 4 km away on the Jammu line, and many of the Delhi to Jammu trains stop there rather than at the Junction. Both work. The bus stand is closer to the Junction, and taxis wait at both.

Search both names when you book, because a train that "does not go to Pathankot" often goes to Chakki Bank.

Trains from Delhi

Several overnight trains run from Delhi towards Jammu and Amritsar and stop at one of Pathankot's stations, typically leaving Delhi in the evening and arriving between roughly five and eight in the morning. That is the right shape: you sleep, you arrive with the whole day to get up the hill. We do not list train numbers here because they change and the booking sites are always current. Tickets are booked on IRCTC, Indian Railways' official site (visitors from abroad can register with an overseas mobile number; carry your passport as ID on board), or with less friction through a third-party service such as MakeMyTrip.

Sleeper and AC berths on this route sell out in season, so book as far ahead as the system lets you. A confirmed berth on a slower train beats a waitlist on a faster one.

The other railhead: Amb Andaura

If a morning departure suits you better than a night one, the Vande Bharat from New Delhi to Amb Andaura in Una district is worth a look. It is a daytime train of around five and a half hours, and Amb Andaura is roughly 110 km and 3 hours by road from Dharamshala. Taxis meet the train; the bus connection means a change at Una. Check the current timetable, because the service has been adjusted more than once since it launched.

From Pathankot to the hills

By bus. HRTC and private buses leave Pathankot through the day for Dharamshala, 3 to 4 hours, for a few hundred rupees. Some continue to McLeodganj; most end at Dharamshala's bus stand, from where local buses and taxis run up the last 6 km all day. Tickets are bought at the stand or on the bus.

By taxi. Cars wait outside both stations and quote by the car, not the seat. Agree the fare before the bags go in and say McLeodganj or Dharamkot explicitly if that is where you are going, because "Dharamshala" ends at the lower town. Pre-arranging a pickup through your stay is normal and usually costs the same.

On to Bir. Pathankot to Bir is about 145 km and 4 to 5 hours; see How to reach Bir.

The Kangra Valley narrow gauge

The Kangra Valley railway from Pathankot to Joginder Nagar reopened in June 2026 after four years out, following the 2022 Chakki bridge collapse. It is genuinely charming and costs less than the chai you will drink waiting for it. It also takes most of a day, sells tickets at the station only, and usually suspends through the monsoon. Its Kangra stop is a taxi ride from Dharamshala, not a walk.

So: not a way to arrive. A scenic day out to do from the region once you are settled, with the Palampur and Bir stretches the good ones (Bir's halt is at Ahju). Check it is running before you build a day around it.

Good to know

Overnight trains arrive early, often before a bus has left and well before check-in. Book your first night ahead and tell the property you are coming in early.

No Ola or Uber operates in this corridor. Pathankot itself has some app cabs; from the hills up it is unions and stands. Agree fares before boarding.

Money: carry cash, because UPI mostly won't work for you. India runs on UPI — the QR-code payment system on every café counter and taxi dashboard — but it needs an Indian bank account, so a foreign card or phone gets nowhere with it. (NPCI's "UPI One World" prepaid wallet for tourists can be set up at Delhi airport on arrival with passport and visa; the rollout is patchy, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.) Cards work at larger hotels and some cafés; most homestays, taxis and small eateries want cash. Pathankot has ATMs at and around both stations; Dharamshala has plenty, McLeodganj several, Dharamkot none.

Phone: buy a SIM in the Delhi airport arrivals hall. Airtel and Jio both have counters there; a tourist SIM needs your passport, visa and a photo, and activation can take a few hours, so do it before you leave the airport. Both networks cover the corridor's towns. Signal is solid along the whole route. An international eSIM gives you data but no Indian number, which some bookings and one-time passcodes ask for.

Taxis at Kangra Airport work to union rates. Cars wait outside arrivals at Gaggal; expect roughly ₹800 to Rakkar, ₹1,200–1,400 to Dharamshala, ₹1,800–2,000 to McLeodganj and around ₹3,000–3,600 to Bir — confirm the fare before the bags go in. There is no ride-hailing here. Pre-arranging a pickup through your stay is normal and usually costs the same.

Getting from Delhi airport to the bus. Uber and Ola work in Delhi (they stop at the hills) and there is a prepaid taxi counter in arrivals. By metro, the Airport Express line runs from Terminal 3 to New Delhi station; change to the Yellow line for Kashmere Gate (ISBT is at the station) or Vidhan Sabha (a short auto-rickshaw ride to Majnu ka Tilla). Allow 1.5–2 hours across the city in the evening.

The short version

• Book to Pathankot (Junction or Cantt), overnight from Delhi, arriving in the morning.
• Bus 3–4 hours to Dharamshala, then 6 km up to McLeodganj; or a taxi straight to your door.
• Amb Andaura by daytime Vande Bharat is the alternative railhead, about 3 hours by road.
• The narrow-gauge train is a day out from here, not a way in.

Everything else about arriving is in How to reach Dharamshala and How to reach McLeodganj. Once you are here, see what's on in McLeodganj this week.