I am planning to drive from Delhi to Jammu and I would like to know what the distance from Delhi to Jammu, so I can be prepared for the trip. I can easily cover a 10 hour drive, but if it would take more than that when traveling to Jammu I would have to make some plans before I start the journey so I would know where to stop for the night.
Hi there, welcome to the forum! (Images from Wikipedia, Tesh and CEM) Overview Jammu is about 600 kilometres away from Delhi, or about 10 to 12 hours of driving away. There are different routes that one can choose from to reach Jammu from Delhi. The first route passes through Ludhiana, the second route passes through Chandigarh and the last route passes through Banur. All these three routes would pass through Pathankot though and only the first part of the journey differs. You can choose any of the three routes, depending on your goal for the road trip but we would discuss them all below. Distance From Delhi to Jammu (Plus Routes to Take) As mentioned above, average distance between Delhi and Jammu is about 600 kilometres. We would discuss the best routes that you can take below, including their advantages and disadvantages. 1. Route via Ludhiana - Delhi > Panipat > Ambala > Ludhiana > Jalandhar > Mukerian > Pathankot > Ghagwal > Jammu (595 kilometres) This is the first and most conventional route that travellers reaching Jammu take. From Delhi to Ambala, road conditions are good though can be plagued by traffic especially during rush hours. You need to leave early from Delhi to avoid this traffic that can delay your trip. Even approaching Ludhiana can be very hectic due to presence of traffic en route. On the other hand, from Ambala to Ludhiana, and up to Jalandhar, there are also traffics due to constructions and trucks taking this route along the way. From Jalandhar to Pathankot, roads become smoother and better to drive in. Roads are tolled so they are quite well-maintained and not as affected by rains of bad weather conditions as much. From Pathankot to Jammu, it will take you around 2 to 3 hours to cover the distance. Another advantage of this route, aside from being the usual and shortest one, is that there is a number of tourist facilities along the way. There would be no shortage of eateries, petrol pumps and bathrooms along the way. Roads are wide too, mostly four or six lane ones, so you can enjoy driving on a highway-like advantage. The downside is that there are traffics in most stretches of this route, due to being utilised not only by travellers but also by trucks. 2. Route via Chandigarh - Delhi > Panipat > Ambala > Chandigarh > Rupnagar > Garhshankar > Hoshiarpur > Dasuya > Mukerian > Pathankot > Ghagwal > Jammu (605 kilometres) This is an alternative route that you can take to reach Jammu. It passes through Chandigarh so the route is very scenic. From Delhi to Ambala, road conditions are same as above but instead of reaching Ludhiana, take the road leading into Chandigarh. Until Dasuya, you'd be surrounded by lots of greenery all along your drive. Roads are narrower though, as this is not a state highway, most are two lanes only. However roads are not plagued by traffic as much. From Dasuya to Jammu, roads are quite smooth and easy to drive in. You can refer to the description above for the road conditions from Pathankot to Jammu. If you want to include Chandigarh into your itinerary, then this is a good route to take. If you also want to bypass the traffic in the conventional route above, then you can opt for this route. Further, if you want a scenic drive, you'd enjoy this route via Chandigarh, passing by many grain fields and such. However, the roads are narrower as compared to the previous route. Plus, the drive might be slower as the road passes through smaller villages and oncoming traffic. 3. Route via Banur - Delhi > Panipat > Ambala > Banur > Kurali > Balachaur > Garhshankar > Hoshiarpur > Dasuya > Mukerian > Pathankot > Ghagwal > Jammu (608 kilometres) This is the last route that you can take to reach Jammu from Delhi. This route is almost the same as the second route, the only difference is that it bypasses Chandigarh too so you can avoid the traffic in that route. From Delhi to Ambala, the roads are the same as above, but plagued by traffic. Before reaching the toll booth on National Highway 1, take the Banur Bypass instead of reaching Chandigarh. With this bypass road, you avoid the traffic that sometimes occurs at the centre of Chandigarh and exit in Kurali until Balachaur directly. Thereafter, you have the same road conditions as above. This is a good alternative for people who want to avoid traffics completely. If you leave Delhi early, take this bypass, then your road journey would be smoother and quicker. However, keep in mind that tourist infrastructures are less for this route so you need to bring your own snacks and water for convenience. Even car maintenance shops and petrol pumps are limited on this route. Conclusion Generally, all these routes can be done within a day as long as you leave Delhi early, at least 4:00 AM or earlier. You can reach Jammu by late afternoon or early evening even considering all the diversions and delays you might encounter along the way. There would be no need for a night stopover if you leave Delhi early in the morning. But in case you leave the capital later in the morning or afternoon and are not able to reach Jammu during the day, then you can opt for a stopover in Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur or even Pathankot, where there are some hotels that you can stay in. I hope this helps!
