Shimla, formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British. Located in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 2,205 metres (7,234 ft), the city of Shimla, draped in forests of pine, rhododendron, and oak, experiences pleasant summers and cold, snowy winters. The city is famous for its buildings styled in 'Tudorbethan' and neo-Gothic architecture dating from the colonial era. Shimla is connected to the city of Kalka by one of the longest narrow gauge railway routes still operating in India, the Kalka-Shimla Railway. Shimla is approximately 145 km (90 mi) from Mandi, 100 km (62 mi) from Chandigarh, the nearest major city, and 365 km (227 mi) from New Delhi, the national capital. The city is named after the goddess Shyamala Devi, an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Kali.
Himachal tourism is famous for the beautiful hill station of Shimla. Once, the 'summer capital' of the British in India, Shimla today is a pleasant, sprawling town, set among cool pine-clad sprawling hills with plenty of colonial charm. With well-developed facilities, easy accessibility and numerous attractions, Shimla is one of India's most popular hill resorts.
Shimla is one of the most visited hill stations in India. It is so famous for its climate and natural beauty that it is frequented by tourists from all over the world. Shimla is situated in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Delhi is the capital region of India which is well-connected to this hill station of Shimla through all modes of transportations like, road, rail and air. The distance between the two cities of Delhi and Shimla is about 370 km and it takes a travel time of about 9 hours to reach Shimla from Delhi.
People in Shimla enjoy pleasing summers and, cold and snowy winters. Entire town of Shimla is full of forests of pine, rhododendron and oak. Among the tourist destination in the Northern India, Shimla ranks high and is visited by a huge number of tourists all year round. Various adventure activities like skating, trekking, fishing, ice skating and camping are also involved in the tourism in Shimla. Shimla is located in the North-West of Himalaya at an altitude of 2159 meters. It is one of the best hill stations of India. This place is usually very pleasant in summers as the temperature is not very high and the winters are cold. Usually the environment is often shrouded by frost. The best time to visit Shimla is from April to August and mid September to late November.
There are many places to visit. The main places of attractions are:
1. The Mall: Located near the Ridge and Scandal Point, the Mall is the activity center of Shimla. The area has several emporiums, showrooms, restaurants and Gaiety Theatre, which was built on the lines of old British theaters. It serves as a center for cultural activities in the city. Shimla has few movie halls, Roller Skating hall ( A must visit for youngsters ), Billiard Rooms and many video game parlours. This venue is used for June Summer Festivals, Ice-skating competitions in December-January & Winter Carnival of February.
2. Summer Hill: This place attracts the nature lovers. It is at the height of 6500 feet.
3.Christ Church: Chirst Church is a famous church of Shimla which was built over a span of 11 years(1846-1857). It is the second oldest church of northern India and beautified with stained glass on its windows. After dusk, this grand church looks more beautiful due to clever lighting. Church of St. Michael's Cathedral is another important and beautiful church of the city.
4. Jakhu hill: Jakhu temple is situated at an altitude of 8,000 feet, 2 km away from centre of Shimla. It is the highest peak of Shimla and a temple of Hanuman is located here on the top of the hill. Covered by the dense Deodar forests, it is a habitat of a number of naughty monkeys.
5. Annandale: It is known as the playground of Shimla. It is at the height of 6100 feet.
6. Kufri: Situated at a distance of 16 km from Shimla, Kufri is one of the famous destinations for winter sports freaks. It attracts a large number of skiers from all over the world during winters in the months from December to February. Located at an altitude of 8,600 meters, it is also a lovely picnic spot covered by Deodar and Pine woods. Kufri is also a must visit destination while travel to Shimla.
7. Himachal State Museum and Library- Himachal State Museum and Library is undoubtedly one of the prime tourist attractions of Shimla. Located 2 ½ km from Scandal Point, this museum is a fine repository of historical sculptors, paintings, coins and photos relating to the history of entire state. The gallery of this museum also has an exquisite collection of paintings which are the last pieces of the Indian artform such as the Pahari miniature paintings, dozens of Mughal and Rajasthani miniature paintings etc.
8.Viceregal Lodge- Another landmark monument of Shimla is the Viceregal Lodge. This magnificent six storey structure was once served as residence of British Viceroy, Lord Dufferein. Situated on the Observatory Hill, at a distance of 2km from Himachal State Museum, Viceregal Lodge is now known as 'Rashtrapati Niwas'. This monument is now used as the Institute For Advanced Study.
9.Naldehra - Naldehra is located at a distance of around 22 km from Shimla. Naldehra has one of the beautiful and well maintained nine hole golf course surrounded by Deodar jungles. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Shimla.
View of mountain ranges from Ridge is really amazing and eye catching. Shimla ice scating rink, famous for ice scating carnival is a great place for tourists to show their talents in ice scating. The Mall road, one among the biggest commercial areas in Shimla was constructed during the colonial rule in India. Christ Church, the second oldest church in north India showers its blessings from Shimla. Old glass windows of church depict the symbol of moral values. Chadwick waterfall gushing from 67m height create an exclusive view for tourists and is one among the hot tourist spot on Summer Hills located in Shimla.
Shimla is a wonderful abode since its paradise like setting possesses a series of Shimla hotels that offer loads of luxury and comfort to both business as well as leisure travelers.
Apart from the budget hotels in Shimla, you have other appealing hotels including Hotel Silverine, Radisson Jass Hotel, Shilon Resort, Cecil Oberoi Resort, etc. All these Shimla hotels are well equipped with varied state of the art and contemporary facilities and services that add to the overall reputation of these hotels. In addition to this, Shimla also possesses an array of heritage hotels that together give you a unique experience that remains in the memory for long. Hotel Peterhoff and the Chapslee Hotel come in the category of such hotels which have been displaying the heritage of Shimla since long. The significant places of the hill station can be easily accessed from these hotels and thus travelers feel like staying in the plush and cozy rooms of these hotels.
People find Shimla an interesting shopping destination for all the typical traditional goods it has to offer. Some must buys here include Himachali woolen shawls and Kullu caps. The Himachal Emporium at Mall is the best place out here to pick up some authentic local handicraft. One of the most unique shopping places here is the Maria Brothers. They sell rare books, maps and replicas of ancient manuscripts. One should not miss on picking some fresh fruit homemade stuff from Shimla.