Two days in Darjeeling — the old town, the tea estate and the toy train
Two days that skip the dawn start. The first stays with the old centre: Chowrasta, the Mahakal temple, St Andrew's Church and Lloyd's Botanical Garden, with a tea estate in the afternoon. The second is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to Ghum, the Yiga Choeling Monastery, the Batasia Loop and the Peace Pagoda. For the sunrise add the Tiger Hill day.
Photos: Paramanu Sarkar (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Alexkom000 (CC BY 4.0) · Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
First-time visitors who want the toy train and a relaxed pace, in spring or autumn.
Day by day
Day 1The square, the hilltop shrine, the church, the garden and the tea estate
5 stops · 3 min on the road
The square, the hilltop shrine, the church, the garden and the tea estate
A slow day in the old centre, with a tea estate in the afternoon.
- 09:30ChowrastaThe old square, with the mountains visible on a clear morning.
- ↓ a short walk10:35Mahakal templeThe Shiva shrine on Observatory Hill, where Hindus and Buddhists worship together.
- 12:00St. Andrew's ChurchThe oldest church in Darjeeling, established in 1843.
- 13:30Lloyd's Botanical GardenNative Himalayan trees and a cactus conservatory below the town.
- 15:30Happy Valley Tea EstateDarjeeling's second oldest tea estate; Wikipedia says its factory was opened to the public as a museum in 2008, so ask whether it takes visitors.
Day 2The toy train, the monastery, the loop and the pagoda
4 stops · 12 min on the road
The toy train, the monastery, the loop and the pagoda
The railway's own stretch from the town to Ghum, then the ridge sights by road.
- 09:30Darjeeling Himalayan RailwayThe toy train, UNESCO-listed in 1999; Wikipedia says daily tourist trains run from Darjeeling to Ghum.
- 12:00Yiga Choeling MonasteryThe Old Ghoom Monastery at Ghum, with its Maitreya statue.
- 13:30Batasia LoopThe spiral of 1919, and the Gorkha memorial.
- ↓ 12 min by road · 5 km15:00Peace PagodaThe white Japanese stupa on Jalapahar.
Getting there
Bagdogra airport is about 70 km away; see how to reach Darjeeling.
Where to stay
Stay in Darjeeling for the night. We have no verified lodging or prices.
Know before you go
- We have no verified toy-train timetable or fares; ask at Darjeeling station for what runs on your day.
- Wikipedia says the tea estate's factory opened as a museum in 2008; we have no verified visiting rule, so ask first.
- The town's lanes are steep and wet after rain; wear shoes with grip.
Places on this route
Going together
No one has started a group going on this plan yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.
Other ways to do it
All Darjeeling itineraries →
More places nearby
All of Darjeeling →
Nearby destinations
All destinations →
Questions people ask
Is two days enough for Darjeeling?
For the old town, the toy train and the ridge sights, yes. The stops lie 3 to 16 minutes from the centre on our routing, so the plan is unhurried. Tiger Hill and its sunrise need an early start, so the one-day plan covers it, and the zoo and the mountaineering institute have their own half-day plan.
Can you ride the toy train to Ghum?
Wikipedia says tourist trains run daily between Darjeeling and Ghum, the highest railway station in the country, at a pace of 20 to 25 km an hour. We have no verified timetable, fares or booking route, so ask at Darjeeling station. The plan assumes the ride takes the morning and rejoins the road at Ghum.
When is the best time for this plan?
Spring and autumn. Wikipedia names April to May and September to November as the peak tourist seasons, and the view is clearest in October and November. The monsoon, June to September, brings most of the year's rain and landslides that can disrupt the road and the railway, so check before you go.