Field guide · Himachal Pradesh

Shimla travel guide

The old summer capital of British India: a ridge of timbered buildings, a mountain railway, and forest walks ten minutes from the crowds.

  • About 2,200 mAltitude
  • Kalka to Shimla, 1903Toy train
  • One or two nightsGood for

Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India in 1864, and for decades a fifth of humanity was governed from this ridge for half of each year. The buildings are still here: Christ Church, the Gaiety Theatre, the Viceregal Lodge. So is the narrow-gauge railway from Kalka, opened in 1903 and now part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

It is also a real city and a crowded one. The trick with Shimla is to see the Ridge once, then walk away from it.

Researched and written October 2026Location photos are free-use images, not Charkadam trip photos

Overview

A ridge with a long memory

The town runs along a ridge at a little over 2,000 m. Wikipedia gives the city's elevation as 2,376 m while many other sources say about 2,200 m, so take either as approximate. The Mall Road and the Ridge above it are closed to traffic, which makes the centre one long promenade.

History was made here more than once. The 1914 Simla Accord and the 1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan were both signed in the town.

The Ridge and Christ Church

The Ridge is the open space at the top of town. Christ Church, at one end, was consecrated in 1857 and is described as the second oldest church in North India. Its chancel window was designed by Lockwood Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's father. Under your feet is a water reservoir from the 1880s that still supplies the town.

On the way somewhere

For many travellers Shimla is the first night of a longer trip, into Kinnaur and Spiti or across to Kasol and Manali. It is the last big market on the road north-east: pharmacy, ATM, warm clothes.

Colourful buildings covering a Shimla hillside
Shimla, built on a slope

Food

Himachali food, if you look

Most restaurants on the Mall serve generic north Indian food. The local dishes are there, but you have to ask for them or walk down to Lower Bazaar.

Order these

  • Siddusteamed stuffed bread

    Fermented wheat dough stuffed with a paste of poppy seed or walnut, steamed, and eaten hot with ghee and green chutney. The one local dish to try if you try nothing else.

  • Dhamthe feast plate

    The meal served at Himachali weddings and festivals: rice, madra, dal, a sour khatta, kadhi and sweet rice. Guides name Himachali Rasoi, near the Mall, as a place that serves it as a thali.

  • Madrachickpeas in yoghurt

    Chickpeas or kidney beans cooked slowly in yoghurt and spices, with no onion or garlic. Part of a dham, and good on its own with rice.

  • BabruLower Bazaar

    A fried bread stuffed with black gram paste, Himachal's answer to the kachori. Sold at street stalls with tamarind chutney.

  • Filter coffee at Indian Coffee HouseMall Road

    A worker-run coffee house that guides date to 1957, with uniformed waiters, old chairs and locals reading the paper. Cheap dosas and coffee.

  • Fruit wine and apple juiceto carry home

    Himachal makes fruit wines from apple, plum and rhododendron, sold in town shops alongside juice and jam.

Many small vendors do not take cards.

Things to do

In and around town

  1. Walk the Mall and the Ridge

    Centre · 1 to 2 hours

    Scandal Point, the Gaiety Theatre, the Town Hall, Christ Church and the 1910 library, all on foot. Go early morning or after dinner to have it nearly to yourself.

  2. The Viceregal Lodge

    Observatory Hill, west end

    The grey stone mansion where viceroys lived and where the 1945 Simla Conference was held. It is now the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. Visitors describe short guided tours of a few ground-floor rooms, including the one where the conference sat, plus the gardens.

  3. Jakhu hill

    Above the Ridge · 2 km climb or ropeway

    The highest point in town, about 2,455 m, with a Hanuman temple and a very tall statue visible from all over Shimla. The monkeys are bold. Keep food and glasses out of sight.

  4. The Kalka to Shimla railway

    96 km, around 5 hours

    A narrow-gauge line with more than a hundred tunnels and hundreds of bridges. If you cannot fit the whole ride, travellers suggest a short hop to or from Tara Devi or Shoghi.

