What to expect

• Photography is restricted at and around the airport, including the apron and airfield. Put the camera away before you arrive.
• Security screening is thorough, and access to the terminal forecourt can be controlled.
• Follow instructions from CISF and security staff promptly.

Operating limits

• Because the runway is shared with the Air Force, civil operating hours have historically been restricted, though night landing has been available since 2014.
• Occasional closures for military requirements or maintenance do happen — they’re announced in advance, so check before travelling.
• The airport’s growth has been constrained by this shared use, which is part of the case for the new terminal.

Coming down from the hills

• Darjeeling to Bagdogra is 2.5–3.5 hours in good conditions; Gangtok is 4–5 hours on NH10.
• Leave a buffer of hours, not minutes. Landslides, roadworks and convoy traffic regularly add time, especially in the monsoon.
• Many travellers come down the night before and stay in Siliguri for a morning flight — the safe play in the rains.

At the terminal

• Entry: a printed or mobile boarding pass and photo ID are checked at the terminal doors.
• The building is small and gets congested in peak season — seating and food options are limited.
• Buying tea to take home? Loose Darjeeling tea travels fine in checked or cabin bags; buy in Siliguri or the estates, not at the airport.

In the arrivals hall

• Prepaid taxi booth inside arrivals, with fixed fares to Siliguri, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kalimpong and other destinations. The simplest, least stressful option.
• ATMs and basic facilities are available; currency exchange is limited.
• Helicopter services to Gangtok have operated from here at times — weather-dependent and often booked out.

Plan the onward leg first

• Arriving after mid-afternoon? Think hard before starting a 4–5 hour mountain drive. Hill roads after dark are best avoided.
• Shared jeeps are cheap and common but leave when full — fine if you’re flexible, poor if you’re tired with luggage.
• Pre-booked hotel cars cost more and remove all of the above from your list of problems.

Sikkim

• Foreign nationals need an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to enter Sikkim. It is free and routinely issued, but it is not optional.
• ILPs can be obtained at designated points including Bagdogra Airport and the Sikkim checkpoint at Rangpo, as well as in advance.
• Protected Area Permits are additionally required for restricted zones such as North Sikkim, Nathu La and Gurudongmar, usually arranged through a registered tour operator.
• Indian citizens don’t need an ILP for Sikkim, but do need permits for the restricted border areas.

Bhutan

• Most nationalities need a visa and to book through a licensed Bhutanese operator, and to pay the Sustainable Development Fee.
• Indian nationals travel on a permit rather than a visa, obtainable online or at the Phuentsholing entry point — around 4 hours from Bagdogra by road.
• Druk Air’s Paro service, when operating, is the direct alternative to the land crossing.

Darjeeling & the Dooars

• No permit is needed for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik or the Dooars — these are ordinary West Bengal districts.
• Wildlife areas such as Gorumara and Jaldapara have their own entry bookings and safari permits.
• Trekking routes near the frontier may have additional requirements — check with your operator.

Lounges

• A single small lounge, useful given how limited the general seating is at peak times.
• Access is typically via credit-card lounge programmes or pay-per-use.
• Card access changed across India in late 2025 — many banks moved to direct partnerships with spend conditions. Confirm your card still qualifies.

ATMs & money

• ATMs are available; airside options are limited, so draw cash before security.
• Carry cash into the hills. ATM coverage in Darjeeling and rural Sikkim is patchy and machines run dry in peak season.
• UPI works well in Siliguri and the towns; less reliably in remote areas where connectivity drops.
• Heading to Bhutan? You’ll need ngultrum or Indian rupees — cards are of limited use outside main towns.

Shopping

Small: souvenirs, books, newspapers and travel essentials, plus Darjeeling tea. Prices are well above what you’d pay in Siliguri’s markets or at the estates themselves.

Food

Cafés and snack counters serving local and standard Indian fare — tea, coffee, and hot food. The selection is modest and queues build in peak season, so eat before you arrive if you can.

Restrooms & essentials

Clean and well-signed, with accessible facilities, charging points and free Wi-Fi. Seating is the scarce resource here at busy hours — another reason the new terminal is coming.

Wheelchairs & reduced mobility

Free wheelchair assistance is a regulatory requirement at Indian airports. Request it when booking, at least 48 hours ahead, and confirm at check-in.

