Gangtok

Gangtok is a bustling, friendly hill station, and the capital of the Himalayan state of Sikkim. The name Gangtok is derived from the Tibetan word for 'hillside,' and the city has a population of around 100,000 (2012) being a mixture of indigenous Sikkimese and people of Nepalese and Tibetan ancestry.

Understand
Gangtok is popular place with tourists heading on treks, although the facilities do not reflect the number of international visitors. However, efforts are being made by the government to improve the conditions. Gangtok is one of the cleanest cities in India and is well organised and beautifully maintained.

Gangtok resembles the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu. Mostly devoid of large shops, this place is a nice break away from typical city lives. The city is a fascinating place to spend a few nights, the winding side alleys hide some unexpected gems, and the main street (MG Marg) is pedestrianized and a pleasant place to take a stroll.

The city sleeps by 21:00 mostly, except for a few pubs which are open till 23:00.

The best season to visit Gangtok is Jan-March.

By plane


Bagdogra Airport is farther away, roughly 14 km from Siliguri and 120 km from Gangtok, but offers more flight connections. It is served by direct flights from Kolkata and New Delhi. From the Bagdogra airport you have a number of options to reach Gangtok:


 * Hire a taxi - a lovely highway passing through beautiful scenery, waterfall and mountains will take you there.
 * Pick up a shared taxi or bus from Siliguri Bus Station, located on Hill Cart Road. Around ₹400 for the four hour journey.

By train
The nearest train station to Gangtok is New Jalpaiguri in Siliguri which has direct connections to New Delhi, Kolkata, and other major cities in India. It is a 10- to 12-hour journey from Kolkata.

Once you arrive in New Jalpaiguri, you can either hire a taxi from the station itself or take an auto-rickshaw to the Siliguri bus stand. From there, you have the option of travelling to Gangtok by state bus, roughly a 5- to 6-hour journey.

By road
The roads in the area are all winding mountain roads in poor condition. The average travel speed between Gangtok and other cities is around 30 km/h.

Shared jeeps connect Gangtok to Siliguri, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and other mountain locales. Jeeps leave when full and are filled up by priority order so the price is generally fixed.

Jeeps to Namchi, a nearby tourist destination with many holy sites, costs around ₹110 and takes about 3 hours. Jeeps to Kalimpong cost ₹120 and are available from Deorali (or Mainline) Bus Stand, distance of around 80 km and time around 3.5 hours.

Fare of the shared taxis is generally fixed, around ₹400 to Gangtok from Siliguri. Drivers might try to charge high so check for the fare with other taxis before taking one.

By taxi
Tourists are of paramount importance to the economy and so rules have been enacted to prevent them from being cheated. Taxi fares are mostly fixed.

Taxis are the dominant form of transportation due to Gangtok's hilly and steep roads. There are standard charges within the main areas: at least ₹100 for private service and ₹20 for shared. Taxis are available from designated taxi stands.

By road
It may be available from the private taxi stand a few minutes downhill from MG Marg. However, most of these will be shared jeeps that are one-way so it would be prudent to inquire ahead of time.

See
Gangtok provides beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and hills. There are also several viewpoints near the city with views of Kanchenjunga ranges.



Do
A few minutes walk down the hill from Do-Drul Chorten is the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, a small but informative museum providing a general introduction of Tibetan Buddhism using authentic artifacts such as thankas and statues. Entrance fee is ₹10. About 5 minutes from the museum is the Gangtok Ropeway (or Damodar Ropeway), a cable car which connects Deorali to a hill above Gangtok. One way or round trip cost is ₹80, with a children's discount.



Buy
Aside from the local handicraft, Sikkim is famous for its fruit processing and tea. Passion fruit squash, alpine cheese, Temi Tea & Maha Gurudev Tea are some of the local products.



