By air
Most guests land at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, Terminal 3 for many international flights, and drive about 170 km. That is the plan we describe on our Delhi distance page, and our airport taxi page covers the pickup.
A second choice has arrived. Noida International Airport at Jewar began commercial flights on 15 June 2026, with IndiGo and Akasa Air among the first carriers, and Wikipedia lists routes to cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Lucknow. Its main road link is the Yamuna Expressway, which runs towards Mathura. Wikipedia puts Mathura roughly 75 km from the airport, though that may be a straight-line figure, so ask your driver for the road distance.
Agra's airport at Kheria is a dual-use air force base about 6.5 km from the city. It has a small number of flights, and Wikipedia gives it as roughly 60 km from Mathura. Check the airline schedule before planning around it.
By train: reach Mathura, not Vrindavan
The little line between Mathura and Vrindavan was closed on 17 March 2023 for gauge conversion, and in 2025 a Railway Ministry letter approved its permanent closure, according to Wikipedia and PTI reports. So Vrindavan station no longer receives trains. Every rail traveller comes to Mathura Junction (MTJ), then drives the final 12 km.
Some useful services that stop at Mathura, with times from the erail timetable we checked on 23 October 2026: Shatabdi 12002 departs the capital at 06:00 and reaches Mathura at 07:19. Taj Express 12280 pulls out at 06:55 and arrives at 08:35. Jan Shatabdi 12060 leaves Hazrat Nizamuddin at 12:45 and arrives at 14:20, and Tejas Rajdhani 12954 leaves Nizamuddin at 17:15 and arrives at 18:43.
Vande Bharat trains on the Delhi to Agra corridor and the Gatimaan Express did not appear among Mathura's stops in our checks, and Wikivoyage says the Vande Bharat does not stop here. From Agra Cantt, many express trains cover the 53 km to Mathura in 35 minutes or so.
By road
The Yamuna Expressway, 165.5 km long, links Greater Noida and Agra with a 100 km/h limit for cars. Mathura also sits on NH-19, the old Delhi to Agra highway. A pre-booked car from central Delhi usually takes three hours or a little more, and fog in December and January can add plenty.
State buses from Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan ISBT run towards Mathura about every 25 minutes, according to Wikivoyage. Many local guides say you can also get down at Chhatikara on the highway and take an e-rickshaw into Vrindavan. It is cheap and slow, so it suits light bags and flexible people.
From the cities you are coming from
- Delhi: roughly 170 km via the airport road, a little more from the city side. Our Delhi page has the detail.
- Agra: about 70 km by road, close enough for a morning start.
- Jaipur: about 240 km to Mathura plus 12 km on to Vrindavan. Our Jaipur page covers the route.
- Lucknow, Mumbai and Kolkata: fly to Delhi, or take a train to Mathura if you enjoy rail travel. We have a plan for each city.
Where the final stretch goes
Outside the station, you choose between an auto, a taxi or a shared e-rickshaw. We explain them on the Mathura Junction page. If you arrive after dark or with elders, a pre-arranged car removes the haggling, and that is the sensible default.
We keep dharma on every road we drive, and we take responsibility for the plan we promised you. That means a named driver, a confirmed pickup point and a message on WhatsApp when the car is outside.
Choosing a plan that fits your people
A solo traveller with a light bag can happily take a morning train and a shared ride. A family with grandparents is better served by one long car ride that ends at the door of the room, with a stop for tea halfway. A group of ten or more should look at a Tempo Traveller, which keeps everyone in one vehicle and one schedule.
Arrival hour matters as much as mode. Temples keep long midday closures, so landing in the afternoon costs you little, while a dawn arrival lets you reach the first darshan. Tell us which you prefer and we work backwards to a pickup time.
- Train times and stoppages: confirm on IRCTC or NTES for your date.
- Whether Vande Bharat or Gatimaan services have added a Mathura stop since our check.
- Current flights at Noida International (Jewar) and Agra Kheria, and the road distance from Jewar to Vrindavan.
- Bus frequencies and the Chhatikara drop point.
Dates checked: 2026-10-23