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Travel to India
Flying to India
The major national airline in India is Air India (www.airindia.in). There are also several primarily domestic Indian airlines that have international destinations on their schedules such as IndiGo (www.goindigo.in) and SpiceJet, (www.spicejet.com). British Airways (www.ba.com) and Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) fly direct to India from the UK. Indirect flights are available with many airlines including Emirates (www.emirates.com) via Dubai from London Gatwick Airport. Prices are steady throughout the year but become more expensive in June and July.
Major airports are: Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Chennai International Airport, Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Gaya Airport, Kempegowda International Airport, Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Goa International Airport, Trivandrum International Airport, Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Flight times:
From London: to Delhi - 8 hours 10 minutes; Kolkata (Calcutta) - 12 hours 25 minutes (including stopover); Chennai (Madras) - 10 hours; Mumbai (Bombay) - 9 hours.
From New York: to Delhi is 14 hours 45 minutes; Kolkata (Calcutta) - 19 hours (including stopover); Chennai (Madras) - 18 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); Mumbai - 15 hours.
Departure tax:
Included in the airfare.
Airport guides
Airport Code: BOM. Location: Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is located around 21km (13 miles) north of... Money: ATMs and bureaux de change services are available throughout both terminals. Read more
Airport Code: DEL. Location: New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport is located 16km (10 miles) southwest of central Delhi. Money: Banks and ATMs are available in both domestic and international areas, while bureau de change... Read more
Airport Code: GOI. Location: Goa International Airport is located 2km (1.2 miles) from Dabolim. State capital Panaji (also known... Money: There is an ATM located outside the arrivals area and bureaux de change in the airport. Read more
Airport Code: CCU. Location: Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is located at Dum Dum, 17km (10.5 miles)... Money: Banks and bureaux de change are located throughout the terminal. Read more
Airport Code: MAA. Location: Chennai International Airport is located in Meenambakkam, 21km (13 miles) southwest of central... Money: Foreign exchange counters are available in the departure and arrival areas of both terminals. ATMs... Read more
Airport Code: TRV. Location: Trivandrum International Airport is located 4km (2.5 miles) west of central Thiruvananthapuram (... Money: Bank branches are available in the arrivals and departures areas of the international terminal. Read more
Airport Code: AMD. Location: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is located 10.5km (6.5 miles) northeast of Ahmedabad... Money: There is a bank and currency exchange desk located in the arrivals area of Terminal 2 and ATMs in... Read more
Airport Code: BLR. Location: Kempegowda International Airport is situated 40km (25 miles) north of Bengaluru, in Devanahalli. Money: There are ATMs on the ground and first floors and in the domestic departure area. Bureaux de change... Read more
Airport Code: HYD. Location: Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is situated 25km (19 miles) south of central Hyderabad... Money: Several banks, bureaux de change and ATMs are located in the terminal building. Read more
Airport Code: GAY. Location: Gaya airport is located 12km (7 miles) south-west from the city of Gaya and about 5 km (3 miles)... Money: There are no ATMs in Gaya airport but a currency exchange desk and banking extension counters can... Read more
Airport Code: VNS. Location: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport is located 26km (16 miles) north-west of the city of... Money: ATMs and currency exchange services are not available at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport... Read more
Travel by rail
Indian Railways (www.indianrail.gov.in) runs the most international services.
Connections to Pakistan: From India, you can cross into Pakistan at the international Attari/Wagah border. The main and safest crossing point is the border town of Wagah, which is open to foreigners. There are bus and train services between India and Pakistan.
Connections to Nepal: The most practical and popular route to Nepal is by train to Raxaul (Bihar) and then by bus to Kathmandu. Alternatively trains run to Gorakhpur (or bus if coming from Varanasi), with onward travel by bus to Kathmandu, crossing the border at Sunauli; also, by train to Nautanwa (UP) and then by bus to Kathmandu/Pokhara, or Bhairahawa to Lumbini for Pokhara. It is also possible to make the crossing by bus from Darjeeling and Sikkim to Kathmandu across the southern lowlands.
Connections to Bhutan: The best way of reaching Bhutan by land is by bus/train to Siliguri, then bus to Phuentsholing.
Connections to Bangladesh: The most convenient route to Bangladesh is Kolkata (Calcutta) to Dhaka by bus. Another route is from Darjeeling via Siliguri, then train or bus from Jalpaiguri to Haldibari, or bus to Changrabandha.
It may be possible, with a valid passport and visa, to cross the border between India and Myanmar (Tamu/Moreh). However, the status of the crossing is prone to change, so it is important to check before attempted travel.
There is currently no land frontier open between India and China (PR), other than a crossing between India and Tibet for religious pilgrims.
By rail note:
Be prepared for long queues at ticket windows in train stations. Services are almost always busy, especially overnight trains. Book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Getting to India by boat
Cruise ships:
Indian ports are served by several international shipping companies and cruise lines. There are, however, no regular passenger liners operating to South-East Asia.
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