How to reach Dehradun

From the airport

Jolly Grant Airport (DED) is about 25 km south-east of the city, near Doiwala on the Rishikesh road. Taxis can be hired at the terminal and take 40 minutes to an hour to the railway station or Rajpur Road, depending on traffic. There are several flights a day from Delhi and direct flights from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Pune, some only on certain days, and Alliance Air flies small aircraft to Pithoragarh and Kullu a few days a week. In the current schedule the first flights land after 8 am, too late for an early-morning start, so fly in the day before.

If you land at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, either connect to a Dehradun flight or drive about 240 km, 4 to 5 hours, mostly on the expressway.

From the railway station

Dehradun Railway Station (DDN) is the end of the line, about 2 km from the Clock Tower. For an early start the most useful train from Delhi is the overnight Nanda Devi AC Express (from Kota), which leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at about 11:50 pm and arrives just before 6 am. By day, the Shatabdi leaves New Delhi at 6:45 am and arrives at about 12:55 pm, the Jan Shatabdi leaves New Delhi at 3:20 pm and arrives at about 9:05 pm, and the Vande Bharat leaves Anand Vihar at 5:50 pm and arrives at 10:35 pm (not on Thursdays). The overnight Mussoorie Express from Old Delhi arrives around 9 am, too late for a same-day start to Sankri. From Howrah, the Kumbh and Upasana Expresses between them run every day and arrive in the evening. Timings change, so check before you book. Autos, vikrams and taxis wait outside the station.

By road

Dehradun lies in the Doon valley, between the Shivalik hills and the Mussoorie ridge. From Delhi the quickest way in is the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, now open along its full length (it was inaugurated in April 2026): about 210 km, bypassing Baghpat, Baraut, Shamli and Saharanpur. Beyond Saharanpur it crosses the forest of Rajaji National Park on about 12 km of elevated road, goes through a short tunnel at Datkali and reaches the south of the city near the ISBT. Allow 3 to 4 hours from central Delhi, more if you leave in the rush hour. The older highway through Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Roorkee is longer (about 250 to 270 km) and noticeably slower.

From Chandigarh, NH 7 runs through Panchkula, Naraingarh, Kala Amb and Paonta Sahib: about 170 km, 3 to 4 hours. From Haridwar (about 50 km) and Rishikesh (about 45 km) the road comes in through Doiwala in 1 to 1½ hours. None of these roads crosses a high pass, so snow is not a concern, but heavy monsoon rain (June to September) can flood low-lying stretches and slow traffic.

By bus

Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) runs buses between Delhi's Kashmere Gate ISBT and Dehradun ISBT through the day and night, from ordinary buses to Janrath AC and Volvo services, some of them non-stop. Departures from Delhi between about 10 pm and 1 am reach Dehradun early the next morning, in time for an early start. UTC also runs ordinary and AC Volvo buses from Chandigarh (Sector 43), and buses from Haridwar and Rishikesh are frequent.

Buses into the hills leave from the Mussoorie bus stand (UTC's hill depot) on Gandhi Road, beside the railway station, not from the ISBT. UTC runs buses to Mussoorie through the day and early-morning buses to Uttarkashi, Barkot and Joshimath (around 5:30 am) and Purola (6:30 am, with another at 1:30 pm). Private buses to Sankri leave early in the morning (roughly 5:30 to 7:30 am) from Gandhi Road near the station and take 10 to 12 hours. Tickets are bought on board; ask at the stand the evening before, as times change.

Local transfers

If you arrive by bus, the ISBT is about 5 km south-west of the station, 10 to 20 minutes by auto or vikram. The drive to Sankri takes 7 to 9 hours, often with a breakfast stop at Mussoorie or Kempty. Eat lightly before you set off and keep motion-sickness tablets handy for the hill roads.

Distances from major points

• Delhi to Dehradun by the expressway, bypassing Baghpat, Shamli and Saharanpur: about 210 km, 3 to 4 hours
• Delhi Airport (IGI) to Dehradun: about 240 km, 4 to 5 hours
• Chandigarh to Dehradun via Paonta Sahib: about 170 km, 3 to 4 hours
• Haridwar to Dehradun: about 50 km, 1 to 1½ hours
• Rishikesh to Dehradun: about 45 km, 1 to 1½ hours
• Jolly Grant Airport to Dehradun: about 25 km, 40 minutes to 1 hour
• Dehradun to Mussoorie: about 30 km, 1 to 1½ hours
• Dehradun to Pantwari (for Nag Tibba) via Mussoorie: about 90 km
• Dehradun to Purola via Mussoorie and Nainbagh: about 130 to 140 km
• Dehradun to Sankri via Mussoorie, Purola, Mori and Naitwar: about 190 to 200 km, 7 to 9 hours
• Dehradun to Gangotri via Uttarkashi and Harsil: about 240 km, around 10 hours with stops

Good to know

Dehradun, Uttarakhand's largest city and its winter capital, is the starting point for treks from Sankri, such as Kedarkantha, Har Ki Dun, Bali Pass and Borasu Pass, as well as Nag Tibba and the Kalindi Khal expedition on the Gangotri side. Spend the night before near the railway station or around the Clock Tower and Rajpur Road, where there are plenty of hotels, so that an early start is easy. Draw the cash you will need here or in Mussoorie: Sankri has no ATM and only patchy mobile signal, and the last ATMs, at Purola and Mori, are often out of cash. Download offline maps, and buy any last snacks, medicines and spare batteries in the city.

Safety

Dehradun sits well below 1,000 m, so altitude is not a concern here, but the roads north of the city climb quickly. From June to September landslides can block the hill roads beyond the city, sometimes for hours, and in December and January fog on the plains can delay trains, flights and early-morning drives. Arrive the day before your trek, keep onward trains or flights on the way home for late evening or, better, the next day, and check road conditions locally before setting out.

Travel tips

• Plan buffer time for road delays, especially in monsoon and winter.
• Start early for long drives to avoid night stretches on mountain roads.
• Keep offline maps and cash as backup in low-network zones.
• If you are continuing to high altitude areas, acclimatize and hydrate well.