Situated in the Jalpaiguri and Siliguri districts of West Bengal, Siliguri is a city known as the Gateway to North-East India. Siliguri has its own international airport which serves mainly as a base for tourists to camp in before moving out to explore nearby tourist attractions such as Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Gangtok and Bhutan. However, Siliguri itself is a perfectly good holiday destination, with sufficient things to see and do.

The Jaldapara National Park, situated on the banks of the Torsa river, is a prime attraction of Siliguri. Earlier known as the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, the park is spread over an area of around 215 kilometres, and comprises riverine forests as well as grasslands. The park is famous for its impressive population of Royal Bengal Tigers, elephants, one-horned rhinoceros, and various other species of deer. To get the best out of the park, you can go for an elephant ride, which will give you a chance to catch a glimpse of the animals up close.

Another wildlife park that nature lovers should consider visiting is the North Bengal Wild Animals Park. This park is an integral part of the Mahanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and spread out over an area of 300 hectares; this park contains a wide variety of flora and fauna. However, unlike other wildlife parks and sanctuaries, the Mahanadi Wildlife Sanctuary strictly forbids visitors from feeding the animals at the park.

When visiting Siliguri, a close-by tourist attraction that most people visit in Mirik. Around 50 kilometres from Siliguri, Mirik is famed for its picturesque beauty, its pristine Sumedu Lake, and its monastery. Sumedu Lake offers fishing activities, and boat rides for tourists, which is a beautiful way to relish the breathtaking view of the hills bordering the lake on all sides.

Places to Visit

Salugara Monastery

Established by Tibetan Buddhist Monks and followers of Dalai Lama, the monastery is famous for the 100 feet stupa founded by the Tibetan Lama, Kalu Rinpoche.

This monastery is also known as The Great International Tashi Gomang Stupa and is situated just 6 km away from the main town. This monastery also contains five kinds of Buddhist relics.

Iskcon Temple

Also known as Sri Sri Radha Madhav Sundar Mandir, this temple was built by ISKCON, which stands for International Society for Krishna Consciousness. With a grand temple, beautiful campus and soothing ambience, this temple is a must visit for everyone.

Mahananda Weir Wildlife Sanctuary

Situated between Mahananda and Teesta River, this vast expanse of forest lands is home to rare mountain goats, Cheetal, barking deer, fishing cat, sambar, tiger, elephant and Indian bison and migratory birds. It offers mild to medium trekking challenges at Deorali, Latpancher and Golaghat Mana.

The Science City

The North Bengal Science Centre is a highly reputed institution in north Bengal famed for its planetarium and Nature Interpretation Centre. 

Dudhia

Just on the outskirts of Siliguri, Dudhia is a beautiful small town which also offers accommodation facilities.

Sevoke Kali Mandir

An ancient temple on Teesta banks, close to the Coronation Bridge, the temple is home to Goddess Kali.

Coronation Bridge

Coronation Bridge is located in the beautiful city of Siliguri, that is a part of Darjeeling as well as Jalpaiguri Districts, in the marvellous north-eastern Indian state of West Bengal. The Coronation Bridge, located at a distance of about 20 kilometres from the city, offers a breathtaking view of the lush greenery and was constructed mainly to connect Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri. This bridge is an incredible specimen of architecture inspired by the Roman architecture and is frequented by visitors who want to experience its grandeur and capture the panoramic view of the sparkling blue waters of River Teesta flowing underneath. Locals prefer visiting it to get some respite from the buzz of the city life, while adventure junkies can go rafting in the river to enjoy a different view of this engineering marvel.  

The Coronation Bridge is named as National Highway 31 and is also considered to be the lifeline between Kalimpong, Nathula and Gangtok, because of the accessibility it provides. It is located close to the Sevokeswari Kali Mandir in Siliguri and visitors en-route to Sikkim or Darjeeling often take a few minutes to admire the scenic beauty around the bridge.  The architecture and engineering of the bridge are one of the very few remaining in India. It is also known as "Bagh Pul" Or "Tiger Bridge" because of the two lion statues at one of the entrances..

Madhuban Park

Founded by Indian Army Madhuban Park is a spectacular park located in the outskirts of Siliguri. The park serves as an ideal picnic spot. The lush green surroundings of Sukna Forest offers cool climate and serene ambiance.

Savin Kingdom

This amusement park is nestled among spacious and serene tea farms and it offers many rides and a playground for children.

Hong Kong Market

The Hong Kong Market is well known all across Siliguri for stocking imported goods and international brands of apparels and gadgets. The shopping arcade also houses restaurants and confectioners, and shoppers bargain a great deal here to buy products at super cheap prices.

Must Try Food in Siliguri

1. Punjabi Kadhai

2. Dhaba by Amber

3. The Yellow Chilli Restaurant

4. Steamy Moktu

5. Skkky Club

6. Bhojohori Manna

7. Indian Pagoda Chinese Restaurant

8. Sagar Family Restaurant

9. The Gourmet Central Family Restaurant & Bar

10. Half Full

How To Get Here

Siliguri is well connected by all means of transport. It has a well-developed road transport network to all the major cities of West Bengal. It houses two railheads and has an International airport-Bagdogra airport. Siliguri is well connected to other cities and direct buses ply from major cities like Kolkata, Patna, Muzaffarpur and Guwahati.

By Air

Siliguri has its own airport known as the Bagdogra airport. It is almost 15 minutes away from Siliguri and one can take a cab from the airport to reach the destination. It is very well connected to cities like New Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore.

Nearest Airport: BAGDOGRA 

By Road

Many state owned and private buses ply on a regular basis. It is well connected to many cities of West Bengal like Darjeeling, which is almost 67 km away. Taxis are also available from Siliguri to Darjeeling and Gangtok.

By Train

The city has two rail heads. One is the Siliguri Junction and the other is New Jalpaiguri Junction (NJP). The NJP is the favoured railway station and is well connected to all major cities of the country.