How To Reach Guwahati

Earlier known as Pragjyotishpur, the current-day capital city of Assam, Guwahati have indeed come a long way. Said to have been built by the demon king Narakasura and home to Hindu god of love, Kamdeva, Guwahati has scores of mythical lores tagged to its name. The sleepy capital of Assam, Guwahati, meaning 'market of areca nut', has risen to become an important tourist hub today. Clubbed amidst the picturesque hills of the Himalayan mountain range and the gushing Brahmaputra River, the beautiful city of Guwahati truly spells bliss. Since its formation in the 6th century, the city has been subjected to warfare and insurgency. Nevertheless, despite of all the upheavals, the charm of Guwahati has remained unsullied. Deemed as the gateway to the other northeastern states of Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Guwahati serves as an important link point for the tourists. The city is endowed with an impressive transport system and boasts of well connected roads. To know more about transport system of Guwahati and how to reach the city, read on.

Traveling To Guwahati

By Air
Guwahati is connected to all the major cities within and outside the state by airways. The major airport of Guwahati, Gopinath Bordoloi Airport is located at 23km away from the city. It provides air services on a regular basis and also acts as a base for the Indian air force. Guwahati is connected by air to the major cities of India like Delhi, Kolkata, Imphal, Agartala, Aizawl, Dibrugarh and Jorhat. Regular flight services to the city of Guwahati are available from Delhi and Kolkata. Indian airlines and most of the other private airlines like Pawan Hans helicopter service, Indigo Airlines, Spice Jet, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, JetLite etc. operate from this airport.

By Rail
Indian railway has been a major means of transport facilities to Guwahati. The Paltan Bazaar Railway Station, which is one of the major terminus on the North-East Frontier Railway, is placed on the western side of Guwahati and links the city to all the major cities of India. A number of trains operate regularly to the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Kochi and new Jalpaiguri. The famous Rajdhani Express provides regular service to and from Delhi.

By Road
The Assam State Transport Corporation not only connects the different towns within the state but also the neighboring states like Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, etc. The ASTC offers regular and luxury bus services at a very reasonable rate. The Assam State Transport company buses link Guwahati to Kaziranga, Tezpur, Jorhat, Sibsagar and Silchar. The ISBT bus station in Guwahati is an important terminus for the northeastern region.

By Water
Being located on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, the Assam State Transport Corporation provides ferry services for the tourists to travel across the Brahmaputra River at nominal rates. Water service has proved to be very valuable for the people of Assam. In fact, for some parts of the state this is the only mode of transportation. A number of ferries operate regularly from here.

Getting Around
Apart from these transport facilities, Guwahati also have tourist taxis, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws that can be used to commute anywhere within the city and are safe and relatively inexpensive.