Wagah Border- All You Need to Know.

Location

Wagah is a border village and Union Council located at the line between Pakistan and India. Wagah has located 600 meters ie. 2,000 ft, west of the border and lies on the celebrated Grand Trunk Road between Lahore and Amritsar in India.

Wagah Border is  3 kilometers from the adjoining village of Attari. This is the only road border between Pakistan and India that is regularly open to foreigners.

Distance Of Wagah Border

Distance From Amritsar

The border is situated 24 kilometers (15 mi) from Lahore in Pakistan and 32 kilometers (20 mi) from City Amritsar in Punjab.

Distance From Amritsar Railway Station

The distance between Wagah and Amritsar railway station is around 28 km. via the Grand Trunk Road. Numerous transportation modes like cabs, buses, and tuk-tuks are available for local transfers from railway station to Wagah Border.

Distance From Chandigarh

The straight line distance between Chandigarh and Wagah Border is 231 KM (kilometers) and 100 meters. This is a straight line distance and so most of the time the exact travel distance between Chandigarh and Wagah Border may highly or slightly vary due to the curvature of the path.

The distance and time specifics from Chandigarh and Wagah Border are:

Driving Distance: 263 KM and 890 meters (164 miles)

Direct Straight line Distance: 231 KM and 100 meters (143.6 miles)

Travel time: (5 hours and 13 minutes)

Direction and bearing: (North West side, 294 degrees.)

Distance From Delhi

The total distance between New Delhi and Wagah Border Amritsar is 480 km or 298.3 miles or 259.2 nautical miles and takes approximately 8 hours 3 mins by road.

Driving Distance: 481 km or 298.9 miles or 259.7 nautical miles

Driving Time: 9 hours, 37 minutes

About Wagah Border

About

The “Berlin wall of Asia”, ie. the Wagah Border is the ceremonial border on the India–Pakistan Border where each evening there is a retreat ceremony called ‘lowering of the flags’.Plenty of people come to watch the incredible border-closing ceremony every evening at the Attari–Wagah Border Checkpost.

Retreat Ceremony at Wagah Border

The Beating Retreat ceremony has been a daily military practice since 1959! The ceremony takes place every day before sunset at the Wagah Border. It came into being when the Radcliffe line was drawn, distinguishing India and Pakistan, thus dividing the village of Wagah into eastern and western parts.

The purpose of “Wagah Border Retreat Ceremony” is to formally close the border for the night and take-off the National Flag of both the countries. This Flag Lowering Ceremony is done daily before sunset. However, this is an entertainment ceremony but carried out as patriotic performance every day.

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Timing of Retreat Ceremony

The size of the stadium is limited so not everyone can get in. The policy of “first come first serve basis” is used while allocating the seats. One needs to reach here at 2.30 PM in winter and at 3 PM in the summer. The main border gate is open from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

The Ceremony starts at 5:15 PM in summers and 4:15 PM in winter. 

Wagah Flag

The tricolor is 120 feet in length, 80 feet in breadth and is hoisted on a 360-foot-tall pole. The flag-lowering ceremony attracts tons of visitors from both sides of the border.

A cultural program is also presented before the ceremony. The lowering of flags is so meticulously carried out that the flags make asymmetrical “X” at the point of crossing.

Places Nearby Wagah Border

Wagah railway station

The Wagah railway station a railway station in Pakistan on the Lahore–Wagah Branch Line which serves as the border station before crossing into India. It is the suburban station of Lahore and is also used for the immigration of passengers traveling between India and Pakistan via the Samjhauta Express.

Lahore–Wagah Branch Line

Operated and maintained by Pakistan Railways, the Lahore–Wagah Branch Line is one of many branch lines in Pakistan. The railway line is 25 km long. The Lahore–Wagah Branch Line is used by the Samjhauta Express train.

How To Reach

HOP ON HOP OFF BUS

Hop On Hop Off bus is a Double Decker bus, in which the upper deck contains 30 seats and lower deck contains 32 seats. It is one of the best transports for sightseeing in Amritsar as it allows you to visit the best tourist places in Amritsar without worrying about time.

The buses are well maintained and drivers are skilled thus ensuring road safety for passengers. The Wagah Border tour is included in the Amritsar heritage tour package.

BY TAXI

Taxi and cab services are easily available in every corner of the city. The small taxi fare from Golden Temple to Wagah Border is around 1000 rs.

Shared autos/vehicles which are also readily available from Just outside of Jallainwala Bagh and will cost around 100 to 150 rs per head.

Personal Conveyance

The most comfortable and convenient method to reach Wagah Border is by personal conveyance. The driving distance from the Amritsar railway station to the Wagah Border is roughly 28 km.

BY Train

One can also travel from Amritsar by local train to Attari railway station which is about 4 to 5 Km from the Wagah border.

Places To Halt

SADA PIND

Sadda Pind is a Punjabi Culture Living Village Museum sprawling across 12 acres of land. It is located in the holy city of Amritsar, just 8 KM from Golden Temple and 7 KM from the Airport.

The place is marked by Punjab’s vibrancy and tradition. It portrays the lifestyle in a pre-Independence Punjabi village and brings you a chance to experience authentic culture, and flavors of Punjab in one place.

The village is filled with potters, weavers, blacksmiths and other artisans who make and present their parandis, juttis, phulkaris, durries, clay toys, musical instruments, agricultural implements, and shawls.

PUL KANJARI

Pul Kanjari lies on the way to Wagah Border. It is nearly 35 km from Amritsar on Amritsar-Lahore highway, near the Daoka and Dhanoa Kalan village.

Pul Kanjari is an ancient building in a village from the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh which has a historical memoir, beautiful vestiges, and a fascinating tale. It is one of the very few places that have been left in its historic form and is well preserved.

SARHAD Restaurant

Sarhad Restaraunt is a complex, hardly a kilometer-and-a-half from the international border in Punjab between neighbors India and Pakistan. The restaurant highlights the cuisine and culture of the two countries.

The architecture of the building shows the traditional design patterns of Amritsar and Lahore. Sarhad strives to bring out the best of both the countries and their commonalities.

Best time to visit and hours open

The best time to visit Amritsar depends largely on the weather conditions in Amritsar. Like the rest of north-western India, the city faces a semi-arid climate throughout the year. Best time to visit Amritsar is during winters, which lasts from November to March. Winters bring out the lively and vibrant side of the city. Exploring the culture of the place around this time is something one must experience.

Wagah Border Timings

Monday to Sunday-2:00 am – 6:00 pm

In Summers, the Parade begins at 5:15 PM while in Winters it starts at 4:15 PM. The ceremony is 45 minutes long.