Practical
Tickets, entry fees & timings
What it costs to get in, when the gates open, and how to actually book — for the places people ask about most. Most of Bihar's sights are free or under ₹50; the exceptions are the ASI monuments and Rajgir's safaris.
Prices are what visitors have been paying recently and change without notice. Treat them as a planning guide; confirm at the counter or the official link. Spotted a change? Tell us on the boards.
- Hours
- 9:00 – 17:00 (last entry ~16:00)Closed: Mondays
- Entry fee
- Nature Safari entry ~₹100; glass skywalk ~₹125 per person; zipline, suspension bridge, archery and cycling priced separately (₹50–150 each). Zoo Safari is a separate ticket: ~₹250 adult / ₹125 child (Indian), ~₹1,000 foreign nationals.
- How to book
- Book online — the glass bridge has a daily cap (~1,000 visitors) and weekends sell out by mid-morning. Counter tickets exist but are first-come. Carry the booking SMS/PDF and a photo ID.Rajgir Zoo Safari booking ↗
- Good to know
- Zoo Safari and Nature Safari are two gates 2 km apart; a shared e-rickshaw runs between them.
- Glass bridge slot is 10–15 minutes; go early for soft light and fewer people.
- Hours
- 8:00 – 17:00 (lunch break ~13:00–14:00 on some days)
- Entry fee
- Ropeway return ~₹100–120 per person (new 8-seater cabin); old chairlift ~₹80. Hot springs (Brahmakund) free. Son Bhandar, Venuvana free.
- How to book
- Counter at the ropeway base. Queue by 8:30 on weekends and holidays or expect 1–2 hours.
- Good to know
- Tanga (horse cart) around Rajgir's sights ~₹300–500 for a half-day; agree the stops first.
- Hours
- Ruins: sunrise – sunset (approx. 9:00 – 17:00 ticketing). Museum: 10:00 – 17:00Closed: Ruins open daily; Museum closed Fridays
- Entry fee
- Ruins: ₹40 Indian / SAARC (₹35 online), ₹600 foreign (₹550 online); under-15s free. Museum: ₹5–20. Xuanzang Memorial Hall free.
- How to book
- Buy at the gate or on the ASI portal — the QR ticket skips the counter. Government-licensed guides at the gate ~₹300–500 for an hour.ASI online ticket (asi.payumoney.com) ↗
- Good to know
- Allow 2 hours for the ruins; there is almost no shade — go before 10:00 or after 15:00 between March and October.
- Hours
- 5:00 – 21:00 daily; morning chanting ~5:30, evening ~18:00
- Entry fee
- Entry free. Camera ~₹100, video ~₹300 (pay at the counter). Mobile phones are not allowed inside — free/₹25 deposit lockers at the entrance.
- How to book
- No ticket. Shoes off and deposited (~₹5–10) before the inner gate. Security screening at the entrance; keep bags small.Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee ↗
- Good to know
- Most monasteries nearby (Thai, Japanese, Bhutanese, Tibetan) are free, usually 7:00–12:00 and 14:00–17:30.
- Great Buddha Statue: free, 7:00–12:00 & 14:00–17:00.
- Hours
- Temple ~5:00 – 22:00; Pind Daan rituals from sunrise, best finished before noon
- Entry fee
- Temple free (Hindus only inside the sanctum). Pind Daan has no fixed fee — a simple rite at Vishnupad/Phalgu ~₹500–2,000 dakshina plus ~₹300–600 for samagri; multi-vedi packages ₹5,000–25,000+.
- How to book
- Go through the Gayawal Pandas (hereditary priests) — ask for the panda who keeps your family's register by district/caste. Agree the price before starting. Bihar Tourism runs assisted Pitrupaksha packages in September.Bihar State Tourism (BSTDC) ↗
- Good to know
- During Pitrupaksha Mela (Sept–Oct) expect queues of hours and hotel rates 2–3×.
- Hours
- ~8:00 – 17:00; the pool is closed when the flow is dangerous (peak monsoon days)
- Entry fee
- Entry ~₹10–20 per person; parking ~₹30–50 for cars. Changing rooms and lockers for a small fee after the 2024 redevelopment.
- How to book
- Pay at the gate. No online booking. Weekends in July–September and Makar Sankranti are extremely crowded.
- Good to know
- Best flow July–October; a thin stream by March.
- Nearest town Nawada, 33 km; the last stretch is a narrow forest road.
- Hours
- Ropeway ~9:00 – 17:00; temples open from dawnClosed: Ropeway occasionally closed Mondays for maintenance — check locally
- Entry fee
- Ropeway return ~₹100–150 per person; children ~half. Temples free.
- How to book
- Counter at the base near Bounsi. Cash is safer than UPI here.
- Good to know
- Makar Sankranti (14 Jan) fair: ropeway queues of 2+ hours, but the hill is at its liveliest.