Eat
There are many great and cheap places to eat in Gangtok. In fact Gangtok is the best place if you want to try the Sikkimese, Nepali and Bhutanese dishes. Along with that you will also get North Indian, South Indian and vegetarian places, but they are few in number. Most of the restaurants are located near Mg Marg. Moreover, today one can easily use Zomato to know the menu and food options in some of the restaurants, but keep in mind that not all restaurants are listed there.


 * Parivar's, on MG Marg down a short flight of stairs, good food and is popular with locals.
 * Quick Bite, and numerous other sweet shops along MG Marg, serve up everything from samosas to momos.
 * The Roll House, tucked on the side of a stairway between MG Marg and the main market, serves up Veg Momos & hot chapatis (Roll)with various fillings (paneer, egg, veggies). This place is always packed with both tourists and locals.
 * Zongri Cafe (Tibet Road) : Just a five minutes walk from MG Marg, Zongri offers Thai Pad rice, ramen, pizza, burgers and bakery stuff.
 * Happy Town Pizzeria (MG Marg) : Great authentic pizza.
 * Thalung (Mahatma Gandhi Marg, about 3/4 of the walk away from the Tourist Information Center to the far end of the central pedestrian promenade, on the right side). A cultural relic not to be missed, this fast food outlet located in a wooden hut (perhaps the last traditional building surviving in the remodelled central area) serves a rigorous menu consisting of 2 items: beef momos (Tibetan dumplings) and beef noodle soup. The food is devoid of spices and salt. Chili paste, soy sauce and salt are provided as condiments. The building is somewhat skewed and may present safety hazards, but it appears to have survived generations of customers, and the upper floor offers an agreeable view. An antique portrait of Dalai Lama XIV is displayed at front counter. Visit this one before it has been replaced by another McDonald's.
 * The Roll House, tucked on the side of a stairway between MG Marg and the main market, serves up Veg Momos & hot chapatis (Roll)with various fillings (paneer, egg, veggies). This place is always packed with both tourists and locals.
 * Zongri Cafe (Tibet Road) : Just a five minutes walk from MG Marg, Zongri offers Thai Pad rice, ramen, pizza, burgers and bakery stuff.
 * Happy Town Pizzeria (MG Marg) : Great authentic pizza.
 * Thalung (Mahatma Gandhi Marg, about 3/4 of the walk away from the Tourist Information Center to the far end of the central pedestrian promenade, on the right side). A cultural relic not to be missed, this fast food outlet located in a wooden hut (perhaps the last traditional building surviving in the remodelled central area) serves a rigorous menu consisting of 2 items: beef momos (Tibetan dumplings) and beef noodle soup. The food is devoid of spices and salt. Chili paste, soy sauce and salt are provided as condiments. The building is somewhat skewed and may present safety hazards, but it appears to have survived generations of customers, and the upper floor offers an agreeable view. An antique portrait of Dalai Lama XIV is displayed at front counter. Visit this one before it has been replaced by another McDonald's.

Coffee
There are a number of cafes in MG Marg (Road).

Stay safe
Gangtok is generally safe. However, the standard rules of safety like being alert with strangers and not hanging out in deserted places are applicable to everyone.

If you are travelling alone then it is advisable to take a hotel in Gangtok itself and not in a remote area.

The roads in Gangtok are not intact, and sometimes the main highway remains closed due to frequent landslides.

Respect
No plastic bags can be sold or used in Gangtok.

Spitting, littering or smoking in public areas of Sikkim is a punishable offence and can incur a large fine. Streets in Sikkim have bins for garbage and spitting.

Connect
Since the introduction of 4G, the Internet connectivity has tremendously improved. Jio and Airtel provided good internet speed on wireless as well as Broadband. Zongri, Bike & Cafe and Rachna Books provide free WiFi.

By bus
Private and Sikkim Nationalized Transport (SNT) buses are available for intercity travelling. For Tashiding, Yuksom and Pelling, buses depart from 07:00 and 12:30 from SNT bus stop. Hourly services are also available for some places like Jorethang, Namchi, Ravangla and Geyzing.