  5. Lakkar Bazaar

    Just past the Ridge

    A lane of shops selling carved walking sticks and other woodwork, a Shimla habit for well over a century.

  6. Kufri

    About 12 km out

    The standard half-day outing, higher than Shimla and snowy in winter. Expect pony rides, a small zoo and a lot of company. Read the tips below before you commit.

Hidden gems

What travellers pass on

These are not our discoveries. They are places and tips that other travellers keep passing on, in forum threads, Q&A answers and independent travel blogs. We have cross-checked each one against at least one more source, but small places change fast. Ask locally before you plan a day around any of them.

  • The Glen

    About 4 km from the Ridge

    A forest path of deodar, oak and rhododendron down to a stream, laid out for evening walks in the colonial years. Visitors say there are no shops, so carry water, and to avoid it in the monsoon when the trail is slippery.

    A local-map guide and Tripadvisor reviews

  • Jakhu at dawn

    Before the crowds

    A locals' tip repeated in guides: walk up very early for sunrise, when the temple is quiet and the monkeys are still half asleep.

    From a Shimla local-map guide

  • Fagu or Mashobra instead of Kufri

    12 to 18 km out

    Writers who know the area steer people to Mashobra for orchards and deodar forest and to Fagu, a little past Kufri, for the same views and snow with far fewer people.

    Two independent guides agree

  • Prospect Hill and Kamna Devi

    West of town · about an hour

    A short forest trail to a small hilltop shrine, described as a quiet alternative to Jakhu. The forest is dense enough that it gets dark early.

    One local guide

  • Chadwick Falls, in the right month

    Beyond Summer Hill

    Worth it only during and just after the monsoon. The same writers who recommend it warn that it is nearly dry for the rest of the year.

    Guides and visitor reviews agree

Practical info

Before you go

Best time

March to June, October to November

Spring and autumn are mild and clear. December to February is cold, with a chance of snow in town and more at Kufri. July to September is wet, green and prone to landslides on the approach roads. May, June and the Christmas week are the busiest.

Getting there

Road, rail or air

About 115 km from Chandigarh by road, three to four hours. By rail, take a broad-gauge train to Kalka and the narrow-gauge train up. Shimla has a small airport at Jubbarhatti with limited flights. Chandigarh is the practical airport.

Getting around

On foot

The centre is closed to cars and built on a slope. You will walk, and climb. Public lifts connect Cart Road, where buses and taxis stop, to the Mall.

Altitude

Not a concern for most

At around 2,200 m altitude sickness is unlikely. You may be short of breath on the stairs for the first day.

What to pack

Layers and grip

A warm layer in every season, a rain jacket in the monsoon, and shoes with grip. In winter, add a proper jacket, gloves and a cap.

Build your packing list

Tell the builder where and when you are going and it gives you a list you can tick off.

Open the Packing List Builder

Go with Charkadam

Shimla, with a group

Shimla is the opening stop of our Himachal circuit through Kasol, Manali and Amritsar, and it is on the road in for the Winter Spiti Circuit. Each trip page has the current day-by-day plan.

See the departure calendarAll trips

* Indicative starting price. The trip page shows the price for each date.

Questions

Shimla, answered

One full day covers the Ridge, Mall Road and Jakhu. Two days lets you add the Viceregal Lodge and a forest walk or a half-day trip to Mashobra, Fagu or Kufri.

Snow is possible from late December to February, though it does not settle in town every year. Kufri and Fagu, which are higher, are more reliable for snow.

Siddu, a steamed stuffed bread eaten with ghee, and dham, the Himachali festive meal of rice, madra, dal and kadhi. Babru, a stuffed fried bread, is the street snack.

Yes, if you have about five hours. It is a UNESCO-listed mountain railway with over a hundred tunnels. If you are short of time, ride one short section.

Keep reading

Where the road goes next

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