- Hours
- ~5:30 – 20:00; aarti around 6:00 and 19:00
- Entry fee
- Free. Prasad and the symbolic bloodless 'bali' are by voluntary offering.
- How to book
- No ticket. A motorable road climbs most of the hill; the last steps are easy.
- Good to know
- Navratri (Oct and Mar/Apr) brings the largest crowds; weekdays are quiet.
- Hours
- ~6:00 – 20:00; Friday afternoon is busiest
- Entry fee
- Free. Cover your head inside; chadar and flowers from stalls at the gate.
- How to book
- No ticket. 30 km west of Patna on NH-922; an hour by road.
- Good to know
- Buy Maner's famous laddoos from the shops by the gate — the reason half the visitors come.
- Hours
- Sunrise – sunset (practically 7:00 – 17:30)
- Entry fee
- Free. No camera fee.
- How to book
- No ticket. Torch essential — the Lomas Rishi and Sudama caves are unlit inside.
- Good to know
- Nearest station: Bela (small halts) or Makhdumpur; most people drive from Gaya (~35 km) or Patna (~90 km) and combine with Rajgir.
- Hours
- Sunrise – sunset
- Entry fee
- Free.
- How to book
- No ticket. Allow 45 minutes; the site is roadside on the Patna–Raxaul route.
Vaishali
Vaishali — Ashokan pillar, Relic stupa, Vaishali Museum, Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum
Full guide to Vaishali →- Hours
- Sites sunrise – sunset; museums 10:00 – 17:00Closed: Museums closed Fridays
- Entry fee
- Ashokan pillar complex ~₹25 Indian / ₹300 foreign. Relic stupa free. Buddha Samyak Darshan Museum ~₹50–100.
- How to book
- Counter tickets. The ASI pillar site also sells on the ASI portal.
- Hours
- Sunrise – sunset
- Entry fee
- ₹25 Indian / SAARC, ₹300 foreign; under-15s free. Boat on the tank by negotiation.
- How to book
- Counter or ASI portal. Rohtasgarh fort (40 km) is free.ASI online ticket ↗
- Hours
- Sunrise – sunset; museum 10:00 – 17:00Closed: Museum closed Fridays
- Entry fee
- ~₹25 Indian / ₹300 foreign; museum ~₹5.
- How to book
- Counter. Reach from Kahalgaon (13 km) or Bhagalpur (~45 km).
- Hours
- Season roughly 15 Oct – 15 Jun; morning (6:00–9:00) and afternoon (14:30–17:30) jeep safarisClosed: Monsoon (mid-June – mid-October)
- Entry fee
- Jeep safari ~₹2,500–3,500 per vehicle (up to 6) incl. guide; eco-hut stays from ~₹1,500–3,000 a night; Gandak boat safari ~₹100–200 per person.
- How to book
- Book safaris and huts through the Bihar eco-tourism portal or at the Valmikinagar range office. Weekends and winter holidays fill up a week ahead.Bihar Eco-tourism (Valmiki) ↗
Patna
Patna — Bihar Museum, Patna Museum, Golghar, Sanjay Gandhi Zoo, Takht Sri Patna Sahib
Full guide to Patna →- Hours
- Bihar Museum 10:30 – 17:00; Patna Museum 10:30 – 16:30; Golghar 10:00 – 17:00; Zoo 5:00 – 18:00 (summer) / 6:00 – 17:00 (winter); Patna Sahib dawn – lateClosed: Bihar Museum & Zoo closed Mondays; Patna Museum closed Mondays
- Entry fee
- Bihar Museum ₹100 Indian / ₹500 foreign (₹50 students); Patna Museum ~₹15–20; Golghar ~₹10; Zoo ₹30 adult / ₹10 child; Patna Sahib free.
- How to book
- Counters; Bihar Museum sells online too. Allow 2–3 hours for the Bihar Museum alone.Bihar Museum ↗
- Hours
- ~6:00 – 20:00
- Entry fee
- Free.
- How to book
- No ticket. 20 minutes from Nalanda; pairs naturally with the ruins.
- Hours
- Dawn – ~21:00; busiest at Shravani Mela (July–Aug)
- Entry fee
- Free. Boat to the rock temple ~₹20–50 per person.
- How to book
- No ticket. During Shravani Mela the kanwar route to Deoghar starts here — expect enormous crowds.
Bihar Tourism online booking — what exists
Rajgir Zoo Safari & Nature Safari — the only Bihar sights with true online, dated tickets. Book at rajgirzoosafari.in; glass bridge slots are capped daily.
ASI monuments (Nalanda, Vikramshila, Sher Shah's tomb, Vaishali pillar) — buy on asi.payumoney.com or at the gate; online is ₹5–50 cheaper.
BSTDC (Bihar State Tourism) — hotels, day tours from Patna, the Ganga cruise and festival packages at bstdc.bihar.gov.in. Temples, dargahs and waterfalls do not sell tickets online; pay at the gate.