Pathankot to Dharamshala by road
| Distance | Driving time | Route |
|---|---|---|
| About 90 km | 2.5 hours | via Nurpur and Shahpur |
Pathankot is where most families arriving by train from Delhi, Mumbai or Punjab start their Himachal trip. We meet you at Pathankot Cantt or Junction, drive past Nurpur and Shahpur and climb gently into the Kangra valley, reaching Dharamshala in about two and a half hours. The Kangra Devi temples are on the way if you want to start darshan straight away.
Night trains from Delhi reach Pathankot early in the morning, which means breakfast in Nurpur and check-in at Dharamshala before lunch. For groups heading on to Dalhousie, we can split the trip and do both from the same pickup. Keep the train PNR handy; we watch its running status.
Pickup in Pathankot
We pick up from Pathankot Cantt or Pathankot Junction railway station, Pathankot airport or your hotel.
Arriving in Dharamshala
We drop you at hotels in Dharamshala or up in McLeodganj; a few lanes there are too narrow for any 12 seater, so we stop at the nearest point. Worth your time in Dharamshala: the Dalai Lama temple in McLeodganj, Bhagsunag waterfall, the HPCA cricket stadium and Norbulingka. See our Dharamshala page for more.
What a Pathankot to Dharamshala trip costs
A 1-day return trip covers about 180 km. Outstation trips are ₹40 per km with a minimum of 300 km a day, so the estimate is 300 km × ₹40 = ₹12,000 plus tolls, driver included.