How to reach Bir Billing

From Delhi by bus — the way most people come

Around 520 km and eleven to twelve hours, leaving Delhi in the evening and arriving in Bir in the morning. Volvo and semi-sleeper services run from Kashmere Gate and from Majnu ka Tila; the private overnight buses are more comfortable than the state ones and not much dearer.

The route runs Delhi to Chandigarh, then Kiratpur, Una, Dehra, Kangra, Palampur and Baijnath. Some services terminate at Baijnath rather than Bir, which is a fourteen-kilometre taxi at the end. Check where the bus actually stops before you book.

By air, via Kangra (Gaggal)

Kangra airport at Gaggal is the nearest, about 65 km away, roughly two to two and a half hours by road. Flights are small, weather-sensitive and cancel more often in winter than anyone would like. Book the earliest flight of the day and keep the afternoon free.

Amritsar and Chandigarh are the larger, more reliable alternatives, at five to six and seven to eight hours respectively.

By train

There is no useful direct train. Pathankot, about 112 km away, is the nearest broad-gauge railhead — take an overnight train from Delhi and a taxi or bus for the last four to five hours.

Ahju, three kilometres from Bir, is on the narrow-gauge Kangra Valley line. It is slow, it does not connect to anywhere you are coming from, and it is one of the loveliest train journeys in India. Do it as a day trip from Bir rather than as a way of getting here.

From Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj

Roughly 65 to 70 km and two to three hours by road through Palampur — a straightforward taxi, or a bus with a change at Baijnath. It makes Bir an easy second stop on a Himachal trip rather than a destination in itself.

The last mile

Bir is spread out and taxi drivers will interpret 'Bir' generously. Send the exact address, not the village name. If you are staying with us, copy the address from our contact page and send it straight to the driver — and tell us your arrival time and we'll arrange the pickup ourselves.