Travel, Tickets, Tour Guides
A Comprehensive Guide to Śrī Vṛndāvana Dhāma
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Travel
Air
The closest International airport is in Delhi (150km, 3½ hr).
Train
There is no long-distance railway station in Vrindavan. The closest major railway station is in Mathura, about 14km away or a half-hour taxi ride. There is a passenger train between Mathura and Vrindavan.
Bus
There are buses to Delhi that you can get at the Vrindavan bus stand or in front of the ISKCON Temple at 5, 7,and 9 am, and 12 noon, 2.30, and 4 pm. Buses to Vrindavan or Mathura from Delhi depart from either the Interstate Bus Terminal near Kashmiri Gate, in Old Delhi, or from the Ashram bus stop in the southeast part of Delhi. There are a few direct buses from Delhi to Vrindavan, but most of the buses go to Mathura (every half-hour).
If you take the Mathura bus, you get down at Chatikara Road and from there get a motor-rickshaw or a tempo. You should ask the conductor of the bus to inform you when you reach Chatikara Road, or ask a few passengers to help you get off at the correct place. After dark it may be difficult to get a rickshaw at Chatikara Road. After 8 pm, it is best to get off the bus in Mathura and get local transportation to Vrindavan.
There is a direct bus to Jaipur at 5.45 am from the Vrindavan bus stand. You can also get buses to Agra (1 hr). There is an overnight bus, with thin seats, that goes to Haridwar at around 8 pm. The bus stand is about a twenty minute bike-rickshaw ride from the ISKCON Temple (Rs 10).
There are many buses to Haridwar, Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi that depart from the two bus stands in Mathura.
Taxi
Taking a taxi is the most convenient way to reach Vrindavan from Delhi (3½ hr, 150km) if you have a few people in your group, are a family with children, or you just want to be decently comfortable. From the airport it is Rs 1500 (max Rs 1800) direct to Vrindavan. If you take a long-distance taxi you will be charged for both going and returning, as it will be difficult for the taxi driver to get a return fare.
A taxi to Agra or Aligarh costs Rs 700 from Vrindavan. A taxi to the train station in Tundla costs Rs 750. From the Tundla train station it will cost about Rs 800 to Vrindavan. A taxi to Jaipur costs Rs 1800, if you go and come back the same day. The taxi is Rs 800 for each additional day. Mathura to Vrindavan
The easiest transportation to take between Mathura and Vrindavan is a taxi (25 min, Rs 150 to Rs 200 from the Mathura railway station or a motor rickshaw (30 min, Rs 60 from Mathura).
From the railway station there are often very crowded shared motor rickshaws (tempos) that go to Vrindavan (Rs 5). To get a tempo you may have to take a bike-rickshaw to the main road and from there get a tempo. From the main road, tempos depart every few minutes. Tempos also depart from the New bus stand and from Krishna Janmasthan. Once you reach Vrindavan you have to take a bike-rickshaw. To the ISKCON temple a rickshaw should cost Rs 10.
Buses from Mathura to Vrindavan leave infrequently from the Old bus stand, so it is better to take one of the regular tempos or an auto-rickshaw. There is a small train that leaves Mathura Junction at 9 am and 8 pm that goes to Vrindavan. It returns from Vrindavan at 9.30 am and 8.30 pm.
Tours
Vraja Darshan Bus
There is a Braja Darshan bus tour (Rs 60, 8 am to 6 pm) departing from the Vrindavan bus stand. It goes to Nandagram, Varsana, Govardhan town, Manasi Ganga, and Radha Kund. There is no guide. It is a good, fast, cheap way to go to these places. You can also get this bus in front of the Krishna Balarama Temple.
Tickets
Aerotrek Travels is run by two brothers who work out of both Mathura (0565-404361) and Delhi (011 371-5966). The Delhi address is E-1 Mercantile Building, 2nd Floor, Connaught Place. This is across the street from Nirula’s on E Block. They can book plane tickets anywhere in the world at discount prices. They are highly recommended. One of the brothers, Sanjiv Misra lives in Mathura and goes to the ISKCON Guest House on Wednesday and Sunday evenings, and more often during the busy seasons. You can ask in the ISKCON Guest House how to get in contact with him. If you have problems getting a flight out of India because the flights are all booked, they may be able to help you get a reservation. You can ask in the ISKCON Guest House how to get in contact with them. I know many people that have dealt with them and they are highly trust-worthy.
Radha Travels (Office: 442-643, Resident: 442-474) Agrawal Market, Mandir Lane, Loi Bazaar, have been coming to the ISKCON Temple for years. During the busy times of the year someone from the travel agency normally comes to the temple every night. There is no problem with giving them your passport to arrange a tourist quota train booking. I have not heard of any case of them losing important documents. Also you can pay them in advance for train tickets without fear that you will lose your money.
If you arrange a train ticket with them it is a good idea to give them optional choices in case they cannot get the train and date you want. Sometimes they may tell you that they cannot get a particular train ticket for you. Often if you then give them your passport and ask them to access the tourist quota for that particular train, they are then able to get you the ticket. They also can arrange to reconfirm your plane reservation.