Weekend getaways from Gurgaonby car, without touching Delhi
Gurgaon sits on NH-48, which is why its best weekends point south-west: Neemrana is ninety minutes away, Alwar two and a half hours, Sariska three and a half, Jaipur four and Pushkar six and a half, and none of them involves Delhi traffic. The Kundli–Manesar–Palwal expressway opens Mathura, Agra and Bharatpur in the other direction, and for a long weekend the Uttarakhand hills are six to seven hours via the Eastern Peripheral. A sedan is ₹11/km on a 300 km per day minimum: ₹6,600 for a two-day weekend to anything within 300 km.
Updated · Fares from the published rate card, Sedan ₹11/km to Tempo ₹23/km
- Under 2 hours
- Neemrana, Sohna
- Rajasthan side
- Alwar 2.5 h · Jaipur 4 h
- Via KMP
- Mathura 2.5 h · Agra 3.5 h
- Sedan, 2 days
- from ₹6,600
Every distance below is from Cyber City, and every drive time assumes you get onto NH-48 or the Sohna road before eight in the morning. The single most useful fact about weekend trips from Gurgaon is directional: the Rajasthan side is close and the Uttarakhand side is far, and the difference is mostly the ring road you have to cross.
Fares are from the rate card that every page on this site uses: Sedan ₹11/km, Ertiga or SUV ₹15/km, Innova Crysta ₹18/km, 12-seater Tempo Traveller ₹23/km, on a 300 km per day minimum, tolls and parking extra. Pickups are dispatched from the Gurgaon zone, so a Sohna Road or Golf Course Road start does not lose an hour to Delhi.
Band one
Under two hours: the Sunday outings
Sohna and Sultanpur fit the 4 hour / 40 km local package at ₹2,200 or the 8 hour / 80 km full day; Neemrana at 100 km bills as a one-day outstation run (₹6,600 sedan round trip). Nothing here needs a night.
Neemrana
Fort lunch, zip line
The easiest fort in North India to reach from Gurgaon: straight down NH-48 past Manesar and Bhiwadi. Lunch on the ramparts and the zip line make a day; a room in the fort makes a weekend.
- Fort Palace
- Flying Fox
- Baori
Sohna & Damdama Lake
Lake, farm stays
Down the Sohna road in under an hour. Boating and camping at Damdama, hot sulphur springs at Sohna and a run of resorts that sell day passes. This is a Sunday, not a weekend.
- Damdama boating
- Sohna hot spring
- Aravalli resorts
Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary
Winter birds, dawn
A wetland on the Farrukhnagar road that fills with migratory birds from November to February. Go at opening time, be back for breakfast. Closed on Tuesdays.
- Painted storks
- Watchtowers
- Winter migrants
Band two
Two to four hours: Rajasthan and the Braj towns
NH-48 south-west for Rajasthan; the KMP expressway east for Mathura and Agra. Both avoid Delhi completely.
Alwar
Fort, lake, quiet
The fort above the town, the lake palace at Siliserh and a museum with real Mughal manuscripts, all without Jaipur’s crowds. Combine with Sariska for a full weekend.
- Bala Quila
- Siliserh Lake
- City Palace museum
Sariska
Tiger reserve
The closest tiger reserve to Gurgaon. Morning and afternoon safaris, with the core zones at their best from October to June; the temple ruins inside the park are the bonus most visitors miss.
- Jeep safari
- Neelkanth temples
- Pandupol
Mathura & Vrindavan
Temples
Via the KMP expressway to Palwal and then the Yamuna Expressway; no Delhi. Banke Bihari before noon, Prem Mandir at dusk.
- Banke Bihari
- Prem Mandir
- ISKCON
Agra
Taj at sunrise
The KMP-to-Yamuna Expressway route makes Agra a genuine three-and-a-half hours from Gurgaon. Stay the night for the sunrise Taj; the fort and Fatehpur Sikri fill day two.
- Taj Mahal
- Agra Fort
- Fatehpur Sikri
Bharatpur
Birdwatching
Via Alwar and the Rajasthan back roads or via Mathura. Dawn in Keoladeo between November and February is one of the great winter mornings in the north.
- Keoladeo
- Lohagarh Fort
- Deeg
Jaipur
Forts, bazaars
The Gurgaon weekend. NH-48 the whole way, four hours door to door, and the city is built for two nights: Amber on day one, Nahargarh for sunset, the old-city bazaars after dark, City Palace on day two.
- Amber Fort
- Nahargarh sunset
- Johari Bazaar
Band three
Four to seven hours: the long-weekend list
The Uttarakhand hills are reached via the Eastern Peripheral and the Meerut expressway; Punjab and Himachal via NH-44. Book three days.
