How to Reach Rishikesh
Rishkesh is a popular tourist destination and is the gateway to the Garhwal Himalayan region. Thus Rishikesh is well knitted by railway tracks and roads, directly and indirectly, to all the major cities and towns in India. It could be dubbed as one of the favourites to the hippies as Rishikesh boasts several adventure activities along with being a pilgrim hub. The town en circles many other popular towns of Uttarakhand. Rishikesh host its own bus terminal and the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation connects the town with all the major North Indian cities by road. The Haridwar Railway Station is the nearest major railhead and is well connected with all other major cities in India. Further, the Indira Gandhi International Airport is the nearest international airport, which is approximately 260 kilometers away, whereas Dehradun Airport, also known as Jolly Grant Airport, is the nearest domestic airport.
By Road
New Delhi is connected by the National Highway 58 that merges the Haridwar – Dehradun Road to Rishikesh. The drive from New Delhi starts from the Grand Trunk Road after steering from Outer Ring Road and thereafter continues on to the National Highway 58 via Modinagar, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Roorkee and Haridwar. On the other hand, from Chandigarh the drive keeps onto the National Highway 72 and passes through several major towns like Panchkula, Barwala, Naraingarh, Paonta Sahib and Dehradun.
There are daily buses plying from Kashmiri Gate ISBT, New Delhi, to Rishikesh. Moreover buses from Chandigarh also run on daily basis to Rishikesh. Further, one can even hire a cab and plan his own trip accordingly following the route directions.
By Rail
The Haridwar Railway Station, which is approximately 30 kilometers south from Rishikesh, is the major rail head that connects Rishikesh indirectly to all other major towns and cities of India. The Shatabdi Express from New Delhi Railway Station that connects New Delhi and Dehradun passes through Haridwar is the best way to reach Rishikesh. Further, there are several other trains connecting Rishikesh with other major Indian cities that pass through the New Delhi Railway Station, Nizamuddin Railway Station, Old Delhi Railway Station, and Shahadra Railway Station in New Delhi. Here is a comprehensive list of trains running from New Delhi.
| Train No. |
Train Name |
Origin |
Dep.Time |
Destination |
Arr.Time |
Travel Time |
Days Of Run |
| M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
| 19609 |
+AII HW EXP | *DELHI | 03:40 |
HARIDWAR JN |
10:25 |
06:45 |
N |
Y |
N |
N |
Y |
| 19105 |
+HARIDWAR MAIL |
*DELHI CANTT | 04:20 |
HARIDWAR JN |
12:10 |
07:50 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| 19019 |
+DEHRADUN EXP |
*H NIZAMUDDIN | 05:50 |
HARIDWAR JN |
14:50 |
09:00 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| 12017 |
+DEHRADUN SHTBDI |
NEW DELHI |
06:50 |
HARIDWAR JN |
11:25 |
04:35 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| 12171 |
+LTT HW AC SUP |
*H NIZAMUDDIN | 07:30 |
HARIDWAR JN |
13:10 |
05:40 |
N |
Y |
N |
N |
Y |
| 14309 |
+UJJAINI EXPRESS |
*H NIZAMUDDIN | 11:30 |
HARIDWAR JN |
16:48 |
05:18 |
N |
N |
N |
Y |
Y |
| 18477 |
+UTKAL EXPRESS | *H NIZAMUDDIN | 14:35 |
HARIDWAR JN |
20:30 |
05:55 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| 12055 |
+DDN JANSHTBDI | NEW DELHI |
15:25 |
HARIDWAR JN |
19:35 |
04:10 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| 12687 |
+DEHRADUN EXP | *H NIZAMUDDIN | 21:10 |
HARIDWAR JN |
03:17 |
06:07 |
N |
Y |
N |
N |
Y |
| 14041 |
+MUSSOORIE EXP | DELHI S ROHILLA |
21:30 |
HARIDWAR JN |
05:50 |
08:20 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| 12205 |
+NDLS DDN AC EXP | NEW DELHI |
23:55 |
HARIDWAR JN |
03:55 |
04:00 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
By Air
The Jolly Grant Airport, which is the nearest domestic airport from Rishikesh, located 22 kilometers southeast of the Dehradun city, connects cities like New Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Thiruvananthapuram. Further, the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, which is nearest international airport from Rishikesh, connects the entire world within a blink of an eye.
