So while Bongs like this writer, travel to Darjeeling  from the plains driven as much by the cultural and nostalgic ties with the place as its magnetic natural attractions, for an Indian tourist, Darjeeling is a Sapnon Ki Rani hill station, romanticized in Hindi films from Aradhana to Main Hoon Na and Barfi, and  irresistible in its offering of a toy train ride, glorious sunrise and the panoramic view of Mt. Everest and Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill.

Nestled in the lap of rolling Himalayan ranges offering breathtaking mountain peak views beyond the layers of sloping tea gardens, Darjeeling is a hill station that combines the highest mountains with the aroma of  muscatel flavoured Darjeeling tea and the UNESCO declared world heritage that is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It is only here that you can watch leisurely the old miniature steam engines chugging up the hill  and then peaking in its wonderment at the famous Batasia loop situated almost 5 km away from the town. Batasia Loop  is a railway loop where the Toy Train makes a 360 degree turn to negotiate the steep ascend. It also here that you can watch a burst of flower beds in the backdrop of a panoramic view of the Kanchanjunga Range. Halt at the Batasia Loop on way to Darjeeling town, to enjoy the moment and also pay obeisance to martyrs at a war memorial that reminds all of the brave Gorkha soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the different wars India had to fight since 1947. 

Once you reach the town and have put up in one of the many hotels, preferably near the Mall Road- the famous tree-shaded mountain walkway that the British had constructed leading to the bustling town centre or Chowrasta-, plan the places you want to visit as part of the sight-seeing while keeping a visit to the Tiger Hill for a glorious sunset for one of the wee hours. 

The hub of activity in Darjeeling town is the Chowrasta and Mall. Chowrasta is a wide promenade atop a ridge lined with shops and restaurants where tourists and locals crowd, shop, hang around, enjoy the sun, or surrender to the nearby lip-smacking bakery delights of Glenary's, one of the oldest confectioners in Darjeeling.

Started in the pre- independence era in 1935, Glenary's is still a big gastronomic attraction of Darjeeling offering the best cakes and snacks. Atop the bakery cafe is a classy restaurant where you can feast on Continental sizzlers, Chinese dishes, tandoori specials and veg gratin. 

While Glenary's is highly recommended, for all time food- from breakfast to lunch and dinner- not to be missed is another more than 100-year-old eatery- Keventer's. Known for offering best English breakfast, it has an open terrace eating place and many food reviewers who binged on its sausages would say they can "literally survive on their grub all day long."  Meat loaf and eggs, sausages, salami, chicken cutlet, meat balls, lollipops, pork specialities, sandwiches and burgers, you name it, they have it. So climb the narrow wooden stairways to the upper floor and enjoy your food in the terrace.

Most of the eateries and stores on the Nehru Road of Darjeeling lead to the Chowrasta and Mall Road. Chowrasta is actually the central place of the Mall Road.

Attached to Chowrasta is the Brabourne Park which now features a musical fountain. Vehicles are not allowed here and so the charm of walking makes pedestrian the king. Horse rides are popular.

In Darjeeling, the usual sight seeing spots included the Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park-which is now a picnic spot with natural waterfalls; the Japanese Peace Pagoda run by the Japanese Buddhist order Nipponzan Myohoji, showcasing the four avatars of the Buddha and the Botanical Garden famous for its living fossils.

Darjeeling is also known for the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park where you can catch the glimpses of the endangered red panda, snow leopard and the siberian tiger.

A cable car ride is a must too in Darjeeling. The ropeway or the Darjeeling-Rangit Valley Passenger Cable Car  is India's oldest passenger ropeway and connects Darjeeling with Singla Bazaar at the bottom of the valley. The aerial view from the cable car is to die for and as you hang in the air, what lies beneath are the rolling carpets of green tea gardens. 

Tourists can also plan a visit to the Happy Valley tea garden for a walk and see the factory there. 

While Darjeeling is all that and much more, the early morning trip to Tiger Hill - it is the highest hill of the area- for the sunrise is high on any tourist's list of things to do.

Perched at the height of 8482 feet, Tiger Hill is famous for offering the best view of sunrise over the Kanchanjunga mountain peaks. Each morning before the dawn breaks, you can see cars at the spot queuing up bumper to bumper. It is advised to start for the spot early so that you can book your place in the heavily crowded watch towers and its balconies and terraces. When the sun rises, it turns the horizon into a palette of changing colours and emits a golden hue.

On way back from Tiger Hill, you can spend some time at the Batasia Loop, do some street shopping, grab a breakfast with steaming cup of tea and then visit the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute or HMI. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was set up following the successful ascent of the Mount Everest by Darjeeling's local hero Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edumund Hillary on 28 May 1953. While both of them are no more, the legacy of conquering the Everest also makes Darjeeling very special.

For buying handicrafts, you can head for the "Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre". The centre set up in 1959 offers some of the best handicrafts. The centre makes excellent carpets, woolen goods, woodwork, etc. There are many shops in the town centre too, offering some of the best collectibles.

Darjeeling is also a place of many monasteries and the notable ones are Druk Thupten Sangag Choling Monastery(Dali Monastery), Ghoom Monastery, Tashi Dargyalingh Monastery and the Mag-Dhog Yolmowa Buddhist Monastery (Aloobari Monastery).

While Darjeeling has almost everything that a hill station can offer, the place can be best enjoyed by a tourist who want to soak in the spirit of the land, its British legacy and its Western ambiance that blended with the local Gorkha culture and population.

And when you hit the road from the Siliguri town in the plains towards Darjeeling, make sure you take the route by the Teesta river. The other route by the toy train track is beautiful too, but nothing is more eye-popping than climbing up the meandering  road with the gurgling Teesta flowing by the ravine’s rocky ridge against forested mountains for company half the distance.
 
HOW TO REACH

By Air:

Bagdodara is the nearest airport. It is connected to Kolkata, New Delhi and Guwahati. From the airport hire a vehicle (buses also available) to reach Darjeeling in less than four hours.

By Train

New Jalpaiguri (NJP) is the main station near Siliguri. Direct trains to NJP run from Delhi as well as Kolkata. From here again take a bus or hire a vehicle and reach Darjeeling. Those who have enough time can think of taking the toy train too. 

By Road

While either from Bagdogra or New Jalpaiguri/Siliguri one has to travel by road (other than toy train), Darjeeling is actually about 651 km from Kolkata.