Two to three days works well. Spend one day on the Gorakhnath Temple, the Gita Press and the Golghar market, then an evening by Ramgarh Tal. Add a day trip to Kushinagar, about 50 km east, where the Buddha is believed to have passed away.

Kushinagar is about 51 km east of Gorakhpur along the national highway, roughly a one to two hour drive. Gorakhpur is the usual base for the trip, since it has the nearest major railway station, and buses and taxis make the run to the Buddhist pilgrimage town every day.

Yes. Gorakhpur sits about 100 km from the border, and frequent buses reach the Sonauli crossing in around three hours. From there, travelers continue to Bhairahawa and Lumbini, the Buddha's birthplace, which makes Gorakhpur a common stop on the overland route between India and Nepal.