Gangtok is built entirely on mountainous terrain, its steep staircases and switchbacking streets watched over by sky-scraping Kanchenjunga. Its central artery, MG Marg, is cosmopolitan, impeccably clean, and wonderfully devoid of touts or beeping traffic – a delight for the senses if you’ve just come from Kolkata. In the evenings it buzzes with people, fairy lights twined around every bush and lamppost, with plenty of places to stop and eat.

Culturally, ethnically, religiously – in almost every single way, Gangtok feels totally different from the rest of India. This shouldn’t be surprising, given that it wasn’t part of India at all until 1975 – and prior to that, had been an important stop on the trade route between India and Tibet.

Today, most of the population are ethnically Nepalese, and you’re more likely to see a Tibetan Buddhist monastery than a mosque or Hindu temple. In fact, the mountains around Gangtok are home to some of the most spectacularly situated Buddhist centers in the world – Rumtek and Enchey monasteries being among the city’s most popular sights.

In between monastery-hopping, stop in to see the Institute of Tibetology’s collection of rare manuscripts and photos, admire the orchids at a local nursery, or say hello to the red pandas at the Zoological Park – where, after seven years of trying, two cubs were born in 2025.