Haridwar & Rishikesh
Ganga, rafting
Eastern Peripheral to the Meerut expressway, then NH-334. Haridwar for the aarti on night one, Rishikesh for rafting and cafés on day two.
- Har Ki Pauri aarti
- Rafting from Shivpuri
- Laxman Jhula
Chandigarh & Kasauli
Planned city, pine hills
NH-44 from the Delhi border. Chandigarh for the first night and the Rock Garden, Kasauli an hour further up for the second.
- Rock Garden
- Sukhna Lake
- Kasauli walks
Jim Corbett
Safari
Book the safari slot first; weekends sell out. Dhikala from mid-November to mid-June is the zone to aim for.
- Dhikala
- Bijrani
- Kosi riverside
Mussoorie
Hill station
The nearest full hill station. The Delhi–Dehradun expressway has trimmed the drive; the last thirty-five kilometres up from Dehradun are the slow part.
- Mall Road
- Kempty Falls
- Landour
Nainital
Lake, ropeway
Via Moradabad and Haldwani. Two nights, with the second day for the quieter lakes of Bhimtal, Sattal and Naukuchiatal.
- Naini Lake
- Snow View
- Bhimtal
Shimla
Ridge, Kufri, snow
Leave at five, reach for a late lunch. December to February for snow at Kufri; March to June for the escape from the heat.
- The Ridge
- Kufri
- Jakhoo
Amritsar
Golden Temple, Wagah
Six-lane GT Road from the Delhi border. Wagah at sunset on arrival day, the Golden Temple after dark, and the food the next morning.
- Golden Temple
- Wagah retreat
- Kulcha lanes
Weekend getaways from Gurgaon: distance, time and fare
Distances from Cyber City. The sedan two-day figure is what a Saturday–Sunday round trip bills at ₹11/km on a 300 km per day minimum.
| Destination | Distance | Drive time | Road | Sedan, 2 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary | 15 km | 30 min | Farrukhnagar road | ₹2,200 half day |
| Sohna & Damdama | 30 km | 45 min | Sohna road | ₹2,200 half day |
| Neemrana | 100 km | 1.5 hrs | NH-48 | ₹6,600 |
| Alwar | 150 km | 2.5 hrs | NH-48, NH-248A | ₹6,600 |
| Mathura–Vrindavan | 160 km | 2.5 hrs | KMP, Yamuna Expressway | ₹6,600 |
| Sariska | 190 km | 3.5 hrs | NH-48 via Alwar | ₹6,600 |
| Bharatpur | 190 km | 3.5 hrs | via Alwar or Mathura | ₹6,600 |
| Agra | 240 km | 3.5 hrs | KMP, Yamuna Expressway | ₹6,600 |
| Jaipur | 250 km | 4 hrs | NH-48 | ₹6,600 |
| Haridwar | 260 km | 5 hrs | Eastern Peripheral, NH-334 | ₹6,600 |
| Rishikesh | 280 km | 5.5 hrs | Eastern Peripheral, NH-334 | ₹6,600 |
| Chandigarh | 280 km | 5 hrs | NH-44 | ₹6,600 |
| Jim Corbett | 290 km | 6 hrs | Eastern Peripheral, NH-9 | ₹6,600 |
| Mussoorie | 320 km | 6.5 hrs | Delhi–Dehradun expressway | ₹7,040 |
| Kasauli | 330 km | 6 hrs | NH-44, NH-5 | ₹7,260 |
| Nainital | 330 km | 7 hrs | NH-9 via Moradabad | ₹7,260 |
| Shimla | 380 km | 7.5 hrs | NH-44, NH-5 | ₹8,360 |
| Pushkar | 400 km | 6.5 hrs | NH-48 via Jaipur, Ajmer | ₹8,800 |
| Amritsar | 480 km | 8 hrs | NH-44 | ₹10,560 |
Two-day fare = the greater of twice the one-way fare or 2 × 300 km × ₹11. Tolls (KMP, Yamuna Expressway and NH-48 plazas) at actual. A third day adds ₹3,300.
Direction
Which weekend getaways from Gurgaon avoid Delhi traffic entirely?
All of Rajasthan and the whole Braj belt. From Cyber City you are on NH-48 in fifteen minutes and past Manesar in thirty; Neemrana, Alwar, Sariska, Jaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar never see a Delhi signal. The Kundli–Manesar–Palwal expressway does the same trick eastwards: it joins the Yamuna Expressway at Palwal, so Mathura, Vrindavan, Agra and Bharatpur are reached without crossing the city either.
The Uttarakhand side is the exception. Haridwar, Rishikesh, Corbett, Mussoorie and Nainital all lie north-east, and the honest route is the Eastern Peripheral Expressway around the outside of Delhi to the Meerut expressway. It works, but it adds an hour compared with the same trip from Ghaziabad, which is why those destinations sit in the long-weekend band here.
