[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by arindam30

In general, Day-light will be one of the most important factor

Mostly NH-19 >> Raebareli >> Lucknow >> ALE > YEW
The detailed route-map at delhi-to-kolkata-road-trip...

Beautiful write up and I see this is one of your very recent travel - Thank you for sharing.

Major question :: I hope bikes are allowed in all these express ways. I know Mumbai - Pune expressway doesnt allow 2 wheelers.

You seem to have taken both the popular routes and time seems similar. In that case which route is more scenic?

[arindam30]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Beautiful write up and I see this is one of your very recent travel - Thank you for sharing.

Major question :: I hope bikes are allowed in all these express ways. I know Mumbai - Pune expressway doesnt allow 2 wheelers.

You seem to have taken both the popular routes and time seems similar. In that case which route is more scenic?

Yes bikes are allowed, I saw few bikes and there are some you-tube videos on it too.

The RaeBareli route is better, but has a 100km one route without divider (bit not much traffic, good road).

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by arindam30

...The RaeBareli route is better, but has a 100km one route without divider (bit not much traffic, good road).

Cool.

Originally Posted by arindam30

...Kolkata to Delhi

Day1:
Started: Kolkata at 10:00 am
Reached: Durgapur town (Relative's place) at 2:00 pm
3.5 hour drive-time + overall 30-min break = Total 4 hour journey time.
14 hour drive-time + overall 2-hour break = Total 16 hour journey time.
~180 km Drive


Day2:
Started: Durgapur town (Relative's place) at 4:30 am
Reached: Varanasi hotel at 6:30 pm
13 hour drive-time + overall 3-hour break = Total 16:00 hour journey time.
~510 km Drive
(a) A big jam at a tool just before the UP-Bihar border. (b) Massive, and expected jam at UP-Binar border on the Karmanasa river. Again wrong-side/jam/slow-drive etc.

Thereafter we spent the next entire-day at Varanasi, enjoying the vibes of the place, the ghats, food, Vishwanath temple, and some much-needed rest.

Day3:
Started: Varanasi hotel at 6:00 pm
Reached: Kolkata, Barrackpore at 2:00 pm
3.5 hour drive-time + overall 30-min break = Total 4 hour journey time.
~180 km Drive
(We not worried about the relatively late start, as we knew that YEW and Delhi will be easy to drive even after dark, and Delhi roads are familiar)...

There seems to be few errors especially on Day 1 & 3 - can you check please? Mods should be able to help make changes if you require to make any.

[amitayu]

Dear All

Planning to drive down from Delhi to Kolkata around mid February.
Any advice on route planning etc is welcome.
Will really appreciate help on recent conditions and travel tips.

We are basically planning a 2 day trip: Delhi to Varanasi, Varanasi to Kolkata.
We are planning a backup plan of stop at Dhanbad in case we can't do a two day stretch.

[meetarin]

Hello Bhpians! Planning to drive from Kolkata to Delhi on 16th. Any heads up about the route? Also a friend was discouraging me since I will drive solo and said there are areas which may have naxalites. Any inputs?

[arindam30]

Originally Posted by meetarin

Hello Bhpians! Planning to drive from Kolkata to Delhi on 16th. Any heads up about the route? Also a friend was discouraging me since I will drive solo and said there are areas which may have naxalites. Any inputs?

It is very-much doable. I did solo Delhi to Kolkata recently and Kolkata to Delhi with Family.

Have not heard about any Naxal etc. issues. But in general take logical precautions that you will take anywhere. Avoid late-night drives. Avoid going off-highway to unknown roads.
For a solo drive

• Daylight will be your best friend, so start very early morning.
• Get very good sleep for at least 2-3 nights 'before' your start.
• Normally late evenings (after a day-long drive) will give most fatigue. So start very early.
• Book stays before-hand. It may sound nice to book on the go, but remember, for solo-driver, a hotel-search on the way will eat up precious time.

I have collected a lot of information and details in the non-profit article below. Even possible stay suggestions and toll-taxes.
delhi-to-kolkata-road-trip

Send ask me if you need more inputs.

[arpit90]

Any hotel suggestions for Varanasi and Allahabad?

[anantpoddar]

Originally Posted by arpit90

Any hotel suggestions for Varanasi and Allahabad?

If you are willing to enter Varanasi cantonment, then Hotel Surya Kaiser Palace is a very good option. Great ambience, great food, and somehow priced very low. Another option in cantt is India Benares. Good rooms and decent food. If you want to stay near the highway, then Hotel Grapevine is good. Great rooms, good food, but priced on the higher side.

