Things to do in Siliguri
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Siliguri
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Post monsoon and winter is the best window, with drier roads and safaris in season.
Hot and humid on the plains, with sightseeing best in mornings and evenings.
Monsoon brings very heavy rain, waterlogged streets, landslide risk on NH10 and Dooars safari closures.
Durga Puja fills neighbourhoods, roads and hotels, followed by Diwali and Kali Puja.
What's on
- Durga Puja September to October, dates vary each year
Siliguri's biggest festival, with themed pandals across neighbourhoods and full hotels.
- Holi March, date varies each year
The spring colour festival, and one of the two days the Science Centre states it closes.
- Poila Boishakh Mid April
The Bengali New Year, marked with fairs and new season shopping in the markets.
Best things to do in Siliguri
ISKCON Temple, Siliguri
The large Krishna temple with gardens and a pond, and the calmest hour you will spend in central Siliguri.
Salugara Monastery
A Tibetan monastery on Sevoke Road built around a roughly 100 ft stupa, quiet and worth 45 minutes.
North Bengal Science Centre
Interactive galleries, a digital planetarium and 3D shows in Matigara, the best family stop in the city.
Hong Kong Market
A maze of cheap imported and imitation goods by Bidhan Market, where bargaining hard is the whole game.
Seth Srilal Market
The older local market next to Hong Kong Market, for clothing, sarees and everyday Siliguri prices.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The UNESCO listed toy train from Siliguri Junction to Darjeeling, a slow scenic transfer, not transport.
Where to stay in Siliguri
Sevoke Road
onward roads to Gangtok, Kalimpong and the Dooars
Newer chain hotels, malls and Salugara on the road you will leave by in the morning.
Hill Cart Road and Pradhan Nagar
NJP arrivals, business nights and market access
Home to the Marriott and Sinclairs, near the ISKCON temple, stations and Hong Kong Market.
Matigara and New Chumta
a quiet tea garden night and airport side stays
The MAYFAIR tea garden resort sits here, away from the centre and closer to Bagdogra.
Think twice about
- NJP and Siliguri Junction station forecourts as a base
Noisy, congested and charmless late at night. Use them for trains, sleep a short ride away.
- Darjeeling and Gangtok as day trips from Siliguri
Three to five hours each way on mountain roads leaves a rushed hour at altitude. Sleep there instead.
Best restaurants in Siliguri
Siliguri Kitchen
The Marriott all day restaurant on Hill Cart Road, the priciest regular meal and the most polished service.
Chibo Nepali Restaurant
Nepali thalis, jhol momos and thukpa in Planet Mall, the right primer for hill food further north.
Kakhim
A local favourite for Tibetan and Chinese comfort food on Nivedita Road, including taipo and momos.
Momo Hut
A busy market momo shop on Hill Cart Road, steamed and fried momos at market prices, eaten fast.
Subhahang Fast Food
No frills Nepali fast food in Pradhan Nagar, known for large momos, chowmein, thukpa and chutney.
Outdoor things to do in Siliguri
Coronation Bridge
The 1937 to 1941 bridge over the Teesta gorge at Sevoke, the first real landscape on the road north.
Sevoke Kali Mandir
A revered hilltop Kali temple above Sevoke with Teesta valley views, paired with the Coronation Bridge.
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Sal forest from Sukna, about 13 km out, the nearest wild ground and birding to the city.
Bengal Safari
A managed safari park on Sevoke Road with tiger, bear and herbivore vehicle safaris in sal forest.
Gorumara National Park
Rhino and gaur grassland at Lataguri, best as a night onward from Siliguri, not a rushed day trip.
Jaldapara National Park
The Dooars flagship rhino grassland on the Torsa River, worth at least one night in Madarihat.
Best hotels in Siliguri
MAYFAIR Tea Resort
A tea garden resort on the city edge with a pool and spa, the one luxury night that feels like holiday.
Courtyard by Marriott Siliguri
The most reliable city hotel, on Hill Cart Road with a pool and the best hotel dining in Siliguri.
Lemon Tree Hotel, Siliguri
A dependable chain hotel at 3rd Mile on Sevoke Road, well placed for Salugara and the roads onward.
Sinclairs Siliguri
A long established hotel near the ISKCON temple, with a pool and gardens on the Hill Cart Road side.
Hotel Royal Residency
A simple budget room near the stations and markets, functional and cheap, with nothing extra promised.
Is Siliguri expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹4,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹11,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: weeks ahead
- Bengal Safari: a few days ahead
- Gorumara National Park: weeks ahead
- Jaldapara National Park: weeks ahead
- MAYFAIR Tea Resort: weeks ahead
- Courtyard by Marriott Siliguri: a few days ahead
- Siliguri Kitchen: a few days ahead
- Book the stopover night when you book the train or flight in Puja week and the Christmas hill rush.
- Book Dooars safaris and any toy train plan well ahead in season.
Is Siliguri safe?
- Use prepaid or hotel arranged cars after dark and dial 112 for emergency services.
- Do not carry a satellite phone or GPS device of the kind Indian law prohibits.
Siliguri travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Touts at NJP and Bagdogra quoting hill fares before you check the prepaid counter benchmark.
- Unlabelled luxury tea and branded goods in Hong Kong Market priced as if genuine.
Getting around Siliguri: public transport and more
- Bagdogra Airport is about 13 to 15 km and NJP station about 4 to 6 km from the centre.
- Darjeeling is about 70 km and 3 to 4 hours, Gangtok about 112 to 120 km and 4 to 5 hours via NH10.
- Phuentsholing via Jaigaon is about 157 to 170 km and 5 to 6 hours, and Gorumara about 80 to 90 km.
- Use totos and autos for short hops and agree the fare first, and confirm whether you need NJP, Siliguri Junction or the bus terminus.
Who Siliguri suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | OK |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Siliguri your trip
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