This summer capital of British is situated at an elevation of 2159 meters above sea
level. Shimla is a great popular tourist destination for holidays in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is an ideal place to be retreated for honey moon couples
as well. The grand snow-covered Himalayan ranges bordering Shimla, the
blossoming greenery & the archaic buildings of the British Era sure make
this city 'Queen of Mountains'.
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| Shimla View |
Adventure seekers, who wish to indulge in activities such as angling adventure games, river rafting, trout fishing & rock climbing can enjoy in
Shimla at the most. This destination is perfect for those who are looking for a
quiet holiday with friends & family and those who want to enjoy camping in
this paradise.
As I am a travel freak & I just love Hill
Stations, so I planned a trip to Shimla
with my family this year in April. In this article I will give you all the
details of our trip which will be easy for you as well, if you are planning for
a Shimla tour.
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| River Rafting |
The Journey Starts
1. Bangalore
to Delhi
We Started for Bangalore to Delhi from Bangalore (Yeshwantpur) Railway Station at 10 pm by Sampark Kranti Express (12649). This
train takes 35 hrs approx & reach Delhi (Nizamuddin) Railway Station at 9:00 am approx. After reaching
Delhi, we went to Old Delhi Railway Station by cab.
2. Delhi to Kalka
We started from Old Delhi at 9:30 pm by Kalka Mail (12311) and reached Kalka at 4:30 am. The Kalka Railway Station is at a height of
2158 ft above sea level & the view of this location was just breathtaking.
3. Kalka to Shimla
You can reach Shimla from Kalka by Bus, Cab or the most
popular “The Kalka to Shimla Toy Train
(Himalayan Queen)”. The toy train takes 4-5 hrs approx to reach Shimla. You can
book your toy train tickets from the IRCTC website www.irctc.co.in but for confirm reservation
you have to book tickets 2-3 months prior to your journey.
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| Kalka to Shimla Toy Train |
As our Shimla tour
was a last minute trip, we didn’t get the Kalka to Shimla toy train tickets.
That why we decided to reach Shimla by sharing cab. It took 3 hrs to reach
Shimla. The cab charged 350 bucks from us (definitely we bargained).
Note: If you take
sharing cab please tell the driver to drop you near the lift area in Shimla.
Pay them only after confirmation only. Otherwise, these cabs will drop you
anywhere in Shimla & you have to trek to the Lakkar Bazaar & the Mall
Road area which is very difficult. No vehicle is allowed (except ambulance) in
the market & Mall road.
Reached the Queen of Mountains---Shimla
The cab dropped us near the lift area which is opposite to
the car parking area. The lift ticket charge is 10 bucks per person and for
heavy luggage 20 bucks extra. The lift took us to the Mall road directly. It
will be better if you book hotel rooms online in advance, as, it is difficult
to get hotel rooms in Shimla Mall road during season time. Even though you get
a room, they will charge double/triple the normal charge. If you want budget
hotels, than opt for the hotels near Lakkar Bazaar.
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| Shimla Lift Area |
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First Day of Shimla Tour
We checked in our hotel at 9:30 am. Our hotel was near
Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.We booked a spacious room with a spectacular view
of the Shimla Mall road & theRidge. Most of the hotels in Mall road offer rooms with wonderful view. We
decided to have breakfast in Mall road amid nature. Most of the shops in Mall
road open after 10: 00 am. You will get many options for breakfast, lunch,
snacks & dinner in & around Mall road.
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| Shimla Mall Road |
After breakfast, we walked through Shimla Mall Road & did a little window shopping.
From Mall road went to the Ridge. The ridge is positioned at the heart of
Shimla. It is a broad open space where you can enjoy horse riding. From ridge
you get a panoramic of Shimla & its countryside. If you want your perfect
pictures in Shimla, than this is the spot for you. The Shimla Ridge is the center for all cultural activities of Shimla,
so you also enjoy witnessing one of them.
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| The Ridge Shimla |
In the Ridge only you can see the most famed or you can say
the trademark of Shimla, the Christ Church. This is the 2nd oldest
church of North India. We spent some time inside the church as well.
Then we went to the Shimla State Library, which is at a
close proximity to the Christ church. If you are a bookworm, than you will
definitely like this place. This old-world gothic style building is open all
days except Monday. The interior is mainly made of wood which gives you a
glimpse of the British era.
