Hill stations are undoubtedly beautiful and no one can deny that Darjeeling is one of the best. Darjeeling is a famous tourist destination located in West Bengal, India.

The lush green hills and tea gardens, beautiful pine forests and an exciting toy train that runs in the mountains make it one of the best hill stations.

Earlier this year, I took a trip to Darjeeling and it was wonderful two weeks of my life. I mostly stayed in Kurseong, a small town in Darjeeling district.

And for the first time in my life, I saw tea plants and tea gardens for real. You can imagine my excitement (I cannot express it in words).

In this post, I will share things you can do when you are in Darjeeling. Two weeks wasn’t enough for me and it won’t be enough for you too as well.

Here are some of the places you could go and things you could do in Darjeeling:

Visit Tea Estate/Gardens

Tea gardens are wonderful and fantastical places to visit. Just the sight of green bushes of tea will put your mind at ease and happiness within your heart.

There are so many tea gardens/estates in Darjeeling. Visit them, taste the refreshing ‘Darjeeling Tea’, and gather the unforgettable tea experience of your life.

Don’t forget to buy some tea to bring back home with you or as a gift for your friends and families.

Take a stroll in Batasia Loop

Located on Hill Cart Road (National Highway 55), Batasia Loop is a spiral railway track for the famous Toy Train of Darjeeling.

Batasia means airy space, the area has beautiful garden encircled by the train track, bridge, war memorial and some park benches from where you can view amazing landscapes of Darjeeling.

It is one of the major attractions in Darjeeling. Just stroll around and enjoy the fresh air.

Take a ride in DHR Toy Train

Taking a ride in Darjeeling Himalaya Railway (DHR), well-known as “Toy Train” is one of the exciting things to do while in Darjeeling.

It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India and holds an absolute historical significance. The railway follows the hill cart road and crosses three loops, one of those being the Batasia Loop.

The train now has a diesel engine, however, one can ride historic steam engine train that starts from Kurseong.

Watch the sunrise from Tiger Hill

Tiger hill is the highest point in Darjeeling at an altitude of 2600 mt. located about 11km from the main town of Darjeeling.

It is one of the popular destinations in Darjeeling for tourists to view sunrise and panorama of majestic Mt. Kanchenjunga. You can trek or ride a vehicle through the Sinchel Wildlife Sanctuary to get there.

Watching the sunrise from Tiger Hill could be one of the unforgettable moment of your life. The phenomenal way that sky changing the colors will blow your mind.

Spend an afternoon in Chowrasta

Chowrasta, Chow meaning four and rasta meaning road, is a place where four roads converge and meet. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Darjeeling.

It is mostly popular for shopping and lazing around. You can find vintage stores, book stores, food joints, coffee shops and many shops selling clothes and such.

It is like a town square and has small open space auditorium and a few park benches. It is recommended to visit Chowrasta when you are in Darjeeling.

Phewa Lake – Nature’s Enchantment

Spend a spiritual day at Monasteries

Majority of the population in Darjeeling, Bengalis, and Nepalis are Hindus. However, Buddhism is also widely followed as Darjeeling became one of the major hubs for Tibetan refugees.

There are a handful of Buddist monasteries and they are as wonderful and fascinating as any other Tibetan relic.

Bhutia Busti Gompa, Old Ghum Monastery, Samten Choling Monastery, and Aloobari Monastery are some of the must-visit monasteries in Darjeeling. You can have a spiritual day at any one of these magnificent monasteries.

Eat Taipo, Momos, Thukpa & More

Darjeeling offers varieties of delectable food items for anyone who enjoys exploring local cuisines.

The best thing you can do is to go for street food hunting. Taipos, Momos and Thukpa are some of the best foods that you shouldn’t miss.

If you are a breakfast lover, you should definitely visit Keventer’s. You can also explore vegetarian places, bakeries, and coffee shops in the region.

Get chilling experience in Dow Hill

Dow Hill is a very popular place for its incomparable natural beauty and sinister tales. Located in Kurseong, it is considered as one of the most haunted places in India.

The silent but remarkable woods and pleasant weather offers you one of the unforgettable experiences of your life. If you are a photography enthusiast like me, you are going to love the place.

You can drive or hike up to the Dow Hill Deer Park or the Eco Park and just enjoy the pleasant environment.

Visit The Japanese Temple & Peace Pagoda

Located at the Jalapahar hill area, about 10 minutes drive from the center of the Darjeeling town is the Japanese Temple.

The temple, built in a traditional Japanese style, is also known as the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple. The Peace Pagoda is close to the temple with four avatars of Lord Buddha.

You can enjoy the panoramic landscapes of Darjeeling, beautiful view of the Japanese temple among the pines and mesmerizing vista of Kanchenjunga range from the top of the Pagoda.

Wrapping Up

One can easily spend a week or two and not realize because there are so many things to do, so many places to visit and so many things to see.

Above-mentioned are must and unmissable when you are in Darjeeling. Besides those, you can go rafting in Teesta, visit Shrubbery Nightingale’s Park, Eagle’s Crag, Mahakal Temple, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, trek to Sandakphu, or get a tattoo.

It wasn’t a long ago that I spent 2 weeks in Darjeeling and I already want to go back again.

If you have already visited Darjeeling, what were your favorites?

Let me know in the comments below!