Rishikesh Practical
Rishikesh to Delhi: The Road, By Car, Bus and Bike
Published 8 February 2026 · Anubhav Travel
Most people arriving in Rishikesh for the first time come through Delhi, and most of them ask the same question: what's the best way to actually make that last leg — road, rail, or in the saddle themselves. The honest answer depends on how much you value the journey itself versus just wanting to arrive.
The distance
Around 240 km, depending on which route you take. By car or bus on the highway, that's typically six to seven hours including a stop or two. The road runs via Meerut and Muzaffarnagar or via Haridwar, and is good tarmac essentially the whole way — this is plains highway, not mountain road, so the driving itself is easy. Traffic around Meerut and the approach into Haridwar is where most of the time gets lost, particularly leaving Delhi itself during morning or evening rush hour, which can add a genuinely significant amount of time if you don't plan around it.
By car or taxi
Self-drive or a hired car covers the distance in six to seven hours with normal stops, and it's the most flexible option if you're travelling with luggage or as a family group. Leaving Delhi before 6 AM avoids the worst of the city's own traffic before you even reach the highway, and most people who do this route by car report the final approach into Rishikesh — once the road starts to climb and the Ganga comes into view — as the genuinely enjoyable part of the drive.
By bus
Regular state and private buses run the route directly, typically taking seven to eight hours including stops, and it's the cheapest of the standard options. Buses run from several terminals in Delhi to Rishikesh directly, as well as to Haridwar with onward local transport. It's a reasonable choice for budget travellers, though the least comfortable for a long overland journey compared with train or car.
By train
Trains run from Delhi to Haridwar regularly, with Haridwar 25 km short of Rishikesh — a short onward taxi or bike ride finishes the journey. There are far more train services into Haridwar than into Rishikesh station directly, which is why most people arriving by rail actually land at Haridwar first rather than continuing all the way by train. We deliver bikes to Haridwar station if you'd rather start riding from there — see ourHaridwar rental page for delivery details and rates.
By air
The nearest airport is Jolly Grant, near Dehradun — about 20 km from Rishikesh, roughly 30 minutes. If you're flying rather than coming overland from Delhi, this is the faster option regardless of where you started, and it bypasses the Delhi–Rishikesh road entirely. See ourDehradun and Jolly Grant page for delivery details, including delivery straight to arrivals.
Riding it yourself
If you're bringing your own motorcycle from Delhi, or picking one up in Delhi and riding up, the road is straightforward — highway riding with no technical difficulty, though Delhi's outer traffic and the stretch through Meerut demand real attention, particularly navigating out of the city itself before the road opens up. Fuel and food stops are frequent and reliable the entire way; this isn't a route where you need to plan around scarcity the way you would above Rishikesh once you're heading into the mountains.
Once you're in Rishikesh and want to continue into the mountains, that's where the route changes character entirely — narrower roads, more elevation change, fewer reliable fuel stops — see our route guides for what the roads north of here actually involve, and how different that riding is from the Delhi–Rishikesh leg.
Which option actually suits you
| Priority | Best option |
| Cheapest | Bus |
| Most comfortable for a group or with luggage | Car/taxi |
| Fastest overall (if flying) | Jolly Grant airport |
| Best rail connectivity | Train to Haridwar, then onward transport |
| Want the riding experience of this leg specifically | Self-ride, but treat it as transit rather than the trip's highlight |
The honest recommendation
Unless you specifically want the riding experience of the Delhi–Rishikesh leg itself, most people are better off taking a train or bus to Haridwar or Rishikesh and renting a bike here — you skip the least interesting riding of the whole trip and start your motorcycle time where the roads actually get good. If you're planning a longer tour with us afterward, arriving by train or bus and starting fresh on a rented bike from Rishikesh is genuinely the more common and more enjoyable choice among our riders, rather than adding a long transit day before the trip even properly begins.