Shimla, a hill station that is a must visit atleast once

Rating:

Beautiful view

Shimla too is called the Queen of hills in India. It is at the altitude of 6,890ft above sea level. I have been to Shimla at least 8 times in my life but can never resist the trip when given a chance.

Normally, people plan a trip of at least 3 nights, 4 days as there is so much to see and do.

Another view

We started from Naldehra in the morning and reached Shimla in just 45 mins.

Railway Station

Drive in hills is always very beautiful. Approach road is smooth and comfortable. So, its always a nice experience to come by road or by train.

Ways to reach

By Air– Chandigarh is the near Airport from where one can reach Shimla by road or by train.

By train– Kalka Shatabdi, Himalayan Queen, Kalka Mail, Paschim Express. There are many more trains. You can get the information from Indianrail.gov.in

By road from Delhi- Approximately, 350 kms. Route is -Delhi>Panipat>Karnal>Ambala>Panchkula>Solan>Shimla.

Staying options

There are many hotels and resorts to cater to all ranges. To name a few – Oberoi Cecil starting approximately Rs. 14,777; Hotel Shivalik Regency starting approximately Rs. 1369; Hotel Auckland with starting range approximately Rs. 1563, Toshali resort, Hotel Springfields etc.

Since this time, we stayed at Naldehra, we did not need any accommodation in Shimla.

Important locations

Library Chowk , Mall road, Jakhu Mandir- Hanuman temple, abode of many Monkeys, Lakkad Bazaar.

Library Chowk

Mall road

Scenic view

One should be ware of own belongings at Jakhu temple as monkeys snatch the stuff there. On the mall, my kids did horse riding. There is a decent restaurant called Aashiyana in the middle of Mall road. Its terrace has a nice valley view and overlooks a big statue of Hindu God- Hanuman.

Shimla is a place where I can sit on the Mall road for hours. A, because I get to see the lovely scenery.B- I can eat whatever I want, be it fast food or traditional Indian, South Indian, Chinese and what not. C, I can shop smallest thing to biggest as Shimla is commercialized. All this makes Shimla a very interesting hill station cum city.

Market

Buildings view

Another View

Around Shimla-

Shimla is spread across seven hills. Summer hill hosts Himachal Pradesh University. Next to university, there is a mansion- Manor ville where Mahatma Gandhi stayed once. It was from this mansion, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Maulana Azad set out to meet Viceroy Lord Wavell in June 1945 to discuss India’s independence.

Holme was a studio cum residence of famous painter of Amrita Shergil.

Himalayan Aviary hosts Himalayan bird Monal. Observatory hill houses Indian institute of Advanced studies and Viceregal Lodge and Famous Gaiety Theatre.

Inverarm and Bantony Hills have wood carvings, jewellery, manuscripts, arms and armoury and Himachal State Museum.

Elysium hills have nice trek to village Pablo and Kamiana.

Kufri and Fagu near Shimla are must visit. Kufri specially in winters to see the snow. One can do Yak ride there. It is fun.

Overall, Shimla is an all time interesting hill station with lots to do.

Nidhi KM

About the Author: Nidhi KM

Founder of Viharin is Nidhi K M who is an avid traveller. She has visited multiple destinations across Europe, U.S.A, Mauritius, Maldives and countries in Asia. After a short stint as a travel blogger, Nidhi has started Viharin.com in November, 2014. In the journey so far, Nidhi has been instrumental in promoting various destinations of the world like London, Netherlands, Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Vatican City, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam, Combodia and many more. With her efforts , Nidhi has taken Viharin.com to one of the top interesting travel blogs of the world. She has been mentioned in DLF City Magazine, Newspatrolling, Ayurveda Sutra, recognized as Guest of Honour by Institute of Technology and Science, Ghaziabad and more. Nidhi worked with American Express as a Manager. She has over 11 years of experience in the domain of Customer Relationship Management. She has received many rewards and recognitions for exceeding Organizational goals. Nidhi is supported by her husband who is a Consultant Radiologist by profession and amateur photographer with special interest in wildlife. Her immediately family also supports Nidhi in destination promotions. After schooling from Bal Bharti Public School, Delhi, Nidhi did Mathematics honours from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University and Masters in Information and Technology from Institute of Technology and Science.

2 Comments

Prashant Gaurav September 27, 2014 at 12:58 am - Reply
I have been to Shimla only once but thnx to viharin.com for helping me to refresh my memories now i m planing to go der once again. Viharin.com is really an awesome website
- Nidhi KM September 27, 2014 at 4:06 am - Reply
  Thank you Prashant for your compliment. Try to go by Toy train from Kalka. Kids love the journey.

Shimla, a hill station that is a must visit atleast once