Delhi to Vaishno devi by bus

My family and I are going to Vaishno Devi from Delhi, and we will be going by bus. We have never been to such a far distance by bus and plus it is a hilly area so we would like to know more about the Delhi to Vaishno by a bus journey.

How comfortable is the journey from Delhi to Vaishno Devi by bus?

What is the shortest time we can reach Vaishno Devi in by bus?

 

Hi there, welcome to the forum!

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Overview

The distance between Delhi and Katra is about 634 kilometres. Driving this distance can take you around 11 hours, more or less. With public transportation, like a bus, the journey duration can be longer, sometimes reaching at the most 14 hours of travel time. There are direct buses from Delhi to Katra, although for a while, pilgrims used to reach Jammu first and from there, ride another bus to Katra. Fortunately, more buses ply through this route now so you have more options as well. You can choose between state-owned buses or privately-owned buses. Further, there are Volvo sleeper buses, ordinary buses and AC seater buses as well.

Delhi to Vaishno Devi Katra by Bus

Generally, bus journey is comfortable, especially with the air-conditioned and sleeper buses. Seats are cushioned and can be reclined too if you want to sleep. If you're travelling during winter season, ordinary buses would work fine although they won't be as comfortable. If you choose an off-peak time of travelling, you can reach Katra within 12 hours. If you choose a peak time of travelling, you can reach Katra within 14 hours. Below are your bus options when travelling between Delhi and Katra.

1. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Buses - The Delhi Transport Corporation or DTC operates a few buses plying between Delhi and Katra. They operates both ordinary buses and Volvo buses. All buses depart from the ISBT Kashmiri Gate in Delhi and arrive in the Katra Bus Stand. Their timings and other important information would be given below.

Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Buses from Delhi to Katra

Bus Type	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Fare
Ordinary	7:00	8:00	Rs. 219
AC Volvo	22:00	11:00	Rs. 800
AC Volvo	22:50	11:30	Rs. 800
Ordinary	23:30	11:00	Rs. 219

These are all the buses operated by the DTC running between Delhi and Katra. A total of four buses ply this route at different times of the day. Journey duration is around 13 hours, more or less. Fare is at Rs. 219 per passenger for the ordinary bus and at Rs. 800 per passenger for the AC Volvo bus. You can book any of these buses from the ISBT Kashmiri Gate itself or contact the DTC Office in Delhi. Keep in mind that these timings are not fixed at all and can be changed by the management. There were also some news that these buses were taken off by the DTC. It's best to inquire about these buses from the contact numbers in the link.

2. Haryana Roadways Buses - Next option that you have is the Haryana Roadways buses from Delhi to Katra. Only ordinary buses are available for this route which are a bit cheaper as compared to the Volvo buses above. However, there are many timings for these buses which begin from the Gurgaon Bus Stand, pickup passengers from the ISBT Kashmiri Gate and drop them off at the Katra Bus Stand as well.

Haryana Roadways Buses from Delhi to Katra

Bus Type	Departure Time	Fare
Ordinary	00:30	Rs. 637
Ordinary	14:45	Rs. 637
Ordinary	15:45	Rs. 637
Ordinary	18:40	Rs. 637
Ordinary	19:15	Rs. 637
Ordinary	19:50	Rs. 637
Ordinary	20:15	Rs. 637
Ordinary	21:00	Rs. 637

A total of eight buses are operated by Haryana Roadways that run between Delhi and Katra. These buses pass through some cities like Ambala, Jalandhar, Jammu and Pathankot. The first bus departs at 00:30 in the morning and the last bus departs at 21:00 in the evening. Fare is very minimal at just Rs. 637 per passenger. You can book any of these buses from the official website of Haryana Roadways. There's a reservation charge of Rs. 5 though if you reserve the bus online.

3. Ashok Travels Buses - This is a private bus company operating a few buses between Delhi and Katra. They have both air-conditioned and non air-conditioned buses for this route. They have different boarding points in Delhi but they all drop off passengers at the Katra Bus Stand.

