The nearest railway station is Kathgodam, 35 kilometres downhill, with connections to Delhi, Lucknow, Bareilly and other cities in northern India. From Kathgodam, shared taxis and buses make the winding climb up to Nainital in about an hour.
By road, Nainital is roughly 277 kilometres from Delhi (six to seven hours by car), 141 kilometres from Bareilly, and 62 kilometres from the hill town of Almora. State-run and private buses operate regularly from Delhi's Anand Vihar terminal. The road climbs steeply through pine forest for the last stretch, with sharp switchbacks above Bhowali.