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| State Library Shimla |
After spending almost 1 hour in the Ridge, we went to the
Scandal point that joins the Shimla Ridge
& the Mall road. The tantalizing story behind this spot is that, during
1892, the Patiala’s King, who was in love with the viceroy’s daughter met her
at this spot and eloped from there to Chail, as the British Army was against
them. From this incident this spot got its name, ‘Scandal Point’.
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| Scandal Point |
Meanwhile, we had our lunch in a small restaurant in lower
bazaar, which is connected to the Mall road by stairs. The food was awesome
& the price was also reasonable. In lower bazaar, you will get many stuffs
to shop like, dress materials, woollen clothes, souvenirs etc at reasonable
price compared to the prices in Mall road shops. All through the Mall road, you
will get benches to sit & shades to enjoy the Mountain View & click
pictures.
In the evening, we went to Shimla Kali Bari & attented
the Sandhya Aarti. This temple is positioned at the hill top & offers
amazing view of Shimla city. Beware
of the Monkeys in the temple premises as they can snatch Prasad, mobiles etc
from you. Shimla looks wonderful in Daytime & night as well. You can enjoy the
night view of Shimla by spending some time in the Mall road. Almost all shops
get closed after 10:00 am so; the only option after 10:00 pm is to come back to
your hotel room. We also did the same.
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| Kali Bari Shimla |
Second Day of Shimla Tour
The second day started with a cup of hot tea & the
picturesque view of the Mountain city. Our plan for 2nd day was to
visit the Institute of Advance Studies & the Jakhu temple. So, we started
with the Institute of Advance Studies
Shimla.
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| Institute of Advance Studies Shimla |
You can go down near the car parking area by lift and take
any rickshaw or bus to reach the Institute of Advance Studies. It will take 1
hour approx to look around the entire institute.
This institute is an astonishing piece of Scottish style
architecture & is among the well-recognized Indian Institute for Research.
The early name of this institute was Viceregal Lodge, where Lord Dufferin used
to reside. After independence, it was converted to an institute in the year
1964 by the Indian Government & it started its function in the year 1965.
After entering the institute, it felt like we were in the
British era. The building was constructed with the panels of teak wood, the
long set of steps & the fireplace took me to that period, when various
meetings & events were hosted in this monument. You can’t touch anything
there.
The garden surrounding the institute welcomes you with
blossoming greenery and you will really take pleasure in walking through it
& clicking some memorable moments of your Shimla tour.
Things you should Remember
1. Institute is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
2. This Institute is closed on Mondays.
3. Entry charge is 40 bucks for Indians, 90 bucks for
foreigners & 20 bucks extra if you want to visit the Lawns & Gardens.
4. Photography is seriously restricted inside the institute.
5. Food stalls &
washrooms are available inside the institute.
6. Lockers are obtainable to keep your stuffs before going
inside the institute.
After spending some quality time in the Institute of Advance
Studies, we started the excursion of Jakhu
Temple.
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| Jakhu Temple Shimla |
Jakhu temple is the temple of Deity Hanuman & is
constructed at the uppermost peak of this area. According to mythology, Deity
Hanuman during his journey to bring ‘Sanjeevani Buti’ took some rest in this
Jakhu Hill. That is why, the locals believe this Hill to be a sacred place for
them. This place is recognized as world’s highest Hanuman shrine with world’s
tallest idol of 108 ft height.
We reached there by Government sharing taxi, which we took
from the stand behind the Christ church. It took 100 bucks for 4 people to drop
us to the temple & again 100 bucks to drop back to the city. You will also
get cars (private/sharing) to get to the Jakhu
Shimla Hill & they will charge approx 400-500 bucks per ride (you have
to bargain). It takes ½ an hour to reach the temple. This place is surrounded
by lush greenery & heighted deodar trees & is a perfect place to spend
some time, relax and breathe.
This location has the biggest monkey population in the
country. So, you have to be very careful while in & around the temple premises.
Do not throw stones or anything else on these monkeys as they may attack you.
You can also reach the Jakhu temple by trekking. The
starting point of this trek is somewhere beside the Christ church. Please
consider your fitness before trekking, as, this temple is positioned at an
elevation of 2455 meters. Jakhu temple
can be reached via rope-way as well which charges 250 bucks per person.
Things to Remember
1. Always carry a stick with you while you are in Jakhu Hill to
keep the monkeys away.
2. Keep your valuable stuffs like mobile, specs etc inside the
bag only.
3. The Government sharing cab will be available up to 5:00 pm.
It takes 1-2 hours to visit the temple & its premises.
4. You will get food
stalls inside the temple premises to enjoy tea & snacks at the topmost peak
of Shimla.
