14 Places to visit in Darjeeling
Darjeeling has always been the favourite vacation spot for the people of West Bengal and other surrounding states. Darjeeling is a place of wonder; it has a lot of unexplored places to visit which have mesmerising views, like hidden gems and a lot of activities to take part in. Every year thousands of travel enthusiasts visit Darjeeling to observe these views. Let us find out how many tourist places are there, tucked in the lesser Himalayas of Darjeeling.
Mall Road
Located 2 km away from Darjeeling Himalayan railway station, it is one of the most popular places to explore in Darjeeling. All the shopaholic people must explore this place and get their choice of handicrafts, garments, paintings, pieces of jewellery and many other things that have the flavour of a mountain. The market has a lot of restaurants, cafes, boutique shops, bookstores etc. And the people who could not be more enthusiastic about shopping can just take a walk around this Mall Road and enjoy their colourful evening.
Batasia Loop
Located at the base of the Ghoom Station and 5 km away from the town of Darjeeling. This tourist place is perfect for couples and nature lovers. The place is called ‘Batasia Loop’ because the toy trains run here in a continuous loop. This 50,000 square feet area having different flower plants was established in 1919. It also offers a complete view of the entire landscape including Mount Kanchenjunga and other ranges of the Himalayas. You can see Eco gardens, Gorkha war memorial, various restaurants and organic farming.
Tiger Hill
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The Darjeeling trip cannot be completed without the mesmerizing view of sunrise from tiger hill. It is the highest point of Darjeeling. The hill offers a complete panorama view from Mount Everest to Kanchenjunga. Tiger hill is just 12 km away from the town of Darjeeling and 8482 feet above sea level. The time for the sunrise view at tiger hill starts around 4 am, and to reach there within that time, all the arrangements should be made before the day of the journey. So that you can start your journey at 3:30 a.m. from Darjeeling to reach there.
Darjeeling Rock Garden
People who like to walk among nature will fall in love with the Rock Garden. The distance between the main town of Darjeeling and this Rock garden is around 10 km. It was built in around 1980 to overcome the shortage of tourists due to political trouble. It is also an excellent picnic spot, having a taste of nature around places like waterfalls and flower trees.
Darjeeling Ghoom Monastery
Yiga Choeling Monastery or widely known as Ghoom Monastery. It is the 1st Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Darjeeling which was established in 1875. Situated 8 km away from the town of Darjeeling and lies at 8000 feet altitude. The monastery holds rich architecture on its walls. Also has a 15 feet high statue of Maitri Buddha inside the monastery. Visiting hours of this monastery is 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Darjeeling Ropeway
Another attraction for the tourists of Darjeeling is the ropeway or Ranjit Valley passenger cable car. The boarding point of this ropeway is Singamari. The fantastic aerial scenery of this cable car ride includes full-flow rivers, tea gardens, waterfalls etc. The total time taken to complete one ride is around 45 minutes. This is the first ropeway system in India which was established in 1968. Today there are 16 cable cars available and each car has the capacity to carry 6 people from Singamari to Singla Bazaar. It is the most prominent tourist hotspot in Darjeeling.
Happy valley tea estate
Darjeeling is a refreshing tourist place because of its green forest and tea estates. The happy valley tea estate is such a magnificent estate situated at 6800 feet altitude. It covers a land of around 437 acres and grows the finest tea. Estd. in 1854, this is the second oldest tea estate in Darjeeling. Visiting hours start from 8.00 AM to 4.00 PM and it remains closed on Sundays. Tea lovers will surely enjoy the lovable flavour of tea incorporated in the air. In case anyone wants to enjoy plucking scenery, they can visit here from March to May.
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park
This 67.56 acres internationally recognised specialized zoo in Darjeeling is a very interesting visiting place. This Zoological Park is quite popular for its ex-situ and captive breeding programmes to conserve different animal species of the Eastern Himalayas like snow leopard, red panda, Tibetan wolf and many more. It is the highest-altitude Zoo in India, placed at an elevation of 7000 feet. There are many interesting and wonderful places to visit in Darjeeling, but this place has a special connection to the Nature that each year almost 3 lakh tourists visit here.
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
This place can be the centre of attraction for the Adventures people. It is known as the best institute for mountaineering, Established in 1954. In the summer, this place remains open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 AM and in winter, it is open from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. It was established to inspire the spirit of mountaineering among the youth. The institute, during its 63 years of service, did its part of the job so wonderfully. That’s why Mountaineers from all over the world visit here for their skill development. Other than this, tourists also come here to visit its well-stocked library and to explore the museum of culture, art and development.
Nightingale Park
It is a public park in Darjeeling with a gorgeous landscape. The spectacular view of the eastern ranges of the Himalayas & Kanchenjunga available from here, which is a treat for the eyes. In the British era, this place used to be a private property of Sir Thomas Tartan, named “the Shrubbery”. Nowadays it has become public property, there are many cultural programs arranged here. During the tourism season, this place becomes an attraction to witness the cultural programme of Nepali people for tourists. Apart from that there are some Other Attractions inside this park like the musical foundation, crisscrossed pebbled walkways and an idol of lord Shiva.
Mahakal Mandir
This Temple situated at the Chalk Bazaar of Darjeeling. Mahakal Mandir is a great place to enjoy spiritual vibes. Visiting hours of this place is 7 AM to 7 PM. Though the place is just a 10 minutes walking distance from the Darjeeling mall. It is a witness for wonderful cottages and mesmerizing mountain views, and in some special cases, you might walk among the clouds during the trek. The temple also has gold-plated icons of lord Vishnu, Brahma and Mahesh.
Peace Pagoda
It was built in 1972 under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii, who was a Japanese Buddhist monk. However, the final inauguration happened in 1992. It was primarily built to bring people of different castes together and that’s why it has four different avatars of Buddha. Add this place to your must explore list if you want to enjoy a soulful spiritual place. This peaceful pagoda is situated on the slopes of Jalapahar Hills. In Darjeeling There are many religious places available, but It is a symbol of peace, goodwill, unity and tranquillity.
Japanese Temple
This temple was inaugurated in 1972. Visiting hours of this place is 4:30 AM to 7:00 PM. This multi-level Buddhist temple offers a commendable view of the Kanchenjunga mountain ranges and nearby place of Peace Pagoda. In case you want to experience divine peace then you can join the temple prayers. But for that you have to reach here between 4:30 AM to 6:00 AM or 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. The temple is just 10 minutes drive away from Darjeeling town.
Ghum Railway Station
It is the highest railway station in Darjeeling and the 14th highest station in the world. A perfect sightseeing place for tourists. It is located at a height of 2258 meters. The railway started construction in 1879, but it reached Ghum on 4th April 1881. The train provides an excellent view of the Batasia loop. This UNESCO-recognised Heritage station of Darjeeling is also the busiest railway station in the country.
Though most of the nearby Darjeeling tourist places have been listed with photos, Other than this, many popular and offbeat places can also be explored, but not all of them can be covered in a single trip. Moreover, making all the booking arrangements for accommodation and transportation is a necessity as Darjeeling is a place of interest for thousands of people, and it mostly remains loaded with tourists.
