Visiting Wagah-Attari Border: all that you need to know

No trip to Amritsar is complete without visiting the Wagah-Attari Border, which is the geographical boundary separating India and Pakistan. Every single day, a special retreat ceremony is held at the border, which is no less than a spellbinding event. Hundreds of civilians and tourists from Amritsar visit Wagah Border to witness it every day.
Watching the disciplined, poised army men in their uniform and exalted headgear perform here to signal the closure of the border for the day is an experience that almost every visitor in Amritsar longs for.

So, if you are planning to make a trip to Amritsar for the sake of visiting the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, the dhabas, markets and so on, reserve enough space in your itinerary to behold the retreat ceremony at the Wagah-Attari Border as well.
To help you make the most of the experience, we dug out some handy information about the trip.

How to reach Wagah-Attari Border?

To reach Wagah-Attari Border, you would need to reach Amritsar first. There are three ways to doing so–by air, by train and by road. Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport is the nearest airport from Amritsar (11 km). Taxis are easily available from the airport to reach the main city. Alternatively, tourists also take a train ride from different parts of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur etc. to the railway junction in Amritsar. The city is also well-connected by road to closer cities like Chandigarh, Delhi, Shimla and Jaipur.

On reaching Wagah-Attari Border


Now, tourists have the option to take a shared cab from the Golden Temple gate to reach Wagah-Attari Border (35 km approx). The cab services run regularly and charge between INR 100 to 120 for a one-way ride. It takes a little more than an hour to reach the border. Visitors also go for Ola rental services depending upon their convenience.

Wagah-Attari Border Retreat Ceremony Timings

If you want to have the perfect views of the retreat ceremony, it is important to get the best seat at the venue. And, for that, you need to be an early bird. Therefore, the ideal time to reach Wagah-Attari Border is a little before 3 PM, so that you have enough time in hand to go through the security checks and depositing baggage before choosing an ideal seat at the amphitheatre. The retreat ceremony starts at 5:15 PM in summer and 4:15 PM in the winter season. The total time duration of the ceremony is 45 minutes. The entrance to the venue is open from 10 AM to 4 PM.