5. Beware while clicking
pictures as the monkeys may snatch you camera/mobile.
We completed our excursion & came back to the city at
6:30 pm, spend some time in the Mall road & came back to our room as we
were very much tired visiting these 2 places.
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Third day of Shimla Tour
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| Summer Hill Shimla |
On the 3rd day of our Shimla tour, we were very much excited to explore the remaining
places. The 1st place we decide to visit was the most famed among
the tourists, the Summer Hill.
Summer Hill is just 5 kms away from the Ridge & can be
reached easily by public buses, autos & cabs. This hill is among the
striking & thrilling of the 7 hills which surrounds Shimla. It is located
at an elevation of 2100 feet & allures the tourists by its dense forests of
heighted oak & deodar trees and quaint ambience. This spot is a heaven for
the photographers as they can make their best out of this location. You can visit
Summer Hill throughout the year, as;
this spot always offers a serene, chilly & breezy ambience. A visit to
Summer Hill just made me speechless. I would definitely like to come here again
& again.
Things to Remember
1. Wear covered dresses to keep your body warm as the weather conditions here are breezy & cold.
2. It is better to keep some winter clothes like shawl, cardigan
with you.
3. Apply good quality sun protection lotion to protect the skin
from high altitude sunlight.
4. You can enjoy horse riding in the forests of Summer Hill.
5. You can also enjoy trekking there.
The next spot we visited was Annandale. This place is also 4.5
kms away from Shimla Ridge & just 2.5 kms away from Shimla Railway Station & is easily accessible by auto or cab.
Situated at an elevation of 6200 feet, Annandale offers its tourists a bird-eye
view of the snow covered mountains & the Shimla city.
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| Annandale Shimla |
Annandale is famed for the Indian Army Museum, an active
Golf Club & also a Cactus Museum. The Army museum basically exhibits the
uniforms, photographs, medals & weapons related to the history of Indian
Army. In this museum you will get to know many unknown aspects of the Indian
Army such as the various flags of various regiments, various wars fought by
them. Exploring this museum gave me goose bumps & I really felt proud of our
Indian Army. We also visited the ground where the army arranges different
activities like parades, sports etc. This ground is also ideal for polo &
cricket lovers. The ground is surrounded by pine trees which proffers a serene
ambience. The cactus museum includes a wide variety of flower species &
cactus species.
Things to Remember
1. No entry charge for visiting the Army Museum & Cactus Museum.
2. The Museum is open from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm all days except Mondays.
3. It takes 1-2 hrs approx to explore the entire museum &
ground.
4. You can have tea & snacks in the café near the museum.
5. You can also buy some souvenirs as memories of your Shimla Tour.
6. Beware of the monkeys at this spot.
We came back to the city & well spent the evening at Johnnie’s Wax Museum in Mall road. This
truly unique place allures a large number of tourists’ every day. This museum
includes full-size wax statues of famed personalities such as Paul Walker,
Dwayne Johnson, Lionel Messi, Michael Jackson, Aamir Khan, Narendra Modi
(India’s PM), Salman Khan, Honey Singh (Rap singer) etc. I clicked pictures
with my favorite stars and enjoyed a lot there.
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| Night View Shimla |
Things to Remember
1. The entry charge is 250 bucks per individual but is free for
kids smaller than 5 years.
2. This museum is open all days from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm.
3. Photography is allowed inside the Museum.
Best Time to Visit Shimla
1. During summer (March-June) Shimla proffers a very pleasing
weather. The temperature mostly varies from 10 degrees to 30 degrees. This time
is perfect for enjoying adventure sports such as paragliding, river rafting
etc.
2. Monsoon (July-September) is not very much recommendable for
the tourists, as in monsoon Shimla experiences heavy rainfall & the risk of
land slides are always there.
3. In winter (October-February) tourists can enjoy snowfall
& take part in snow sports.
How to Reach Shimla
1. The nearest is Kalka Railway Station. From Kalka you can
hire bus/cab to reach Shimla.
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| Shimla Railway Station |
2. Shimla is well connected by bus with major cities of North
India like Chandigarh, Delhi etc.
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| Shimla Bus Stand |
3. This city is well connected by bus with all the towns of Himachal
Pradesh.
4. The closest airport to Shimla is Jubbarhatti Airport which is approx 25 kms away from Shimla. From
airport you will get cabs to get to Shimla.
We enjoyed a lot in our 3-days Shimla tour & in this article I have given you all the possible
information about the trip which will help all of you, if you plan a trip to
Shimla.
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