Skip to content
Tours Director
shimla

Himachal Pradesh

Shimla

Colonial hill capital and Himachal’s most iconic Mall Road

Photo: Slyronit (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

About Shimla

Once the summer capital of British India, Shimla still carries its colonial hill-station character in Mall Road’s Tudor-style buildings, the pedestrian Ridge, and the narrow-gauge “toy train” climbing up from Kalka through more than 100 tunnels.

  • Mall Road and the Ridge
  • The UNESCO-listed Kalka-Shimla toy train
  • Jakhoo Temple’s hilltop views
  • Christ Church, Shimla’s colonial-era landmark

Things to do

Experiences in Shimla

  • Ride the Kalka-Shimla toy train

    A UNESCO World Heritage narrow-gauge railway climbing through the hills.

  • Walk the Ridge and Mall Road

    Shimla’s pedestrian heart, lined with colonial-era architecture.

  • Visit Jakhoo Temple

    A hilltop Hanuman temple with the best panoramic view over the town.

When to go

Best time to visit

March-June for pleasant weather, December-February for snow.

Practical

Travel tips

Mall Road is pedestrian-only — vehicles stop at Lift or the Cart Road below.

Questions

Shimla: common questions

Yes, it’s a major domestic summer-holiday destination — book Mall Road-adjacent hotels well ahead for May-June.

Plan my trip

Planning a trip to Shimla?

Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We reply with an itemized plan you can change.

Plan my trip