India Guide
Bihar and Jharkhand
Arrival
Patna has three train stations but all mainline services arrive at Patna Junction, in the west of the city. Fraser Road (officially "Mazharul-Raq Path" but many still use the old name), immediately north of the station, is the main drag, with as much glamour as the state can muster – although even here you see rag pickers living on the pavement. Patna's airport lies 5km to the west; a pre-paid taxi from town costs Rs150–200, an auto-rickshaw around Rs80. Mithapur, the main bus station, is 2km south of Patna Junction and has services to Gaya, Ranchi, Varanasi and Raxaul, on the Nepalese border. North of Fraser Road, between Gandhi Maidan and the River Ganges, Gandhi Maidan Bus Stand is the terminus for state buses. Cycle and auto-rickshaws are the most common means of transport for short journeys. Several huge concrete flyovers were under construction at the time of research, which will do little for Patna's aesthetics but should reduce congestion.