Haridwar to Rishikesh: Bus, Train, Taxi and the Road Between

Haridwar and Rishikesh are two towns on the same river, about 25 km apart, and most visitors to one end up in the other. The journey is short, cheap and easy, but how long it takes depends far more on the day and the traffic than on the distance. Here is how the options compare, and how to make the hop part of the trip rather than dead time.

The short answer

Option	Rough time	Best for
Bus from Haridwar bus stand	about 1 hour	cheap, frequent, no planning
Taxi or private car	45 minutes to 1 hour	luggage, families, door-to-door
Local train	about 1 hour	if the timing happens to suit

Add time on weekends, festival days and every snan date, when the road between the two towns is one of the busiest in the state.

By bus

Buses leave Haridwar's main bus stand, opposite the railway station, for Rishikesh all day, both Uttarakhand Roadways and private operators. You rarely wait long, and you do not need to book. They arrive at the Rishikesh bus stand in the main town, from where shared autos and vikrams carry you on to Ram Jhula, Laxman Jhula or Tapovan. With bags and children, the extra change is the main drawback.

By taxi or car

A taxi from the station or your hotel is the simplest option for most groups, and the only one that drops you at the door. The road runs north past the ashrams of Bhupatwala, along the edge of Rajaji National Park through the Motichur forest, and into Rishikesh. Agree the fare and the drop point before you set off, and say which side of the river you need: the east-bank ashrams at Swarg Ashram are reached on foot across Ram Jhula, so a car can only take you to the bridge.

By train

A few local trains run between Haridwar Junction and Rishikesh each day, and some longer-distance trains continue to the newer Yoganagari Rishikesh station. The trains are cheap but few, and slower than the road door to door once you add the walk at each end. Check the day's timings at the station; if one is leaving soon it is a pleasant ride, but it is not worth waiting for.

Stops worth making on the way

The road passes several places people otherwise make a separate trip for: Bharat Mata Mandir and the Saptrishi ashrams just north of Haridwar, and Shantikunj, the large Gayatri Parivar campus, a little further on. A morning safari in Rajaji's Chilla zone, across the river on the east bank, is another way to break the journey from mid-November. The places to visit in Haridwar guide and the Chilla safari guide have the details.

Two aartis, one evening?

Both towns hold their best-known Ganga aarti at sunset — at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar, and at Triveni Ghat and Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh — so seeing both on the same evening is not realistic. The usual plan is the evening aarti in one town, the night there, and the other town the next day. The Har Ki Pauri guide has the timings by month.

On festival and Kumbh days

On the big bathing days, the Kanwar Yatra weeks of the monsoon and the snan days of the Ardh Kumbh from 14 January to 20 April 2027, traffic on this road is controlled and private cars can be held at the edges of both towns. Leave very early, or plan to stay put that day.

Which town to sleep in

If you are here for the Ganga and the ghats, either works, and many people do one night in each. Haridwar is the railhead and the bigger pilgrimage centre; Rishikesh is quieter, with yoga, cafes and the start of the hill roads. If a Char Dham or Kedarnath drive starts the next morning, sleep in Rishikesh, which is the nearer of the two to the mountains. The where to stay in Rishikesh guide explains the areas, and you can see our Haridwar hotels and our Rishikesh hotels for your dates.