How to reach Uttarakhand from Delhi — road distances, the railheads at Haridwar, Dehradun and Kathgodam, and the two airports
Delhi to Uttarakhand by road in km for Haridwar, Dehradun, Nainital, Almora and Badrinath, plus the railheads at Haridwar, Dehradun, Kathgodam and the airports.
Almost every trip to Uttarakhand starts in Delhi, and the state has three railheads and two airports that serve it. This guide sorts them by hill. Every road distance here is free-flow routing over OpenStreetMap, from each of our hub guides. Traffic out of Delhi and the hill roads above it add hours, so leave before dawn. We have no verified train, flight or bus timetable; check current services.
Kedarnath, about 488 km to Gaurikund, where the road ends, with the last 16 to 17 km on foot. See the Kedarnath guide.
Joshimath, about 529 km, 9.5 hours, and Badrinath, about 572 km, 10.5 hours.
Past Rishikesh the Garhwal roads are slow, and the free-flow hours above are the least you should plan for. For the three farthest, break the journey for a night.
By train
Haridwar Junction. Wikipedia says it has direct trains to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and other cities. It is the usual railhead for Haridwar, with Har Ki Pauri about 2 km from the station. Rishikesh is about 22 km away.
Dehradun. The station dates from 1899 and ends a Northern Railway line. It is the railhead for Mussoorie, about 21 km beyond the city.
Rishikesh has its own railway station, and Wikipedia also lists a second one, Yog Nagari Rishikesh.
Kathgodam, on the edge of Haldwani, is the railhead for Kumaon. Nainital is about 36 km and 80 minutes from it on our routing, and Almora about 88 km and 175 minutes.
Kotdwar is the railhead for Lansdowne, about 41 km and 84 minutes below the town.
By air
Jolly Grant, officially Dehradun Airport, is the airport for most of Garhwal. It lies about 22 km and 33 minutes from Rishikesh, about 31 km and 40 minutes from Dehradun and about 41 km and 49 minutes from Haridwar. A new terminal opened in 2021. Pantnagar is the airport for Kumaon, about 74 km and 119 minutes from Nainital and about 120 km and 201 minutes from Almora.
By bus
Dehradun's Inter State Bus Terminal is the hub for intercity buses, and Wikipedia says the state transport corporation runs buses from Almora to Delhi, Dehradun, Lucknow and Chandigarh. Hill buses are slower than a car, so allow more time than the distances above suggest.
Choosing a gateway
For the Ganga, the temples and the Char Dham road, go to Haridwar or Dehradun and Rishikesh. For the lakes and the Kumaon ridges, take the train to Kathgodam. For a quiet army town, go to Kotdwar. Our weekend getaways from Delhi page sorts the nearer towns by distance.
Been here?Help the next traveller — our team checks every contribution.
Questions people ask
How far is Uttarakhand from Delhi?
It depends on the town. On free-flow routing over OpenStreetMap, Haridwar and Dehradun are about 217 km from Delhi, Nainital about 280 km, Almora about 365 km, Chopta about 484 km, and Badrinath about 572 km. Traffic and hill roads add hours, so treat every figure as the least you should plan for.
Which railway station is best for Uttarakhand?
It depends on the hills you want. Haridwar Junction and Dehradun serve Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mussoorie and the Garhwal valleys, while Kathgodam serves Nainital, Almora and most of Kumaon. Kotdwar serves Lansdowne. We have no verified timetables, so check the current trains before you book a seat.
Is there an airport in Uttarakhand?
Yes. Jolly Grant, officially Dehradun Airport, is the one most visitors use for Rishikesh, Haridwar, Mussoorie and Garhwal, and Pantnagar, near Nainital, serves Kumaon. We have no verified flight schedule for either, so check which cities fly there. Delhi's own airport is the nearest large one.
