If you have already booked your Meghalaya Trip Package and are looking for the best ways to reach Shillong, you have landed in a perfect place. This Shillong Travel Guide will help you understand how to reach Shillong by different modes of transportation.Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya and serves as one of the best starting points to begin a trip to explore the best places to visit in Meghalaya. Shillong is known as “the abode of clouds” due to its immense natural beauty, thus it is one of the most-visited hill stations in Meghalaya.
Whether you have decided to explore the best places to visit in Shillong or as a starting point for venturing into the majestic Meghalaya, you will have to travel to Shillong. With this guide, you will find the best way to reach Shillong as per your preference and budget.
How to Reach Shillong by Air?
Nearest Airport to Shillong – Umbroi/ Shillong airportShillong has its airport in Umroi which is the nearest airport to Shillong. That’s why the alternative name to Shillong Airport is also “Umroi Airport” which is around 30 km from the city center. It requires approximately 1 hour to travel to Shillong City center from the airport and the road passes by the scenic Umiam Lake.
There are direct flights to Shillong from Imphal, Aizawl and Kolkata. These flights from Imphal and Aizwal take approximately 1 hour, and the flight from Kolkata takes around 2 hours to complete its journey.
Another alternative option to travel to Shillong is to reach the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. The distance from Guwahati airport to Shillong city center is approximately 120 km and can be covered in 3 hours. This road trip to Shillong from Guwahati is one of the most beautiful journeys in the region.
Many travelers prefer to reach Guwahati airport as it has better flight connectivity from major Indian cities as compared to Shillong Airport. Another advantage is that the cost to reach Shillong is also cheaper than taking a flight to Shillong airport to reach Shillong.
There are direct flights to Guwahati airport from Indian cities like – Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar, Lucknow, Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Silchar, Imphal, Dibrugarh, Aizawl, and Dimapur.
Now you have your answer on How to reach Shillong by Air which is the quickest way to travel to Shillong from the major Indian cities.
Also Checkout – Meghalaya With Kaziranga Road Trip
How to Reach Shillong by Train?
Nearest Railway Station to Shillong – Guwahati Railway StationIf you are a budget traveler, the best way to reach Shillong is to travel by train. However, there are no train stations in Meghalaya. So, travelers wanting to travel to Shillong by train, take a train to Guwahati Railway station, which is the major nearest train station to Shillong. The distance between the same is just 100 km and can be easily covered in 2.5 to 3 hours.
Other nearby Railway stations to Shillong, their distance and journey duration to Shillong City Center is as follows:
- Kamakhya Junction (107 km) – 3 hour journey
- Tetelia Junction (102 km) – 2.5-hour journey
- Digaru Railway Station (96 km) – 2.5 hour journey
In this Shillong travel guide, we are also going to share a list of some of the major trains that connect Guwahati with other major cities in India as follows:
- Train from Delhi to Guwahati: Almost 5 trains are running from Delhi to Guwahati and their average journey time is 27 to 48 hours. These trains are Avadh Assam Expres (15910), North East Express (12506), Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (20504), Brahmaputra Mail (15657), Tripura Sundari Express (14620).
- Train from Mumbai to Guwahati: Almost 4 trains are running from Mumbai to Guwahati and their average travel time is 45 hours. Train like Karmabhoomi SF Express (22511), Agartala AC SF Express (12519), and Mumbai LTT Dibrugarh Express (15945).
- Train from Bangalore to Guwahati: There are 4 weekly trains from Bangalore to Guwahati whose average travel time is 49 hours. Some of the trains are Newtinsukia Express (22501), Humsafar Express (12503), and SMVT Bengaluru Guwahati Express (12509).
- Train from Chennai to Guwahati: There are only 2 trains from Chennai to Guwahati departing on Mondays and taking approximately 47-51 hours to reach. These trains are Silchar Express (12515), and Nagaon Express (15629).
- Train from Kolkata to Guwahati: There are several trains to travel to Guwahati from Kolkata. The average time for this train journey is around 18 hours. Some of these trains are Sabroom Kanchenjunga Express (13173), Saraighat Express (12345), Kamrup Express (15959), and Guwahati Garib Rath Express (12517).
You can explore more trains from the city you wish to travel from the IRCTC App. Hope this helps with your answer on how to reach Shillong by train.
How to Reach Shillong by Road?
Taking a road trip to Shillong is one of the best things to do in Meghalaya. The roads connecting Shillong to nearby major cities and towns are very smooth and scenic. The major national highways connecting to Shillong are surrounded by dense forests, quaint villages, lush green hills and gorgeous valleys in Meghalaya. Travelers arriving at Guwahati Railway Station or Aiport travel to Shillong by road as it is very convenient and time-saving. You can choose from different vehicle options as per your budget. There are several Private cabs, shared taxis, state transportation buses, and private buses, operating to Shillong from Guwahati. If you are reaching Siliguri, you can also take an overnight bus to Shillong which takes approximately 13-15 hours to complete the journey.
The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) and Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) have several bus options for travelers that include AC buses, Volvo, Sleeper buses, etc. The journey on NH 40 to Shillong from Guwahati with these public transport in Shillong options is smooth as the road is very well maintained.
Shillong is also very well connected to other parts of the country by an extensive network of National Highways. Here are some of the popular routes along with their distance and journey duration for a Road trip to Shillong:
- Guwahati to Shillong – 99 km (2.5 hours)
- Siliguri to Shillong – 540 km (13 hours)
- Kolkata to Shillong – 1106 (24 hours)
- Agartala to Shillong – 441 km (13 hours)
- Kaziranga to Shillong – 182 km (4 hours)
After reaching Shillong, you can explore this hill station using the public transport in Shillong like local autos, city buses, bazaar buses, tuk-tuk, cabs taxis, etc. Rental vehicles are easily available here if you want to explore places around during your day trip from Shillong.
With this Shillong Travel Guide, we have now covered how to reach Shillong by road so that you can plan your journey better.
FAQ on How to Reach Shillong
