Amritsar India – Your Quick Travel Guide

In a nutshell

The iconic city of Amritsar is the home of the remarkable Golden Temple. It is the most enticing destination with its glorious culture and Punjabi hospitality. Every day in this peace-loving city starts with a prayer from Gurudwaras. Amritsar has gone through the worst of times and emerged like a phoenix with more love and harmony attracting tourists and free-spirited souls from around the world.

Why Go to Amritsar

Amritsar is a must-visit destination for tourists as well as pilgrims. It is a spiritual center for the Sikhs and Hindus and is a city of great historical importance. It is a city of beautiful temples and places dating back to the Independence days. Amritsar is a city filled up with history, religion, and culture leaving anyone who visits it in complete awe. Apart from the magnificent Golden Temple also known as the Darbar Sahib, you can also visit Jallianwala Bagh and Wagah Border, which is the only crossing road between India and Pakistan, lowering of the flags ceremony there is a must-watch. Both places evoke passion and patriotism. Jallianwala Bagh is the garden where Amritsar Massacre took place in 1919 during the peaceful celebrations.

Delicious meals at Bharawan Da Dhaba and shopping for alluring Indian wear with traditional Phulkari designs is what enchants tourists attracting them to this city. Amritsar is a city rich in culture, history and everything else to make travellers fall in love with it. Do visit this marvelous city and explore it yourself.

When to Go to Amritsar

The peak time to visit Amritsar is from November to March as the weather during these months is pleasant and ideal for sightseeing. Sometimes the temperature may fall to 4̊ C below zero with cold winds.

Summers should be avoided as the scorching heat can be unbearable for some people, however, after this heat comes the monsoon and brings great relief with light or heavy rains from July to October and the weather is good for tourism, cloudy most of the time.

Where to Stay in Amritsar

Amritsar has a great variety of hotels providing comfortable accommodation to their guests. It has 3 five star hotels, 8 four star hotels and 59 three star hotels. Amritsar also has 180 luxury hotels, 170 budget hotels and 3 resorts. Some of the luxury hotels in Amritsar are located ideally in only 4min walk from the Golden Temple and will cost INR 2,924 per night and even provide you with free Wi-Fi, pay at checkout and free cancellation as well. Budget hotels prices start from INR 2030 and even less. You can get free breakfast, a good view and free Wi-Fi in some budget hotels as well.

The five star hotels in Amritsar have a range between INR 2818 to INR 5285 per night. They include breakfast, room service and great location for the tourists so that they can have a good time in Amritsar. You can even get yourself and your family a good resort near the Golden Temple or Jallianwala Bagh for INR 1260 only.

Where and What to Eat in Amritsar

Amritsar has some great places to eat such as Guru KaLangar, which is a community feast prepared in the kitchen of the Golden Temple and everybody is welcomed there; The Kada Prasad served here is enough to understand why there is such a crowd. You can also try Bharawan Da Dhaba which will satisfy your hunger with Makkaiki roti and Sarson da saag and Chicken Tikka Tandoor. Beera Chicken Corner will deliver spicy, delicious tikkas and gravy to your car or wherever you want. You can find street food in Amritsar including kulcha, lassis, jalebi and milkshakes.

Don’t forget to try the Amritsar Kulcha, which is the specialty dish famous all over India. They serve this kulcha with masala, channa, sliced onion and chutney made from tamarind and this is a perfect place for breakfast as well as for lunch, so do hurry up and grab these kulchas as they get finished by 2pm!

How to Get Around Amritsar

You can easily hire a car in Amritsar to travel within the city and visit the places you want to see. There are several rental companies in Amritsar where you can take a car and drive it yourself or hire a car driven by a chauffeur. However, if you don’t want to contact car rental companies, you can always travel as the locals do. You can take a rickshaw as crowded auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws are very common in Amritsar.

Rickshaw is a very cheap way of transportation and can help you move from one place to another and enjoy living like a native here. You can go from the train station to the Golden temple, which is a 2km distance for only INR 23.49. There is also a free bus service that goes from the train station to the Golden temple and is operated by the Golden Temple trust. You can go by bus to get from one place to another and experience the life of a local fully.

How to Get To and From Amritsar

Amritsar is situated in the state of Punjab in India and is a commercial city and a cultural hub so it is well connected with other parts of the country, and you can travel to various places by air, road and railway. You can come to Amritsar from New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Goa.

By air

Since the fastest way of travelling is by the air, you can reach Amritsar by a number of flights arriving there every day. Amritsar has its own airport, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport which serves domestic and international flights from London, Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai and other airports. You can travel to Amritsar from New Delhi for INR 1102, which is its lowest fare and even provides you with a meal. The flight lasts 1 hour 15 min. The flight from Mumbai to Amritsar is 2 hours 25 min long and the lowest fare is INR 2412.

By bus

You can also travel to and from this city by coach as well. There are routes to Delhi, Dehradun, Shimla, Jammu and other northern areas of India. These bus services include not only government-run buses, but also coaches operated by private companies. If you travel from Delhi to Amritsar, it will take you 7 hours and will cost you INR 602. However, some bus services have a 10-hour trip on the same route but at a lower price.

By train

You can also travel by train and the Amritsar Railway Station is the main station in this city which is connected to other major cities including Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Chandigarh. A train journey from Delhi to Amritsar can take a little more than 6 hours departing every day.

By car

You can also drive yourself or hire a car from a rental company to reach Amritsar from Delhi, Jammu and Chandigarh. Driving is the best option as it is the most convenient way of travelling because it is up to you to decide where to stop and take pictures and enjoy refreshments.

Is Amritsar a Safe Place to Visit?

Amritsar is a safe city with welcoming and humble people. However, like in any other city, you should take care of your belongings and stay cautious and alert all the time. The legal age for alcohol consumption in Amritsar is 25.