How to reach Bir — distances and drive times
How these numbers were made
Road distances and drive times are our own routing on OpenStreetMap, measured for a car. Buses are slower and the hill roads add time in the rains, so treat them as the least you should plan for.
From where you are
- Joginder Nagar station: 13 km, about 27 minutes.
- Palampur: 29 km, about 55 minutes.
- Dharamshala: 64 km, about 119 minutes.
- Mandi: 68 km, about 136 minutes.
- Pathankot: 140 km, about 206 minutes.
- Chandigarh: 229 km, about 302 minutes.
Airport and railhead
The nearest airport is Kangra Airport at Gaggal, about 67 km and 111 minutes away. Pathankot, about 140 km away, is the nearest big railhead.
Once you are in Bir
Chokling Monastery and the Bir Tibetan Colony are 2 km and about 6 minutes from the centre. Billing is 13 km and 32 minutes up the hill. See things to do in Bir, the one-day plan, and when to visit Bir.
Questions people ask
How far is Bir from Palampur?
About 29 km by road, roughly 55 minutes by car or bus. Palampur is the usual base to combine with Bir, because it has more rooms and the road between them is the main road along the foot of the Dhauladhar, with Baijnath on the way.
What is the nearest airport to Bir?
Kangra Airport at Gaggal, about 67 km away, roughly 111 minutes by road. Pathankot is the nearest big railhead, about 140 km and 206 minutes away. From Chandigarh it is about 229 km, roughly 302 minutes, so most visitors split the drive.
How do you get to Bir by bus?
Buses run on the national highway to the Bir Road turnoff, between Baijnath and Joginder Nagar, and local taxis cover the last stretch into the village. Joginder Nagar is about 13 km and 27 minutes from Bir, which is the nearest station town, so many travellers change there.