SGFrom Singapore
Darjeeling and Sikkim, from Singapore
The nearest long-haul market to the hills: four hours to Kolkata, one to Bagdogra, and cool mountain air by dinner. A long weekend works; a week is better.
In short
How do I plan a Darjeeling and Sikkim trip from Singapore?
Singapore passports qualify for India's e-Tourist Visa, applied online at least four days ahead. Fly nonstop to Kolkata in about four hours, take the one-hour flight to Bagdogra, and drive three hours to Darjeeling: hills by evening. The November and December school holidays meet the clearest weeks. Drukair also links Singapore with Paro for Bhutan. Sikkim needs its online permit 30 days ahead.
At a glance
What changes for your passport
The numbers that are different for you. Everything else on this site applies as written.
- Visa
- e-Tourist VisaOnline, at least four days before you fly. On a 1- or 5-year visa, Singapore citizens may stay up to 90 days a visit.
- Long haul
- Singapore to Kolkata, about 4 hNonstop on Singapore Airlines and IndiGo.
- Last leg
- Kolkata to Bagdogra, about 1 hThen three hours by road to Darjeeling.
- Time difference
- India is 2h30 behindSingapore keeps no daylight saving and nor does India, so it never changes.
- Best weeks for you
- November and December holidaysThe year-end school holidays line up with the clearest weeks.
- Bhutan from Singapore
- Drukair to ParoParo is linked with Singapore. US$100 a night plus a US$40 visa.
- Sikkim
- Online permit, 30 days aheadRestricted Area Permit via e-FRRO. No fee is reported.
Door to the hills
Your route, stop by stop
Long-haul to Delhi or Kolkata, a short flight to Bagdogra, and the hill road. We meet every flight.
- Day 0 Changi A morning flight to Kolkata
- About 4 h Kolkata Clear immigration on your e-Visa and connect to the north
- About 1 h Bagdogra (IXB) An hour north; your driver waits at arrivals
- About 3 h by road Darjeeling, 2,045 m Up the hill road through the tea, in time for dinner
Your holidays, our seasons
When your time off meets clear skies
Your school and public holidays set against the hills' weather. October to mid-December is the clearest; June to September is monsoon.
- October
- Before the year-end breakThe season opens
Clear skies return after the monsoon; the long views come back day by day.
- Before the year-end breakThe season opens
- November
- Deepavali and the year-end holidaysThe clearest weeks
Deepavali falls in November in 2026, when Tihar lights also fill Kathmandu. Kanchenjunga is out most mornings.
- Deepavali and the year-end holidaysThe clearest weeks
- December
- Year-end school holidaysCold and bright
Fires in the evenings and Christmas in the hills, 22 to 26 December.
- Year-end school holidaysCold and bright
- February
- Chinese New YearWinter, clear and quiet
Chinese New Year falls on 6 February in 2027: cold, clear and uncrowded.
- Chinese New YearWinter, clear and quiet
- March
- March school holidaysRhododendrons and first flush
The spring season, with the first tea of the year.
- March school holidaysRhododendrons and first flush
- June
- June school holidaysMonsoon
Rain most days in the hills. Keep the June break for the year-end instead.
- June school holidaysMonsoon
Sikkim on the same trip
Darjeeling and Sikkim, one permit apart
Foreign passports need Sikkim's Restricted Area Permit before the border at Rangpo or Melli. Since January 2026 it is issued only online, through India's e-FRRO portal, and Indian missions suggest applying about 30 days ahead. We prepare the application with you. Gangtok, Pelling and Yuksom are then open to you; Tsomgo Lake and North Sikkim need a further protected-area permit filed by a registered agent for two or more travellers, and children five and under cannot go up. Nathu La, Gurudongmar and Zuluk stay closed to foreign passports.
Part of a bigger India trip
After Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, the hills
Many first visits to India start in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The hills fit neatly after them: end in Delhi, take the two-hour flight to Bagdogra, and a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the three-hour climb to Darjeeling. After the plains the change is total: cool air, tea gardens, monasteries, and a mountain at dawn. Five nights in the hills is the least we would suggest after a Golden Triangle; eight lets Sikkim in as well.
Where to start
Journeys that suit a long flight
Each can be moved, stretched or cut. Prices on each page are per person, twin share, before flights.
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The Toy Train Weekend
Three nights: a long weekend from Changi, built around the heritage railway.
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The First Time
Eight nights: Darjeeling, Gangtok and Pelling.
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Bhutan: the Western Valleys
Six nights in Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, reachable from Singapore by Drukair.
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Monasteries of the East
Seven nights of monasteries and mountain villages.
Questions
Darjeeling and Sikkim from Singapore, answered straight
Do Singapore citizens need a visa for India?
Yes. Singapore passports qualify for India's e-Tourist Visa, applied online on the official portal at least four days before you fly. One- and five-year visas allow up to 90 days a visit. Darjeeling needs no other permit; Sikkim adds its online one.
Can I do Darjeeling in a long weekend from Singapore?
Yes, just. Fly to Kolkata in the morning, on to Bagdogra, and you reach Darjeeling by evening. Three nights gives two dawns for the mountain and a ride on the toy train. Four or five nights is more relaxed.
How do I get from Singapore to Bhutan?
Drukair links Paro with Singapore. Many guests fly Singapore to Paro, spend a week in Bhutan, and cross by road or Drukair to Bagdogra for the Darjeeling hills, or the other way round. Bhutan charges US$100 a night and a US$40 visa on a Singapore passport.
When is the best time to visit Darjeeling from Singapore?
The November and December school holidays: clear, cold and dry, with the mountain out most mornings. Avoid the June holidays, which fall in the monsoon. March brings rhododendrons and the first-flush tea.
Will we feel the altitude in Darjeeling?
Rarely. Darjeeling is about 2,045 metres, Tiger Hill 2,590; most visitors feel only a little breathless on steep lanes. Higher trips into Sikkim, such as Tsomgo Lake at 3,753 m, are kept short and planned after a night or two in the hills.
Sources we checked for this page (10)
- e-Tourist Visa: Bagdogra is an e-Visa airport; 30-day e-Tourist visa; holders may exit from any ICP
- 1- and 5-year e-Tourist visas: continuous stay up to 180 days per visit for nationals of the USA, UK, Canada and Japan, 90 days for other eligible nationals
- Sikkim RAP and PAP for foreigners only through e-FRRO; apply about 30 days ahead from abroad
- Bhutan SDF US$100 a night for dollar-paying tourists until 31 August 2027, half for children 6 to 12
- Bhutan visa fee US$40, applied for online
- Nepal tourist visa US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30, US$125 for 90
- Bagdogra flights, road times to Darjeeling, Gangtok and Pelling
- Which permits each passport needs, place by place
- Singapore Airlines operates nonstop Singapore to Kolkata
- Drukair: Paro also linked with Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Dhaka and Singapore
Checked 10/2026. We confirm every rule, fee and flight again for your dates.
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