Manali to Amritsar

There are quite a few public as well as private buses regularly plying between Manali and Amritsar. The first bus for Amritsar leaves Manali at 2:00 PM while the last bus leaves at 8:00 PM. The entire bus journey duration ranges between 9 hrs to 15 hrs. The HRTC buses can be availed from the Manali government bus stand while the private buses can be availed from Private bus parking near Mall road. 

Bus Type

The various bus types available on this route ranges from ordinary seater buses to AC Volvo/ Scania seater 2+2 and AC semi sleeper buses. 

Bus Fare

The bus fare is depended upon the bus operator and the bus type. The average bus fare of an ordinary government bus starts from INR 654 while Volvo AC seater bus fare can cost around INR 1563.  

Rest Stops

The buses offer regular food and bio breaks throughout the journey at the right places for the comfort of the passengers. 

Tips

Carry dry snacks and water to get you through the journey. Also, do remember to carry medicines if you get nauseous during bus journeys. 

The distance between Manali and Amritsar is approximately 397.2 kms via NH 3 and roughly takes around 12 - 13 hours to complete the entire journey. The short distance between these two cities often prompts people to embark on an exciting road trip through the narrow winding roads with majestic mountains views and fresh greenery greeting you through the way. 

Cab Options
For those who are not too keen on driving through the hilly terrain of Manali can easily hire an outstation taxi from Manali itself. There are quite a few car rental agencies present in Manali like North Holiday Travels, Moon Tour and Travels, Mane Taxi services, gozocabs.com, ahataxis.com and detransporters.com, to name a few. A majority of these car rental agencies can be found near Mall road and Naggar road.

Approximate Cost

The approximate cost of driving to Amritsar from Manali, including food and fuel, can easily cost around INR 10,000 while the price of a cab ride to Amritsar depends upon the kind of trip - one way or round trip, the type of car chosen and the car rental agency. Typically, the average cab fare is INR 7300 for a hatchback car like Indica or swift, INR 7300 for sedan cars and INR 12,000 for an SUV like Scorpio, Innova and similar vehicles.  

Route Options

There are quite a few route options available to drive down to Amritsar, Punjab. Here’s a look at some of the most popular ones.

Route 1: Manali - Kullu - Mandi - Bilaspur - Kiratpur Sahib - Garhshankar - Phagwara - Jalandhar - Amritsar.

Route 2: Manali - Kullu - Mandi - Hamirpur - Hoshiarpur - Jalandhar - Amritsar.

Route 3: Manali - Kullu - Mandi - Sarkaghat- Hamirpur- Hoshiarpur - Jalandhar - Amritsar.

Route 4: Manali - Kullu - Mandi - Ner Chowk - Jahu - Ladraun - Bhota - Salouni - Badsar - Una - Bhadsali - Hoshiarpur - Adampur - Kartarpur - Amritsar (via NH3) 

Road Conditions

The roads from Manali, albeit narrow, is quite good and smooth. Once the hilly terrain is over four-laned highways, enable fast and smooth ride to Amritsar. There are several toll nakas enroute to Amritsar. Besides that, there are also plenty of petrol pumps located every 10 - 15 kms as seen throughout India.  

Eating Options On the Way

The Manali - Amritsar route has plenty of roadside dhabas offering great quality food at low prices. Besides, there are also hotel and restaurant choices but are too far and few. 

Possible Stopovers

Since it is a short distance from Manali night stopovers are not required to reach Amritsar. However, one can access good food, and bio stops at any of the towns while passing through. 

Tips

The roads from Manali are narrow and winding, so be careful. If possible, hire a driver or rent a cab if you are inexperienced in driving on hilly roads.

Manali does not have a broad gauge railway network as such it has no rail connectivity to major cities or towns of the country directly. The nearest broad gauge railway station from Manali is Joginder Nagar railway station located 50 kms away. It has direct connectivity with Chandigarh and Ambala cant. But not Amritsar.