How to reach Manali from Delhi: the four ways
In short: The usual way to reach Manali from Delhi is an overnight Volvo bus, about 14 hours. You can also drive about 550 km, or fly to Bhuntar airport, 50 km short of town. No train goes all the way.
Search for this and you’ll find lists that say “by air, by train, by road” as if the three were equal. They aren’t. Two of them stop well short of Manali, and the last stretch is where the time goes. That’s not you misreading a map. The lists skip the part that hurts.
If you want the hotel, transfers and sightseeing sorted in one place, VeeTrips lists a Delhi-departure Manali package with the inclusions spelled out. Check whether the road leg is in it. The rest of this page is for doing the journey yourself, or for knowing what a package is quietly covering.
The four ways, side by side
| Way | Where it really ends | Time and distance | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight Volvo bus | Manali itself | About 14 hours | Leaves around 5PM, arrives 9 to 10AM |
| Car or cab | Manali itself | About 550 km | Hill driving for at least 6 hours |
| Train, then road | Chandigarh, then 282 km | Two legs | No railhead near Manali |
| Flight | Bhuntar, 50 km short | A short flight, then a drive | Few flights, weather and a tricky runway |
Sources don’t quite agree on the distance: some put it at 550 km and others at 570 km. All agree it’s an overnight job.
The overnight Volvo bus
It’s the classic Delhi to Manali ride, and I’d take it if I were going alone and didn’t mind sleeping sitting up. Volvo buses leave at around 5PM and reach Manali at 9 to 10AM the next day, and they must be booked in advance. Allow about 14 hours for the whole road journey.
So you lose an evening and a night, and you land in the morning with no hotel room ready. Ask the hotel about early check-in before you go. Otherwise you’re on a café bench at 9AM with your bags.
Two kinds of bus run the route. Privately owned Volvos are said to charge about 60% less than the government-owned ones. I couldn’t find a current official timetable or fare, so I won’t quote a ticket price. Booking can be done at the Inter State Bus Terminus or at the Himachal Tourism office on Safdar Hashmi Marg near Mandi House in New Delhi. Some hotels will book the Volvo for you as part of a package.
Ask when you book where the bus really stops. A drop at the main bus stand is one thing. A drop on the highway a few kilometres out, with an auto to find, is another.
What it’s good for: solo travellers, friends on a budget, anyone who’d rather spend the night in a seat than behind a steering wheel. What it’s bad for: a bad back, small children, or anyone who can’t sleep on a moving bus. Be honest with yourself about that one.
Self-drive or hire a cab
The usual route goes on NH 1 to Ambala, NH 22 to Chandigarh, then NH 21 through Bilaspur, Sundernagar, Mandi and Kullu. From Chandigarh it’s 282 km by road to Manali. So the first half is fast highway and the second half is the mountains, and the mountains are the slow bit.
The driver has to handle hilly roads for at least 6 hours on that route. A taxi figure you’ll see quoted is somewhere around ₹3000 to ₹4000 a day for an Indica or Innova from Delhi. That’s an estimate I can’t date, so ask for a real quote and ask whether tolls, parking and the driver’s food and stay are in it.
Three things are worth doing:
- Ask whether the driver has done the Manali run before, and has hill experience.
- Ask whether the air conditioning stays on. Many operators switch it off for most of the hill stretch.
- Look for a one-way cab heading back to Delhi from Manali or Kullu. Those can be about 60% cheaper. That’s useful for the return, less so for the way up.
If you’re driving yourself, you decide when to start. Leave before dawn and you reach the hills in daylight, with time to stop for chai. Leave at noon and you drive the worst stretch in the dark. I’d also split the day with a proper stop. Tired drivers on a mountain road are the real risk, not the distance.
Train: there is no Manali station
This is the one that trips people up. There’s no close railhead. The nearest broad-gauge stations are Una at 250 km and Kalka at 275 km, and the nearest narrow-gauge one is Joginder Nagar at 147 km. Chandigarh, 310 km away, is also named as the nearest broad-gauge railhead, and so is Kiratpur Sahib, where you can easily get a bus on to Manali. Jogindernagar and Kalka are called less preferable.
