MG Marg
The pedestrianised boulevard along the top of the ridge, where Gangtok spends its evening and where every itinerary puts its first unscheduled afternoon.
The ridge at walking pace
Gangtok is strung along a single ridge at about 1,650 m with the town terraced down both sides of it, and MG Marg runs along the top. It is closed to vehicles, which in a Himalayan town built on a gradient is a rarer thing than it sounds, and it is where the town walks in the evening. All four Sikkim itineraries leave the first afternoon unscheduled and point here — arriving after four and a half hours up from Bagdogra, a boulevard you can walk without watching for traffic is a better introduction to Sikkim than a sight would be.
Explore MG Marg on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What there is to do
Nothing is scheduled, which is the point.
🚶 The walk
- The length of the boulevard and back, with benches down the middle and no vehicles at any point
☕ Cafés
- Lined with cafés and restaurants, and the evening is spent in them as much as on the street
🛍️ Shops
- Sikkimese and Tibetan craft alongside the ordinary business of a state capital
🌆 The evening
- This is when the boulevard fills, and it is a local occasion rather than a tourist one
Getting there
It is the top of the ridge, and most hotels are on the slopes below it.
🚶 On foot
- A short way from most of the hotels the itineraries use — but Gangtok is built on a slope and short does not mean flat
🚗 By taxi
- Vehicles stop at either end. Nothing drives onto the Marg itself
✈️ On arrival
- Around four and a half hours up from Bagdogra along the Teesta, which is why the first afternoon is left free
When to go
The evening, and specifically the first one.
🌆 Evening
- The boulevard fills after dark and that is when it is worth walking
📅 Season
- Year round. It is exposed on the ridge, so it is cold in winter and wet through the monsoon
⏱️ How long
- An hour, or an evening. There is nothing to finish
Before you go
The gentlest thing in Sikkim, and useful for more than that.
🫁 On the first day
- A flat, unhurried walk at 1,650 m after a long climb from the plains is a sensible way to start, not a wasted afternoon
🚭 The rules
- It is kept clean and the rules about litter and smoking are actually enforced
🧥 Layers
- Exposed along the ridge top; it drops quickly once the sun is off it
📋 Permits
- Permits for Tsomgo and the north are arranged in town while you are here, and need the identity documents you brought
Frequently asked
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