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With a population of over half a million, Siliguri is the third largest city in West Bengal. As one of the most important transportation hubs in the north east, Siliguri has recently become something of a boom town. Sprawling
and boisterous, modern condominiums dominate the landscape on entering the town, followed by endless streets of market stalls that surround a core of up-scale shops and shopping malls. Due
to its position as a shopping and business hub and its high concentration of colleges and institutes of learning, the city enjoys a sophistication and range of shopping found in metro cities. It is the only city in West Bengal,
other than Kolkata, to have a commercial airport. Siliguri is gateway to Darjeeling.
The closest major international airport is at Kolkata, approx 570km south of Siliguri. The Bagdogra Airport is just 14km from the heart of Siliguri.
Moving in and around Siliguri is cheap. Cycle-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, buses, taxis are easily available in almost every part of the city. Cycle-rickshaws can be hired to move around
within the radius of 1-2 km. The fares are pretty nominal. To go about 5-10 km, one can hire/share auto-rickshaws. You just need to flag down one and when you leave you pay a fixed amount. Cars can be hired from several
agencies.
Interesting Places :
Salugara Monastery
Kalchakra Monastery,
Iskcon Temple
Coronation Bridge
Sevoke Kali Mandir
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Tea Gardens
Science City
Malls & Markets :
Cosmos Mall
City Mall
Orbit Mall (an INOX movie theatre)
City Center. A huge mall offering
major brands and international chain eateries.
Bidhan Market .
Hong Kong Market, Hill Cart Road. Specializes
in imported goods - mostly from China, but also
from other Asian countries such as Nepal,
Thailand, etc. However, beware of duplicate
items. Even items made in Delhi stamped with
"Made in China" are being sold here. Keep in
mind that the actual price of the item will be
1/2 or 1/3rd of the price the shopkeeper asks.
Nivedita Market
Seth Srilal Market.
