Amritsar Transportation

There are various trains between Amritsar and places like Delhi and Agra. It is best to check irctc.co.in or indianrail.gov.in for train schedules

The are also flights between Amritsar and Delhi. I originaly want to take a train from Delhi to Amritsar and then a train to Agra and maybe get a car/driver in Agra for Rajasthan. However ended getting a car/driver for Amritsar and Rajasthan while I was in Delhi.

I think the train is a good idea but should you decite to get a car/driver in Delhi, be sure to read my "Warnings Or Dangers" tip.

When you cross the border into Attari in India take an Auto-Rickshaw or a taxi into Amritsar about 30km away. From Aritsar take a train to delhi, which there is 2 daily Shatabdi Express Trains 5am & 5pm both take around 6 hours to delhi so I guess about 4 and half hours to Ambala.

For accommodation in Amritsar I stayed in Tourist Guesthouse a popular budget place for travellers and I had my own room with shower & tv for about 200Rs

You can easily walk around Amritsar. Two of the major sites – Golden Temple Complex and Jallianwala Bagh – are very close together. Durgiana Temple is a little further and if it’s hot, you might want to take a cycle-rickshaw. Cycle-rickshaws are the cheapest way to get around. Auto-rickshaws are also available for longer rides. For either, be sure to agree to a price before you get in (especially if the auto-rickshaw is off the meter).

There are so many cycle-rickshaws and a lot of competition for passengers, so if you are taken to a restaurant, the driver will wait for you while you eat. The cost is extremely minimal and you won’t have to worry about finding a ride home. (We had a nice driver who offered to wait and it just seemed like a good idea.)

If you head to Wagah Border, you can take an auto-rickshaw, a taxi/private car, or one of the many buses. We used the car available from our hotel – it was very reasonable, we weren’t stuffed into a bus with 50 people or bumping along for 45 minutes in a rickshaw.

Amritsar takes a little getting to. The express train from Delhi takes about 6 hours, the regular train about 9. With our travelling companions (elderly mother-in-law and 4 month old daughter) we decided flying was best for us.

From Delhi flights are available on Air India/Indian Airlines, Kingfisher, and Jet Airways. The airport in Amritsar (Rajsansi Airport) is an international airport (much of it still under construction) and many of the flights continue on out of the country after stopping in Amritsar. It is important to know what your flight does because you will need to use the international airport in Delhi (instead of the domestic) and allow extra check-in time as well.

Once you arrive in Amritsar, you will find plenty of taxis or auto-rickshaws available for the 10km (15-20 minutes) ride.

Always try your luck in the hotel by yourself , don't rely on riksha walas as they have their share and also they drive you all places round the amritsar. I have face this problem when i went their in weekend. I am not saying that all riksha walas are bad but some of them in railway station.

Also I suggest visitors to visit Model Town Temple, Model Town, Amritsar. It is good as this temple has a prototype of maa vaishno devi temple and idols resembling lots of religious places. Nice place.

Happy journey. I had a great time at amritsar.

The Raja Sansi Airport in Amritsar serves several major Indian cities and also internationally to Singapore and Tashkent(Uzbekistan). Although the airport is only 11km from the city centre, do allow yourself at least 20mins to get there during non peak hours. We didn't and regretted it. We missed our flight to Delhi by 5mins and weren't allowed to board. All other flights were full and trust me it wasn't the nicest feeling on earth especially when we had another flight to catch in Delhi at night. We got a great deal on Air Deccan a week before but ended up paying someone Rs8000 which was more than the total cost of our budget flight to drive us all the way to Delhi bearing in mind that he will be driving back with an empty load. It was probably one of the worst experiences in my life - 9hours non-stop on the road cramped in a car which it should have only been over an hour in the air. And it wasn't even my fault! The girls were the ones that were taking their own sweet time. When we arrived, the guy wanted more money although he had agreed on the amount before we left Amritsar. He didn't get any of course - we were all pissed off with a foul mood. LOL!

If you hang around the dining hall entrance of the Golden Temple (near the accomodation blocks) you may get approached by someone asking you if you want a shared jeep to the border at Atari in order to watch the border ceremony. I hung around and a Sikh guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to go the border ceremony and I said "yes, how much?" to which he replied "75 rupees". The border is about 30km away so it worked out at being a good price. I said OK and he gave me a slip of paper from his small notepad with his name and mobile number on it plus the cost (which I had to give him Rs25 as a deposit). After he left, all I kept thinking was is this a scam or is it genuine? But it's hardly a scam if all he took from me was Rs25! But it wasn't a scam and I came back at the time he said (3pm) the guy appeared and told me to wait where I was. I saw a western couple walk past and then he and some other guy called to them and then called me over to them. A Toyota jeep was parked up and all together there was 10 of us going to the border. I was in the back on a bench seat with three other Hindu guys.

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This is the train station in Amritsar. I actually walked through it in order to get from the Sri Durgiana Temple to the Mata Temple on the other side of the tracks. I left Amritsar on the early morning Shatabdi Express (No.2014) that leaves at 05:10 to get back to Delhi. As the train station is quite far away from the Golden Temple, there is a reservation office on the corner of the temple complex. I booked 4 trains from here as it wasn't that busy (at least when I was there!).