Jaipur · 250 kmOne night
What is the best one-night weekend getaway from Gurgaon?
Neemrana if you want to do almost no driving: ninety minutes, a fort hotel, the zip line on Saturday afternoon and a slow Sunday morning. Alwar and Sariska if you want a safari: leave at seven, the afternoon safari on Saturday, the morning one on Sunday, home by evening. Agra if you want the Taj at sunrise, which is only possible with a night in Agra; the KMP route makes it three and a half hours.
Jaipur is done as a one-night trip constantly, and it works, but it is a two-night city. If you have only one night in Jaipur, do Amber in the morning, the old city in the afternoon and Nahargarh at sunset, and leave the City Palace for next time.
Cost
How much does a weekend cab from Gurgaon cost?
For anything in the first two bands, a two-day sedan is ₹6,600: the 300 km per day minimum at ₹11/km, with fuel and driver inside the number. An Ertiga is ₹9,000, an Innova Crysta ₹10,800 and a 12-seater Tempo Traveller ₹13,800 for the same two days. Only the destinations beyond 300 km each way, Mussoorie, Nainital, Shimla, Pushkar and Amritsar, bill more, and the table shows exactly how much.
Tolls are paid at actual and the driver carries FASTag. On the Jaipur road expect four plazas; on the KMP-to-Agra route the Yamuna Expressway toll is the large one. For a Sunday within about forty kilometres, the 4 hour / 40 km package at ₹2,200 (₹11 per km beyond 40, up to about 100 km) is the cheaper product; ask for it by name.
Season
When is the best time for each weekend getaway from Gurgaon?
Rajasthan is a winter destination: October to March for Jaipur, Alwar and Neemrana, and November to February for the birds at Sultanpur and Bharatpur. Sariska’s core zones are at their best from October to June and the park is at its most rewarding in April and May, when the tigers come to water. The Braj towns are the same October-to-March calendar, plus Holi in March and Janmashtami in late August.
The hills are the summer answer: Mussoorie, Nainital and Kasauli from March to June, Shimla for snow from late December. Rishikesh rafting runs mid-September to June. Corbett’s Dhikala zone opens in mid-November and closes in mid-June; the buffer zones stay open through the monsoon.
Sariska · Oct–JunGroups
Which vehicle should a Gurgaon group book for a weekend?
Four people fit a sedan and six an Ertiga or Innova Crysta, but for a hill weekend with luggage an Innova is the comfortable choice for five. Anything above seven is Tempo Traveller territory: the 12-seater at ₹23/km bills ₹13,800 for two days, which for ten people is less per head than two sedans, and everyone travels together.
Tempo Travellers are charged the same for one-way and round trip because the vehicle returns empty either way, so book it as a round trip and keep it for the whole weekend.
Fare box
A two-day weekend from Gurgaon
Any destination in the first two bands bills the same two-day minimum. Fuel and driver included; tolls and parking at actual.
- Outstation trips bill a 300 km/day minimum; tolls, parking and state permits are extra at actual.
- Driver allowance and fuel are included. No advance for most bookings; pay after the trip.
- Fixed fares, no festival or weekend surge.
| Vehicle | Seats | Rate | Two-day weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedan (Swift Dzire, Etios) | 4 | ₹11/km | ₹6,600 |
| Ertiga / SUV | 6 | ₹15/km | ₹9,000 |
| Innova Crysta | 6–7 | ₹18/km | ₹10,800 |
| Tempo Traveller (12-seater) | 12 | ₹23/km | ₹13,800 |
600 km billed over two days. Destinations beyond 300 km each way bill their actual round-trip distance; see the table above.
In pictures
Where NH-48 goes
100 kmNeemrana Fort Palace
Ninety minutes from Cyber City.
150 kmBala Quila, Alwar
The fort above the town.
250 kmHawa Mahal, Jaipur
Four hours, two nights.
400 kmPushkar Lake
Six and a half hours; the November fair.
240 kmThe Taj, via KMP
Three and a half hours, no Delhi.
Three things the drivers would tell you
Use the KMP for Agra and Mathura
From Gurgaon the Kundli–Manesar–Palwal expressway to the Yamuna Expressway saves an hour over going through Faridabad, and the drivers use it by default.
Leave before eight, whichever direction
NH-48 through Manesar is fine at seven and slow at nine. For the Uttarakhand side, be on the Eastern Peripheral before the trucks.
Tell us your sector
Golf Course Road, Sohna Road, New Gurgaon and Dwarka Expressway pickups all dispatch from the Gurgaon zone; naming the sector puts the driver at your gate on time.
Questions people ask
Frequently asked questions
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