Getting There and Away
Shimla is well connected with New Delhi, the national capital and other centres in UP, Haryana and Punjab by rail, road and air.
Road Connectivity with important destinations
Lying on NH 22, Shimla is well connected with a number of parts in the area, both within and outside the state. Overall, roads are good and enjoyable drive.
Road distances to some important centres (Km about)- Delhi (via Chandigarh) : 370 km
- Chandigarh : 117 km
- Kalka : 87 km
- Dehradun : 250 km
- Pathankot : 300 km
- Palampur : 240 km
- Dharamsala (via Hamirpur) : 140 km
- Dalhousie : 340 km
- Kaza : 420 km
- Kalpa : 245 km
- Chirgaon : 140 km
- Renuka : 165 km
Roadway Options Taxi: Kalka-Shimla Taxi Union (Tel : 258225) and Cast Road and the Vishal Himachal Taxi Operators Union (Tel : 205164) also around the Cast Road, provides Gypsy jeep or multivansor Ambassador cars. The last one cost about 10% more than what is being listed here:
One way taxi fares from some important destinations are (Rs approx): - Delhi : RS 2500 - RS 3000
- Chandigarh : RS 800 - RS 1000
- Manali : RS 2200
- Kullu : RS 1800 - RS 2000
- Dharamsala : RS 2200
- Dehradun : RS 2000 - RS 2250
- Rampur : RS 1200
- Kalka : RS 700 - RS 800
One day sightseeing tours cost (approx) as :- RS 700 for Chail / Kufri
- RS 400 for Naldehra
- RS 700 for Tattapani
- RS 750 for Naskanda
Bus Options
Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBT), both at Delhi and Shimla, caters to visitors looking for bus services. ISBT on Cast Road has a counter (No9), where the employee speaks English and is of great help to foreigners as well as non Hindi speaking nationals of India. At scandal point in Shimla is another booking office.
For destinations east of Shimla, buses start from the Rivoli Bus Station on the northern side of the main ridge, below the HPTDC Office. One can board a bus along Cast Road for Tattapani, Kasauli and other destinations enroute to Kalka or Narkanda, i.e. Kufri and Theog.
It takes almost 10 hours to reach Manali from Shimla. Fares are quite economical, ranging from around RS 110 to RS 175 depending upon the type of bus (ordinary or deluxe) and time (day time or overnight) you choose. One overnight semideluxe bus to Dharamsala will cost you around RS 160, taking a travel time of around 10 hours. If you are visiting Mandi, catch any Manali bound bus. It costs less than a 100 rupees.
Delhi is also around a 10 hour drive from Shimla and costs just RS 270 (approx) for deluxe and RS 120 (approx) for an ordinary buses. For Chandigarh buses are available almost every half-an-hour.
Dehradun via Nahan Costs RS 70 and Paonta Sahib RS 90 (approx). Haridwar is a 9-10 hours drive and costs RS 115-RS 120.
From Rivoli Bus Stand following bus services are available (Rs approx):- Rekong Peo via Narkanda and Rampur : RS 120- 10 hrs
- Narkanda : RS 35 - 3 hrs
- Rampur : RS 60
- Sarahan : RS 90
Hourly buses to Naldehra is also there for the comforts of visitors.
A certain travel agency, the Mall. offer private deluxe buses for Manali and Delhi and charges RS 225 (approx) and RS 275 (approx) respectively.
HPTDC provides daily day time buses in the high season only for Manali [RS 275 (approx)- 10 hrs] and overnight buses to Delhi [RS 290 (approx) - 10 hrs]
Railway Options
If you want to enjoy the green mountain slopes, covered with fir, rhododendron, pine and the Himalayan Oak and traditional homesteads nestling amount the foliage, do try the train option for travelmasti.
Himalayan Queen is the best option for those travelling from Delhi. At Kalka you change from broad to narrow gange and board the" Toy Train" to cover next 25 km to Shimla. Tickets are affordable and costs is RS 400 (approx) for a/c chair car. For the reverse trip (Shimla-Delhi) the best and overnight connection is Shivalik Express and connect with Kalka Hawra Mail via Delhi. Fares range from RS 140 to RS 600 depending upon the class you travel in.
In Shimla, apart from the main station on the western edge of tours, there is the central branch station. The reservation office (Tel 252915) is at the main station
Airways
Daily flights are available to/from New Delhi, for which bookings may be made at New Delhi or Shimla's Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation office. A number of Tour and Travel agencies can make the arrangement for your. Jubbarhati, the Shimla's airport is about 25 km from the town.