Altitude & the hills

Bagdogra is on the plains, but Darjeeling sits above 2,000 m and parts of Sikkim far higher. North Sikkim destinations like Gurudongmar are serious altitude — ascend gradually, and don’t go straight from a flight to 5,000 m.

Families

Basic family facilities are available. The mountain drive is the demanding part with small children — motion sickness on the Darjeeling and Gangtok roads is very common, so come prepared.

Taxi, shared jeep & bus

• Prepaid taxi booth in arrivals with fixed fares to all the main destinations — the recommended default.
• Shared jeeps are the local way into the hills: cheap, frequent, and they leave when full.
• State buses and app cabs serve Siliguri; the Tenzing Norgay bus stand is the hub for onward routes.

Distances & times

• Siliguri ~20–30 min · Darjeeling ~67 km, 2.5–3.5 hrs via Kurseong.
• Gangtok ~124 km, 4–5 hrs on NH10 · Kalimpong ~3 hrs · Mirik ~2 hrs.
• Phuentsholing (Bhutan border) ~4 hrs · Kakarbhitta (Nepal border) ~1 hr.

Rail & the toy train

• New Jalpaiguri (NJP) is the major railhead, about 16 km away, with trains across India.
• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — the UNESCO-listed toy train — runs from NJP; the full journey is slow, and most people ride the shorter Darjeeling–Ghum section instead.
• NH10 is landslide-prone in the monsoon and does close. Always have a fallback plan and buffer days in the rains.

The hills

• Darjeeling — tea estates, the toy train, Tiger Hill at dawn for Kanchenjunga, and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
• Kalimpong — quieter, with monasteries, nurseries and colonial-era buildings.
• Mirik — a lake town on the way up, an easy half-day from Siliguri.
• Kurseong — tea country on the Darjeeling road, less visited than it deserves.

Sikkim & the Dooars

• Gangtok — Sikkim’s capital, and the base for Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La (permits required).
• Pelling and West Sikkim — Kanchenjunga views and old monasteries.
• Gorumara and Jaldapara — Dooars wildlife parks with rhino and elephant, ~2–3 hrs east.
• Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak, is the reason most of these views exist.

Lost something at the airport?

• Bagdogra is operated by the Airports Authority of India. Report losses at the airport information desk or to the AAI duty manager.
• Left something on the plane? That’s the airline’s responsibility — go to their counter before you leave the building.
• Missing checked baggage: file a Property Irregularity Report at the airline’s baggage desk in arrivals before exiting. This matters especially here, since you may be heading hours into the hills.
• Carry a photo of your bag and its tag number.

Airline customer service

Use only the contact details on airlines’ official websites — fake “customer care numbers” planted in search results are a common scam in India:

• IndiGo — goindigo.in → Contact Us (24/7 in-app chat)
• Air India — airindia.com → Contact Us
• Air India Express — airindiaexpress.com → Support
• SpiceJet — spicejet.com → Contact Us
• Akasa Air — akasaair.com → Support

At the airport

The terminal has a medical room and ambulance access — ask any airport staff member or CISF officer. India’s all-in-one emergency number is 112; ambulances can also be called on 102 or 108.

In Siliguri & the region

• North Bengal Medical College and Hospital — the region’s main public tertiary hospital.
• Neotia Getwel Healthcare Centre and other private hospitals in Siliguri.
• Siliguri is the regional medical centre for the whole of North Bengal, Sikkim and the hills — serious cases from Darjeeling and Gangtok are brought down here.
• That cuts both ways: if something happens in the hills, you’re hours from definitive care.

Near the airport

The Bagdogra–Matigara stretch has roadside restaurants and hotel dining. Little of note immediately at the terminal, so eat in Siliguri if you have the time.

In Siliguri

Sevoke Road and Hill Cart Road hold the city’s restaurants and cafés, along with the malls. Siliguri is a trading town and eats accordingly — everything from Bengali to Chinese to Tibetan.

Eat the region

The hills have their own food: momos, thukpa, Tibetan and Nepali dishes, churpi cheese, and of course first-flush Darjeeling tea — best bought at the estates or Siliguri’s tea shops rather than at the airport.