Hostels in Jalandhar, India

Jalandhar is a city in the Punjab state of India; it’s in the central north of the state in the Doaba region near the Pakistani border. Jalandhar dates to the Indus Valley civilisation; there are extensive archaeological digs in and around the city that date this early civilisation to around 3000 BCE. It is, therefore, the oldest city in Punjab and one of the oldest in India. It was known as Jullundur in the British colonial era.

There is no airport in Jalandhar proper; the nearest one is at Amritsar or Pathankot, both about 100km away. There are buses and trains from Delhi, Amritsar, Kashmir, and more. The regional bus and train network is good, but not great. If you’re flying into Amritsar, it’s advisable to arrange transport to your hostel beforehand.

It’s worth noting that in a lot of Indian cities, hostels tend to be very sterile and youth oriented, rather than backpacker oriented. Jalandhar is a university town and as a result most of the hostels in town are directed at youth and university students. You won’t find any of the traditional backpacker hostels here; if you are looking for something like that near Jalandhar, Amritsar is the closest city with backpacker hostels.

Jalandhar does have an interesting history; it marks the eastern edge of Alexander the Great’s empire and lies along the Grand Trunk Road. It is also home to the Sikh religion and has plenty of temples and attractive gardens to explore. Some of the more famous include the Shiv Mandir, in the Gur Mandi complex, and the Imam Nasir Masjid and its mausoleum and the nearby Jama Masjid, both architecturally stunning mosques. Sikhs by nature are warm and hospitable people, you’ll find that although often people tend to transit through Punjab on their way north, it’s a beautiful, lush, and fertile region with incredible people.