Sources name different stations and different distances. Don’t fuss over that. The shape is the same: a train gets you to the foothills, and a bus or cab does the rest.
Most people who go this way pick Chandigarh, for the reason above: from there it’s 282 km by road to Manali. I couldn’t find a Delhi to Chandigarh train time on a page I could confirm, so check the railway’s own booking site. Then book the onward bus or cab before you travel, not after you arrive.
Is it worth it? Only in particular cases. You’ll pay for two tickets and change at Chandigarh. But if someone in your group can’t face a night bus, or you’ve got a rail pass or a good fare, the train-and-road plan can be the gentler of the two. It’s not faster. Don’t let anyone sell it as faster.
Flying: Bhuntar, not Manali
There’s no airport in Manali. The one you want is Kullu-Manali Airport at Bhuntar, which is about 52 km from Manali and 11 km from Kullu, roughly an hour away. So you fly, then take a cab for the last hour or so.
The catches are real. It’s described as “a challenging airport for pilots”: one runway, 1,125 m long, in a deep valley with peaks well above it. Alliance Air was the only airline there as of April 2024, with Delhi among its routes. That’s the source’s date, not today’s.
For a feel of how the schedule moves, The Tribune reported on 9 May 2026 that Delhi to Kullu flights ran on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:20 am, Tuesdays at 7:50 am and Sundays at 10:05 am, plus a Saturday service via Jaipur. It quoted about Rs 17,000 on the Tuesday and Sunday flights from Kullu to Delhi and Rs 24,400 on the other days, and said the five-day schedule ran until June. That’s already a few months old. Treat it as a picture of how thin and changeable the service is, and check the airline for your actual dates.
Flying makes sense if time matters more than money, or you have someone with you who can’t do a long road. It makes less sense if you’re counting rupees, or if your plans can’t survive a cancelled flight. Keep a bus as a backup in your head.
Which one fits who
A quick match
| If you are | I’d pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo, or friends on a budget | Overnight Volvo | One ticket, no driving, hotel in the morning |
| A family with a car | Drive, with a stop | You control the start and the breaks |
| Parents who can’t sit for 14 hours | Cab or flight, then cab | Fewer hours in a seat |
| Short on time, flexible on cost | Flight to Bhuntar | Skips most of the road, not all of it |
| Someone who hates buses | Train to Chandigarh, then cab | Two gentler legs, not a faster one |
None of these is the best in every case. Anyone who says one is has never travelled with your group.
Before you leave Delhi
A few things I’d settle first, whichever way you go.
- Book the first night’s hotel, and ask about early check-in if you’re arriving at 9 or 10AM.
- Check the road and weather the day before. Hill roads can close, and I won’t promise a clear one in any month.
- If a package says the price includes the road leg, find out whether that means a bus seat, a shared cab or a private car.
- Plan to lose a day each way. We’ve written about this in what a Manali package leaves out, and in weekend getaways from Delhi, which explains why Manali is a poor fit for a two-day break.
We’re a single-owner agency in Dwarka, so if your plans change, you can call the office and speak to the person who booked it.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Manali from Delhi?
About 550 km by road, though some sources say 570 km. Either way it’s a full day or an overnight trip.
How long does it take to get from Delhi to Manali?
About 14 hours by road. The Volvo buses leave around 5PM and arrive at 9 to 10AM the next day. Traffic and mountain roads can change that.
Is there a direct train from Delhi to Manali?
No. There’s no close railhead. The usual plan is a train to Chandigarh, which is 282 km from Manali by road, then a bus or cab.
Can I fly from Delhi to Manali?
Not to Manali itself. The nearest airport is Kullu-Manali Airport at Bhuntar, about 50 km away. Flights have been few and the schedule changes, so check with the airline for your dates.
What’s the cheapest way to reach Manali from Delhi?
Private Volvos are said to cost about 60% less than government Volvos, and one-way return cabs can make a taxi cheaper. I couldn’t confirm a current fare, so compare real quotes.
Which is the best way to reach Manali from Delhi with parents?
It depends on how long they can sit. A private cab with proper stops, or a flight to Bhuntar then a cab, means fewer hours in a seat than a night bus.
