Katra Yatra
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Shimla to Vaishno Devi: distance and how to reach

By road486 km

Driving time8 h 25 min

Straight line298 km

Main highwaysNH44, NH5, NH503A, NH503

By road it is 486 km from Shimla to Vaishno Devi – about 8 h 25 min of driving without long halts. The straight-line distance is 298 km.

Route on the map

Open the route in Google Maps

By road

Expect 486 km on the odometer and close to 8 h 25 min on the road. Leave early on Navratri, the New Year week and summer holidays: parking fills up fast and police divert traffic away from the temple lanes.

By train

The temple has no station of its own. The nearest railhead is Katra (SVDK), 1.7 km from the temple, with shared jeeps, buses and taxis for the last leg. Check current trains from Shimla on IRCTC.

By air

The nearest airport is Jammu Airport, 48.8 km from the temple. From Shimla it is usually quicker to fly there and continue by taxi or bus than to drive the whole way.

Questions and answers

What is the distance from Shimla to Vaishno Devi?
486 km by road and 298 km in a straight line.
How long does it take to travel from Shimla to Vaishno Devi?
About 8 h 25 min by car in normal traffic. Allow extra time on Navratri, the New Year week and summer holidays and during the annual mela.
Which railway station is closest to Vaishno Devi?
Katra (SVDK), 1.7 km from the temple.

Other routes

Road distances and driving times are calculated from OpenStreetMap road data; driving times include a margin for Indian road conditions and are estimates, not guarantees.