Darjeeling and Kurseong sit on the same hillside, joined by a railway built in 1881. Most visitors rush up to Darjeeling and never stop in Kurseong.
This guide covers both. It looks at the toy train, the tea, a heritage night at The Elgin, the cafés worth the climb and the best time to go.
Two towns on one line
Bagdogra airport sits on the plains near Siliguri. Kurseong is about 1.5 to 2 hours up the hill from there. Darjeeling is another hour or two beyond it. Plan on 3 to 4 hours from the airport to Darjeeling.
The two towns feel different. Darjeeling is busy, with the Mall, the cafés and the famous sunrise. Kurseong is smaller and greener. It has tea gardens on every slope and far fewer crowds.
If you want to see things, stay in Darjeeling. If you want to rest, stay in Kurseong and visit Darjeeling for a day. Many couples on a short break do exactly that.
The toy train
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway opened to Darjeeling in July 1881. It is a narrow line, just two feet wide. It climbs from the plains by looping, zigzagging and running right down the middle of the road. In 1999 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, now listed as part of the Mountain Railways of India.
Ghum, just below Darjeeling, is the highest station on the line. At about 2,258 metres (7,400 feet), it is also the highest station in India. It has a small railway museum.
Just below Ghum is the Batasia Loop. Here the track turns a full circle so the train can lose height gently. A garden fills the middle of the loop, with a memorial to Gorkha soldiers from these hills. On a clear day the snow peaks rise behind it.
The easiest way to ride is the joy ride from Darjeeling. It runs to Ghum and back in about two hours. It stops at the Ghum museum and for a few minutes at Batasia. Some runs use a steam engine and some a diesel. Book on IRCTC or at the station, and book early in season.
Kurseong has joy rides of its own, plus a one-room railway museum at the station. The full run from the plains to Darjeeling has been disrupted by landslides, so check before you plan a trip around it.
Kurseong, the quiet half
Kurseong's name is usually traced to a Lepcha word for a small white orchid that grows here. The town sits on Hill Cart Road, and the railway runs right beside it.
Walk up to Eagle's Crag, a short climb from the station. On a clear evening you see the tea gardens, the Teesta river on the plains and sometimes Kanchenjunga.
Dow Hill has thick pine forest and the old Victoria Boys' School, founded in 1879. Locals tell ghost stories about the road through the forest. Former students mostly laugh them off. The walk is lovely either way.
About 4 km out of town, at Giddapahar, is the house where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was kept under house arrest in 1936. It belonged to his brother Sarat. It is now a small museum, and entry is free.
Makaibari is one of Darjeeling's oldest tea gardens. Its factory dates to 1859.
Darjeeling in a day or two
Tiger Hill is the classic start. You leave in the dark and watch the first sun turn Kanchenjunga pink, then gold. On a very clear morning you may also pick out Everest, small and far away. Book a local taxi the day before, as most visitors do.
On the way back, stop at Batasia Loop and the monastery at Ghum.
Later, visit the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. It is known for breeding red pandas and snow leopards. It closes on Thursdays.
Next door is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, founded in 1954. Tenzing Norgay was its first director of field training. It has a mountaineering museum.
Happy Valley Tea Estate dates to 1854, which makes it Darjeeling's second-oldest estate. You can often tour the factory, but its closed days vary and it shuts for part of winter. Ask before you go.
End the day at the white Peace Pagoda on Jalapahar hill. Japanese monks of the Nipponzan Myohoji order built it in 1992.
A night at The Elgin
If you stay one night in Darjeeling, make it a memorable one. The Elgin was built in 1887 around a garden. It began life as the summer home of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar.
It still feels like a house, not a hotel. There are fires in the rooms, Burma teak furniture, oak panelling and old prints of the hills on the walls. Afternoon tea is served in the lounge, and the Mall is a short walk away.
It is not the cheapest bed in town. But on a cold evening, in front of a real fire, it is hard to beat.
Where to eat
Glenary's, on Nehru Road near the Mall, began in the 1880s as an Italian confectioner called Vado. Today it has a bakery downstairs and a tea room above. Come for the pastries and the window seats.
Keventer's has fed visitors since 1911. Climb to the open-air terrace for a big English breakfast with pork sausages and bacon, and a view of the hills. Go early in season, as the terrace fills fast.
Kunga, on Gandhi Road, is a small family-run Tibetan kitchen. Order the momos and a bowl of thukpa, the noodle soup. It is cash only, and you may wait on the steps for a table.
Sonam's Kitchen is a tiny family café on Dr Zakir Hussain Road, a few minutes uphill from Chowrasta. Trekkers love it for pancakes, hash browns and a pot of tea. It is a breakfast and lunch place, so go early.
For tea to take home, go to Nathmulls. The Sarda family opened it in 1931, and the original shop is on Laden La Road. Ask them about the difference between a first flush and a second flush.
Since 2024, a weekly local market called Gorkhey Haat has run on Thursdays along H.D. Lama Road. It sells home-style Gorkha and Nepali food and local produce. Ask in town whether it is on that week.
When to go
October and November are the best months. The monsoon has gone and the air is clear. You stand the best chance of seeing Kanchenjunga, often into December too.
Spring, from March to May, is warm and pleasant. The views are less reliable, as haze and cloud come in.
From June to September the monsoon brings heavy rain and landslides. The tea gardens look their greenest, but the roads and the railway suffer.
Planning it
We plan Darjeeling and Kurseong trips around how you like to travel. That might be a busy few days of sightseeing or three quiet nights in a tea-garden resort. Pickup and drop are from Bagdogra or New Jalpaiguri.
For a couple's trip, see our honeymoon tours. Or tell us your dates and we will send you a plan.
