From Wikitravel

Shimla [1] or Simla is the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh in India.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By rail 2.2 By plane 2.3 By car 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid range 9.3 Splurge 10 Get out 11 Contact

Understand

Sitting majestically above the searing plains, the British designated the town as the summer capital of India. The higher levels of the town reflect this British connection, comprising mostly of buildings in the Victorian style, while the lower slopes are occupied with Indian bazaars and restaurants. Traffic is banned from the historic central area, (known as the Mall) which means that the atmosphere is calm and the air pristine.

Get in

By rail

The nearest broad gauge head is at Kalka - an unimpressive journey of about 6 hours from Delhi. Alternatively, take the 'toy train'. The view is stunning, with the line passing through an amazing 103 tunnels.

By plane

Shimla has its own airport that accommodates turbo-props Dorniers, while Jet, Airbus A310, 320s and Boeing 737s can all land at the larger Chandigarh airport.

By car

A taxi from Kalka costs approximately Rs 1100 and takes about 3 hours.

Get around

See

• The Victorian architecture of the Mall.
• (Thubten Evam) Dorje Drag Monastery - a monastery in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
• The Jakhoo Temple offers spectacular views of the mountains from its location above the town. The climb up is a physically demanding one hour walk or a quick drive by motorized vehicle. NB: The temple is populated by very aggressive and cunning monkeys. Be very careful with your camera, glasses, bag and (especially) food. Sticks for warding off the monkeys can be rented at the entrance to the temple for Rs 5.

Do

• Take a leisurely walk at the Mall
• Visit the zoo where there is great Himalayan snow leopard.
• Snow skating is possible from November to March.
• Relax and enjoy the fresh, crisp Himalayan air.
• Bicycle on mountain trails.
• Trek in the local mountains.

Buy

Further down the Mall Road is the Lakkar Bazaar, which has quite a few shops selling wooden handicrafts. The Mall is full of shops selling woolens (most of which find their way to Shimla from Ludhiana in Punjab) and Kullu shawls.

Eat

International cuisine is available to suit every pocket, and while fast food is often the choice of tourists, ethnic Himachali cuisine is a more delicious and cheap alternative. At the Mall, definitely try the confectionery at "Trishool" near the Gaiety Theatre.

Drink

Himachal is known as the fruit-bowl of India. It has a thriving food processing industry that churns out fruit-based drinks, squashes and concentrates. The most famous flavours are plum, litchi, strawberry, mango and guava.

For alcoholic drinks, try the locally brewed wines such as apricot, plum and apple & ginger cider. In predominantly Tibetan areas, a rice wine known as "Chang" is popular.

You can also try the real "aqua minerale" spring water available near the source (if you are trekking)!

Sleep

There are lots of options from dormitories to luxury resort hotels. On line booking is the most convenient way to reserve a room. Alternatively, the tourist office can supply a list of hotels, and you can phone or trek over an reserve a room in person. Rooms in Shimla range from as low as US$10 to about US$250.

Budget

• YMCA, The Ridge. Tel:+91 177 225-0021 - a centrally located, charming Victorian style building - rooms with attached bathroom.

Mid range

• Hotel White, 1/2 km NE of the Ridge. Tel:+91 177 265-5276. A wide variety of comfortable rooms, most with spectacular views. Rs 500-1500.

Splurge

• Oberoi Cecil, Chaura Maidan. Tel:+91 177 280-4848. Fax:+91 177 281-1024. E-mail:gm@oberoi-cecil.com

Get out

Shimla is a convenient base to visit other parts of Himachal.

• Those interested in Buddhism, will find the district of Kinnaur on the border of Tibet of interest. This area is home to ethnic Tibetans, and there are several Buddhist monasteries located in the region. Getting there: Take the Hindustan-Tibet highway out of Shimla, passing through Narkanda - Rampur - Wangto - Kalpa - RekongPeo - Sangla Valley - Tabo - Kaza. This route is not for the faint hearted and is not open in winter.
• Manali (260km) is another destination of interest. If you are driving your own vehicle, take the back road via Basantpur - Kingal - Anni - Jalori Pass - Shoja - Banjar - Kullu. This road will take you through the famous trout fishing valley of Tirthan.
• Another area that Buddhists and Tibetologists will enjoy is McLeod Ganj , the home of H.H. Dalai Lama and the Tibetan-Government-in-exile. There are also many Buddhist monasteries in the area.
• Kufri - 55km from Shimla - is a winter ski resort.
• Naldehra - 25km away from Shimla - has a 19 hole golf course.

Contact

The area dialling code for Shimla is 0177. From overseas, dial +91 177 XXX-XXXX

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