How to reach Somnath
- Railhead
- Veraval
- Rail away
- about 6 km
- Airport
- Diu
- Air away
- about 85 km
- Season
- Oct to Mar
By train: Veraval
Veraval is the station this page treats as the railhead. It sits about 6 km from the temple town. Its Indian Railways code is VRL.
The trust gives Somnath station at 0.5 km from the temple and Veraval at 7 km. Western Railway closed Somnath station for rebuilding on 1 September 2022, and its train notices since then end at Veraval, so plan on Veraval until Somnath reopens.
By air: Diu
Diu is the airport this page treats as the nearest. It is about 85 km from the temple. On a long route the good combination is usually a flight to the closest well connected airport, then a train or a cab for the remaining distance, rather than a second flight or a day of driving.
Airport transfers are where prices are least predictable. Prepaid desks, app cabs and hotel pickups each cost something different, and at small airports the last departure of the day can be early. If you land late, plan the first night in the airport city rather than pushing on.
The trust treats Diu as the airport for Somnath and gives it at 85 km. The trust FAQ states the rail and air distances; it does not name airlines or destinations.
Where you can come from
The cities below are the ones the source names as connected, by rail, by air or by road. They are not a claim about every direct service, and no departure times or train numbers are printed: those change with each timetable, so the live enquiry is the only place to read them for your date.
By road. The trust runs a Tirth Darshan bus to the temples in the vicinity, leaving the main temple gate at 08:30 and 15:30.
By road
Coast, open all year. That is the shape of the approach: some temples are a straight drive into a town, others end in a climb or a crossing. Rather than print a highway number that may have changed with the last resurfacing, this page describes the approach and leaves the turn-by-turn to a live map on the day.
From Ahmedabad and Rajkot the road runs south through Jetpur and Junagadh. The Jetpur to Somnath stretch is now a four-lane highway.
The last leg into Somnath
Trains end at Veraval, about 6 km from the temple by road, because Somnath station, half a kilometre from the temple, has been shut for rebuilding since September 2022. Private and shared autos wait outside Veraval station. Fares vary widely, so agree the fare before you get in. From Diu airport, about 85 km, the trip is by taxi or state bus.
Getting your dates right
Oct to Mar is the season this site plans around, with the mildest weather and the smallest chance of a road problem on the approach.
Open all year. If the town itself closes with the temple, book the last night before the shut and the first night after the reopen, because transport thins out around both.
Mahashivratri and Shravan pull the biggest crowds of the year. Trains and rooms fill weeks ahead, and the last leg into town is the bottleneck.
On the coast and in the hills the monsoon makes the approach harder rather than the visit impossible. Plan an extra buffer day at each end of the trip.
The facts in one table
| Getting there | Nearest | Away | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train | Veraval | about 6 km | Last leg by bus, jeep, auto or cab |
| Flight | Diu | about 85 km | Cab or a train for the rest |
| Season | Oct to Mar | - | Open all year |
An "about" figure here is one a temple trust or a state source stated for this temple, and each is listed with its source at the foot of this page.