Gangtok has no airport — the nearest is Bagdogra in West Bengal, about 124 kilometres away, or Pakyong Airport, 35 kilometres south of the city, which opened in 2018 and operates a handful of domestic services. From Bagdogra, shared jeeps and taxis make the three- to four-hour journey up the mountain roads into Sikkim.
From Siliguri (the main junction city for the region), shared jeeps leave throughout the day for Gangtok and take around four hours. From Darjeeling, the journey takes three to four hours. The road crosses into Sikkim at Rangpo, where visitors require an Inner Line Permit — this is issued free at the border for most nationalities. There is no train to Gangtok.