Darjeeling Himalayan Railway featured in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), the iconic heritage railway of the Northeast Frontier Railway, has earned another international recognition after Darjeeling was featured among the 50 destinations in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027 list.

Lonely Planet has identified Darjeeling as “Best for a Toy Train journey”, putting the historic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and its distinctive mountain railway experience in the global travel spotlight.

Popularly known as the “Toy Train”, the DHR has become closely associated with Darjeeling’s cultural and tourism identity. The railway, which began operations in 1881, is renowned for its pioneering engineering techniques used to build a railway through challenging mountainous terrain.

The DHR forms part of the Mountain Railways of India UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 1999. Its historic stations, steam locomotives and distinctive hill journey take visitors through the mountains, tea gardens and settlements of the Darjeeling region.

The latest recognition comes as the Northeast Frontier Railway continues efforts to promote the DHR as both a living railway heritage and a major tourism attraction.

Heritage train journeys, steam locomotive rides, cultural events and experiential tourism programmes have been organised to give visitors a closer experience of the railway's history while supporting the wider tourism ecosystem of the Darjeeling hills.

Events including the Ghum Winter Festival, Station Mahotsav and Summer Festival have also sought to increase visitor engagement with the railway's historic stations and the communities associated with the DHR.

The railway's tourism initiatives have also placed emphasis on community participation, environmental awareness and sustainable tourism. Heritage joy rides and outreach programmes conducted with local communities and environmental stakeholders aim to promote responsible tourism in the hills.

Digital initiatives, experiential programmes and educational visits are also being used to introduce younger generations to the history, engineering and cultural significance of the railway.

The inclusion of Darjeeling in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2027 list is expected to further raise the international profile of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and its iconic Toy Train experience.

For Northeast Frontier Railway, the recognition also provides an opportunity to showcase Darjeeling's railway heritage and promote the cultural, tourism and socio-economic potential of the Darjeeling hills to visitors from India and abroad.