Getting Around Dehradun
Dehradun is a compact city in the Doon Valley, and most of what a visitor wants to see sits within a fairly small area. That means getting around is rarely complicated, but it does help to know which modes exist and how they work before you arrive. The city is connected by road, rail and air to the rest of Uttarakhand and northern India, and it serves as an important urban centre for the surrounding Himalayan region.
On Foot
Walking is often the best way to explore Dehradun, since the town is surprisingly compact and finding your way around is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. Two roads anchor the centre: Rajpur Road, the main avenue, and Chakrata Road, another important street. They intersect at the Clock Tower Roundabout, which makes a useful landmark for orienting yourself. Walking across town can take up to about half an hour.
Rail
Dehradun has its own railway station, with the station code DDN. It offers trains to a wide spread of destinations, including Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Gorakhpur, Amritsar, Indore, Ujjain and Chennai. For visitors arriving from Delhi, the train is generally the more convenient option compared with the bus.
Note that Dehradun does not have a metro or tram network; rail here means the mainline railway station, and getting around within the city relies on road transport and walking.
City Buses
Dehradun has a city bus service run by private owners under the STA. Destinations are written in Hindi above the windshield. In practice, however, the buses tend to be crowded, so it is often better to use other means of transport for getting around town.
Auto Rickshaws
Auto rickshaws are plentiful in the downtown area. They are not metered; instead they operate on a fixed rate system. Because the rate is often not prominently displayed, it is advisable to have some idea of the cost to your destination before you take one. Otherwise you are very likely to be charged well over the odds.
Shared Auto Rickshaws (Vikrams)
The cheapest way to get around town is by the ubiquitous blue three-wheelers known as Vikrams. These are shared, fixed-route vehicles, and they are often crammed, with capacity for around eight cramped passengers in the back. Each Vikram is numbered according to its route through the city, which makes them reasonably easy to use once you know which number you need. Routes include:
- Route 1 – Rajpur Road: from Astley Road north to the Rajpur–Mussoorie Road fork.
- Route 2 – Sahastradhara/Raipur: from Survey Chowk east to Sahastradhara Crossing, then splitting north towards Sahastradhara Road or east towards Raipur Road depending on the vehicle.
- Route 3 – Dharampur, Rispana Bridge: from Survey Chowk to Haridwar Road and Dharampur, then through Nehru Colony to Rispana Bridge.
- Route 4 – Doiwala: from Rispana Bridge to Doiwala.
- Route 5 – Majra/ISBT: from Astley Hall south to Majra and the Interstate Bus Terminus.
- Route 6 – Kaulagarh Road: from Connaught Place northwest up Kaulagarh Road.
- Route 7 – Chakrata Road: from Connaught Place west along Chakrata Road.
- Route 8 – Kanwali/Kaonli Road: from Astley Hall south to Saharanpur Chowk, then west along Kanwali/Kaonli Road towards Balliwala, with the last stop varying between Seemadwar/Indranagar, Anurag Nursery or Vasant Vihar Chowk.
- Route 10 – Premnagar: very infrequent, running west to Premnagar via Kaonli Road.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis can be booked easily in Dehradun through many local tour and travel agents, and car rentals from a good travel company can be arranged for both local and outstation journeys. Ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Ola also operate in the city, though availability can be patchy — many times a cab is not available on their app, so it is worth having a backup plan. Local taxi operators include Travelodesk (24x7 support), Doon Taxi Service and Goyal Taxi Services.
Arriving by Air: Jolly Grant Airport
Jolly Grant Airport (airport code DED) sits roughly 20 km from town and handles daily domestic flights to cities including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune and Srinagar, along with regional flights to Kullu, Pantnagar, Srinagar and Pithoragarh. To reach the city from the airport you have several options:
- Bus: Buses run from the ISBT (Inter State Bus Terminus) every 20 to 30 minutes during the day. They are painted red on their lower half and go to Rishikesh, stopping at the airport en route.
- Taxi: Cab services are available from the airport, and private taxi services can be arranged. Hotels may also provide their own pickup arrangements.
Arriving by Bus
The ISBT bus station is located a few kilometres from the centre of town. From here, Uttarakhand State buses — including Kashmere Gate in Old Delhi services, Delux, Volvo, Semi-deluxe and ordinary classes — depart hourly, and there is also an overnight deluxe A/C service run by Uttarakhand Tourism. The journey from Delhi takes roughly six to seven hours.
If you are simply changing buses in Dehradun during the day, it sometimes makes sense to get off before the bus turns into the station, since many buses ply without going into the station or come out somewhere else — for example, services heading to Rishikesh. Ask the driver of your current bus where to catch the onward bus.
Arriving by Car
Driving in from Delhi is in principle a five-hour trip, but unless you depart very early in the morning, traffic greatly lengthens the journey. The town sits on the narrow, two-lane NH 72A (Chhutmalpur to Dehradun), and the road can be slowed by slow vehicles at harvest times and by pilgrims walking on the road in late July and early August. Car rental companies provide cars to Dehradun from Delhi's IGI Airport and New Delhi station.