Ashok Travels Buses from Delhi to Katra

Bus Type	Departure Point - Time	Arrival Point - Time	Fare
Non AC Seater	Red Fort - 19:15	Katra Bus Stand - 8:15	Rs. 600
AC Sleeper	Near Tiz Hazari Metro Station - 20:30	Katra Bus Stand - 10:30	Rs. 1,520
AC Seater/Sleeper	Red Fort - 22:00	Katra Bus Stand - 11:00	Rs. 900

These are all the buses operated by Ashok Travels that run between Delhi and Katra. If you are on a budget, you can opt for their non AC seater bus which costs Rs. 600 per passenger and departs from the Red Fort in Delhi at 19:15. The other two buses are more luxurious but come with hefty price tags, one at Rs. 900 and another one at Rs. 1,520. They also depart late in the evening and arrive early in the morning in Katra. You can book any of these buses from a booking website like RedBus.

4. Ashiana Travels Buses - This is another private company that operates several air-conditioned and non air-conditioned buses plying from Delhi to Katra. Their buses pick up passengers from the Red Fort in Delhi and drop off passengers at the Katra Bus Stand itself. One feature of these buses that the previous buses didn't have is that they have charging points so you can easily charge your devices throughout the journey.

Ashiana Travels Buses from Delhi to Katra

Bus Type	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Fare
Non AC Seater/Sleeper	17:50	7:00	Rs. 450
AC Seater/Sleeper	20:00	9:00	Rs. 650
AC Seater/Sleeper	21:30	10:00	Rs. 650
Non AC Seater/Sleeper	21:30	10:40	Rs. 450
AC Seater/Sleeper	21:45	10:45	Rs. 650

These are all the buses operated by Ashiana Travels that run between Delhi and Katra. There are two non air-conditioned seater/sleeper buses and three air-conditioned seater/sleeper buses. The earliest bus departing is at 17:50 in the afternoon and the latest bus departing is at 21:45 in the evening. Fares are at Rs. 450 for the non AC buses and at Rs. 650 for the AC buses. You can book any of these buses from any booking website they are partnered with like Travelyaari.

5. Hari Travels 37 Buses - This private company has AC and non AC buses plying between Delhi and Katra. They have one of the cheapest fares for this route so you can choose this company if you're low on budget. Comfort level is just the same as the buses are seater/sleeper ones. Journey duration is very acceptable at around 12 hours and 30 minutes. They pick up passengers from the Red Fort in Delhi and drop them off at the Katra Bus Stand itself.

Hari Travels 37 Buses from Delhi to Katra

Bus Type	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Fare
Non AC Seater/Sleeper	18:30	7:00	Rs. 430
AC Seater/Sleeper	21:00	9:30	Rs. 550

As you can see from the table above, for a non AC bus, their fare rate is at Rs. 430 only and for an AC bus, their fare rate is at Rs. 550 only. You can choose between two bus timings: the first bus leaves at 18:30 and the second bus leaves at 21:00. Since this company is affiliated with Travelyaari, you can book them via that website.

6. Travel Point Buses - Last on the list is Travel Point, a private bus company that operates six buses from Delhi to Katra. All of their buses depart from the Red Fort in Delhi and arrive in the Katra Bus Stand. Journey duration is around 13 hours to 14 hours.

Travel Point Buses from Delhi to Katra

Bus Type	Departure Time	Arrival Time	Fare
Non AC Seater/Sleeper	18:30	8:45	Rs. 399
AC Seater/Sleeper	19:00	8:00	Rs. 904
AC Sleeper	20:00	8:30	Rs. 949
AC Sleeper	21:30	10:00	Rs. 948
AC Sleeper	21:55	10:55	Rs. 949
Non AC Seater/Sleeper	22:00	12:15	Rs. 399

For this company, their earliest bus departing from Delhi is at 18:30 while the latest bus is at 22:00. Both of these buses have affordable rates at Rs. 399 per passenger as they are non AC ones. The buses in between have bus fares between Rs. 904 to Rs. 949 per passenger. You can also book any of these buses from the redbus website.

Conclusion

You have plenty of options for buses between Delhi and Katra. Average journey duration is around 13 hours but can reach 14 hours depending on the traffic and delays. Usually, buses stop a few times for bathroom breaks and one time for a dinner break. Seats are all cushioned and depending on which type of bus you choose, can be fully reclined. Some buses have charging points too in case you need to charge your gadgets. For the most comfortable journey, choose an air-conditioned Volvo seater/sleeper bus. I hope this helps you!