[arpit90]

Originally Posted by anantpoddar

If you are willing to enter Varanasi cantonment, then Hotel Surya Kaiser Palace is a very good option. Great ambience, great food, and somehow priced very low. Another option in cantt is India Benares. Good rooms and decent food. If you want to stay near the highway, then Hotel Grapevine is good. Great rooms, good food, but priced on the higher side.

Thank you. Any suggestions for hotels near the highway? Cantonment area seems too far in the city.

[anantpoddar]

Originally Posted by arpit90

Thank you. Any suggestions for hotels near the highway? Cantonment area seems too far in the city.

In that case you can cross Varanasi and stop at Hotel Kaimur Vihar near Mohania. It's right on the highway. I haven't stayed there but few BHPians have given great reviews a few pages back on this thread. I guess it's managed by Bihar tourism.
Also, my recommendation would be to take the Raebareli stretch followed by Prayagraj Bypass as the road work has been completed and it's much better than the Kanpur stretch. Recently did both in Dec-Jan, will post a detailed account in sometime

[arindam30]

Originally Posted by arpit90

Any hotel suggestions for Varanasi and Allahabad?

I stayed at the following in Varanasi.

When going from Delhi to Kolkata
‘Sarweshwary hotel‘
Good parking area in front of Hotel (it is not a traffic road, so fine)
Easy entry/exit for NH-19.
1 km from Assi ghat.

When going from Kolkata to Delhi:
Stayed at “Hotel Temple on Ganges“
Good parking area in a big open parking area in front of hotel
200 meters from Assi Ghat.
Good if you want to enjoy the city + reasonably good entry/exit at odd hours.

Caution!!
There are other hotels near the river also with a common paid parking.
The website languages are very ambiguous on parking.
So check with the hotel, it's a main-road parking, own-parking, common paid parking (and how far), etc.

A detailed map of the good location in Varanasi (for car travelers on NH19) to hunt hotels is mentioned in this personal blog.
Delhi Kolkata Road Trip

Happy driving

[dgoyle]

Hello! An update of the stretch from Prayagraj to Delhi traversed on 29th January 2021.
From the location where the bypass road of Prayagraj joins the erstwhile GT Road (on the Kanpur side) to the start of the elevated corridor bypassing Kanpur is undergoing construction activities (Flyovers). The average speed is around 50KMPH. Balance of route till Delhi is good with an average speed capability of in excess of statutory limits.

[SS-Traveller]

Just for the record, my 44th and 45th one-way trips in either direction were the worst I have suffered through the last 20 years (i.e. this century!) in terms of time taken to travel the distance. Also for the record, the worst trip timing for me ever, was 60 hours from Delhi to Kolkata in end-November 1996, in a Maruti Van (I don't think they called them Omni in those days).

Trip #44: Departure from Delhi at 4:30 pm on 27 Jan 2021, arrival in Kolkata at 2 am on 29 Jan 2021 - a total of 33.5 hours.

Trip #45: Departure from Kolkata at 7:30 am on 7 Feb 2021, arrival in Delhi at 6 pm on 8 Feb 2021 - a total of 34.5 hours.

On the way to Kolkata, 2 major issues cropped up:
1. Fog between Kanpur and Benaras, with innumerable diversions between Kanpur and the beginning of the Allahabad Bypass; and
2. A 2+-hour traffic jam before crossing the Sasaram toll gate and the Sone River bridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFk98m1wS0&t

On the way back, it took us 9 hours to travel from Sherghati to Chandauli (4:30 pm - 1:30 am) due to the humongous traffic jam at Sherghati (45 minutes), Sone River bridge (over 4 hours), Sasaram toll (>2 hours) and Mohania toll. The Ganga river bridge (Dafi toll) was reportedly jammed too, so we wound our way through Benaras city and out the other side. From there on, it was smooth, except for rush hour traffic jam inside Kanpur, and a blocked flyover.

[evilminstrel]

I was planning to leave to Delhi from Ranchi and guess what do I see in the newspaper?
This is outrageous, I mean, what is wrong with NHAI? This road is one of the most important roads in northern India, not just commercially, but also historically. Look at its condition; Varanasi border, Karamnasa bridge, Sone River Bridge. Everything in shatters. It breaks my heart.
Anyway, thought of updating the members about this. Plan your trip accordingly. I am taking flight now.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by evilminstrel

This is outrageous, I mean, what is wrong with NHAI? This road is one of the most important roads in northern India, not just commercially, but also historically. Look at its condition; Varanasi border, Karamnasa bridge, Sone River Bridge. Everything in shatters. It breaks my heart.

So that explains the mess we came through. Some images from there:














Edit: To access Ranchi from NH19, there is this route via Robertsganj and Daltonganj.



I have been on this road in the early 1990s, when there was a fair weather causeway across the Sone River, and no bridge (IIRC it was under construction).

Can someone from that region please find out about the condition of this road at present?