By air: The nearest airport is at bhubaneshwar which is at 450 km from rourkela.You can reach from there by bus or rail.
By rail: Rourkela is connected to the orissa capital,Bhubaneshwar by rail.It takes around 7 hrs by train.Also you can reach here from Kolkata which takes 6 hrs.The prominent trains from Bhubaneshwar are Tapaswini express.The trains connecting to kolkata are Samaleswari express,Gyaneswari express and Gitanjali express.The cost for both fares is around 400 rs.
By road:You can get to rourkela from bhubaneshwar by luxury buses for a cost of 300-400 rs.Also the roadway is quite good from the state capital.
Getting around is very easy with shared autos and very cheap buses.The auto is now the most popular form of transportation cuz it is quite cheap.Also hired ambassadors,tata sumos,etc are available for sight seeing the tourist spots in and around rourkela.
Bhalulata(40 Kms from RKL), Blue stone(80 kms), Jaraikela(Not Sure), Mandira Dam(Good Picnic spot).
trekking,visit steel plant,hilltop
Sec-6 Hill(Tc Station), Lots of markets(Koel Nagar, Ambagan)