[karuna]

Being of a somewhat nervous disposition, I had pretty much decided that I will take the train to Pathankot and a taxi from there to Dharamsala.

Then on Monday I met a couple who had done the Delhi- Dharamsala run in a bus and found it to be okay. They said their experience of trains was much much worse (late and painfully slow).

Anybody got any advice or personal preferences?

[cyberhippie]

Buses for me are cramped and often don't make enough toilet stops and when they do there's not always a decent tiolet for the ladies!
The train is generally speaking a much better option, you can get up walk around when you feel stiff, go to the toilet whenever you like, get food served to you onboard all the time and drink chai and coffee until it comes out of your ears!!!! All in all it's just a better way to travel given the choice.

Some trains are delayed it's true but so are some buses.

The taxi trip upto Mcleodganj is awesome by the way enjoy!

[ddutta]

I personaly prefer train to bus specially for overnight journey. I have done it by train , Delhi - Pathankot ( overnight train ) - Pathankot - Dharmshala /Mc loydgung by bus.

[Satty]

Personally I prefer trains. Never know when you gotta use the loo. I've had too many bowel induced horror stories.

Another problem I have is I just can't get to sleep sitting in a cramped seat. The AC sleeper coaches? Avoid them unless you got this urge to sleep next to a stranger on a 6 x 3 berth.

Cheers

[jyotirmoy]

The Jammu  mail is a good train, you can comfortably sleep & arrive at Pathankot fres & relaxed. In summer try to travel by AC coach. Non AC overnight bus journey during summer may be extremely tiring & uncomfortable.

[Mount Cleverest]

The point is already made..go for the Train anytime against the bus.

I have some pretty sodid experiences with private tour buses. These guys have no sense of understanding of the commuter's needs. I was travelling in a bus from Delhi to Rishikesh once, the guy coaxed me in to sitting in the bus telling me that its gonna start in a few minutes..I bought the ticket and the bus did not start for three hours till it was entirely full!

[jyotirmoy]

On Delhi Hardwar & Rishikesh route specially this is very common. Take state transport buses instead.

[kullukid]

Yes train........ just because someone else didn't like it this doesn't mean you won't ........ in my opinion going on trains & local himalayan buses is one of the highlights of seeing real India!     kk

[Arun B]

If you choose the train, you may have to take the trouble of booking in advance but you can just walk in and find a bus most of the time. Delays are not really a problem and most trains usually take the similar time to cover a distance as the bus. Trains are definitely comfortable, but if you can manage to sleep through the night sitting in the bus, it doesn't really matter being in the bus.

Personally, I would take the train if I can book my ticket without much effort, but have no issues in taking the bus.

[ploma]

I always prefer taking the train rather than the bus. In the train you're in a more comfortable situation as you can walk around, read, sleep, go to the WC… and too I found that in trains you can see more "shows" going around, not just the landscape specially the people going around the corridor (I go in Sleeper Class).

Himalayan buses are quite funny but after some hours in one of them you really want to arrive to the end fast!

uribaba

[Somerset]

Definitely trains. In addition to being more comfortable than buses for long rides, you have a greater opportunity to meet people.

Edited by Somerset, 12 May 2006 - 08:52 PM.

[dzibead]

I vote for the train, too.  The overnight train (you take the Jammu Mail) from Delhi to Pathankot is good and gets you into Pathankot at the perfect time in the morning to enjoy the scenery on your 3 hour or so cab ride to Dharamsala.  You arrive in Dhasa early enough in the day that you actually have time to do things and without being exhausted.

I like to get a 2-tier AC ticket.  That class is comfortable and you really can sleep.  Many people say the overnight bus from Majnu Ka Tilla, the Tibetan enclave in Delhi is OK, but I've never done it and the prospect of sitting up all night on the bus for the 12-hour journey to Dhasa is NOT appealing to me.

[retiredchutney]

trains anyday!...have taken all kinds of buses including the volvo sleeper ones! but the space is very less, AC in buses at times is at artic blasts, lot of them dont have toilets! the roads are windy and bumpy and quite a few times, these drivers drive like madmen regardless of the straightness of the road or space in it!

the problem with trains is they are sold out! so if you can plan your trip in advance and if the distance is more than 200 kms approx..or a 4 to 5 hour bus ride; trains are a preferable option.

[ChrisJ]

The Jammu Mail is a good run. It leaves Old Delhi at 9pm and gets into Pathankot at about 8am so you get a good nights sleep. (No way will you get that on a bus!)  I used to do it in second class which was fine - but these days I splash out and go first class now that I am no longer a skint teenager. You also have a good chance to meet other people on the train to share a cab to D.Sala if you decide to do that.

I have been on the Jammu mail to Pathankot at least a dozen times. It always leaves Delhi on time. The only time it will be late into Pathankot is if there is fog in Punjab in the morning - which there wont be this time of year.  (I recommend the station café for breakfast. Good tea there)

Have a good trip!

Chris.

[SHIMLA]

The train wins again !

In fact I'll also suggest you take the "toy train" from Pathankot to Kangra as well, and minimise road travel. You'll enjoy the beauty of the Kangra valley far more from those smaller windows of the delightfully chugging train; than from the larger windows of a jerky bus or a speeding cab!
This is one instance where you certainly won't mind the train being painfully slow !

[BlueRose]

Train!!!

its a no brainer for all the mentioned reasons. I took buses through parts of Rajasthan to save money. I took private car over rickshaw when it is a long drive and/ or it is cold. I froze my @ss off one night from train station to Orccha in a rickshaw, oh I still remember it well. I like to be able to pee on my timetable and I always slept well on trains and thus saved daylight hours for sightseeing.

yes, there are deluxe buses in India but I dont care for peeing behind the wheels of afore mentioned bus. I also saw more bald tires on buses than I have ever seen in my life. After questioning the safety of such buses my companion said" dont worry, the road will be so rough IT will provide all the traction"

Train, train, train.....

Edited by BlueRose, 14 May 2006 - 06:39 AM.

[sonomama]

SHIMLA, on May 14 2006, 09:29 AM, said:

In fact I'll also suggest you take the "toy train" from Pathankot to Kangra as well, and minimise road travel. You'll enjoy the beauty of the Kangra valley far more from those smaller windows of the delightfully chugging train; than from the larger windows of a jerky bus or a speeding cab!
This is one instance where you certainly won't mind the train being painfully slow !

I agree with SHIMLA 100%! You can see it not just a way of transportation but as a sightseeing opportunity. The scenery along the Kangra line is so beautiful!

Sonomama

[jorge reverter]

As you can see, everybody prefers train instead of bus-sleeper. I prefer to travel by train too, normally in AC2 but sometimes is not easy to find tickets. The Sleeper-Bus is the solution as you can always find a bus going everywhere and the price is much cheaper than the train. Last February/March I've made several night's trip by sleeper-bus as I was changing my mind everyday about the itinerary, most of the nights were a real nightmare,
but finally I was at  the destination very early in the morning.

A good solution is to take a double place in Sleeper-Bus (price is obviously double also), you have then room enough for you and your luggage and things are little more comfortable.

Jorge