List of Famous Places to visit in Shimla

The snow-covered capital city of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla is a traveller's paradise. With some of the most beautiful Victorian times architecture and the roadside bazaars that are set up, the city never fails to attract tourists from around the world.

Shimla is the home to the magnificent hills and a scenic beauty which truly makes it a nature's blessing. For everyone who visits here, Shimla never fails to amuse them by its setting, its beauty and more importantly the elaborate places of attraction. Find here 10 Best Places to visit in Shimla:

1. Kalka Shimla Toy Train

The Kalka Shimla toy train is the train that connects Shimla to Kalka which is situated in Panchkula, Haryana and is the entry point to Himachal Pradesh. This toy train is among the best attractions of Shimla as it very gracefully uplifts the architecture of British times and has a very photogenic route throughout the journey. There are a number of tunnels through which the train passes and the train itself is so vibrant that it never stops grabbing the attention of the tourists.

2. Shimla Christ Church

Being the second oldest church in the whole of North India, the Shimla Christ Church holds a lot of historic importance. The architecture of the church speaks for itself and the interiors are more than just pretty. It's a very attractive and appealing tourist spot in Shimla and forms the major attraction point of the Mall road there.

3. Jakhu Temple

There are devotees and then there are such devotees who can go to any extend to pray to their god. The Jakhu temple in Shimla homes the world’s largest Hanuman statue that can be seen from most parts of Shimla. The temple is mostly crowded throughout the year with tourists who want to pray and tourists who are there for the statue. This temple is one of the oldest temple in the Shimla and has existed even before Shimla was formed. The temple is used to worship goddess Shyamala from which the name Shimla derives from.

4. Green Valley Mountain Range

While moving towards Kufri, the green valley mountain range extends gracefully giving the visitors a wonderful sight of the nature's beauty. The valley is so scenic and appealing that it makes the visitors long for it even after they've left the place. As its name, the mountain range is covered with greenery and is really dense. People can trek in the mountain trails and enjoy camping and other activities with their friends.

5. Naldehra

Situated at a considerably high altitude and located 22 kms from Shimla, Naldehra is the home to the Naldehra Golf Club which is one of the best golf courses in India. It used to be a relaxing place for the Britishers and in the same way, the tourists or the locals can go there and have a great time unwinding.

6. Himachal State Museum

The Himachal state museum located in the Chaura Maidan, Shimla is a museum made from a mansion. The original mansion called ‘Inverarm’ was very intricately transformed into a museum after it got transferred to the government and was then made open to all. The museum has a magnificent collection of bronzes, coins, jewelry, contemporary art, numismatics, army collections, collections of Archaeology, the Sikh paintings, sculptures, wall paintings and many more.

7. Kufri

Located around 13 kms from the main town of Shimla, Kufri is the hub of some amazing activities and fun. It's comparatively cooler and at a higher altitude from the main town but is also very popular among the visitors. Even though it has a number of fun activities and adventures that can be done here, not many tourists are really aware of it, thus making it less crowded throughout the year.

One such adventure here is Skiing. Skiing is a very popular sport of Himachal Pradesh and Kufri has a number of training facilities too for skiing. Kufri is a beautiful town with magnificent sceneries making it an absolute favorite among the ones who visit it. It also holds a winter sports festival. Apart from skiing, horse riding is another activity that is done by the tourists with much zeal.

8. Cafes

The food of a place speaks volumes of its culture. Most of the tourists visit different places to wander at its tourist places and to eat the kind of food that is famous there. Shimla located very close to the Himalayas, has an amazing Pahari or hilly cuisine that stands out from the regular meals we all have.

There are excellent cafes in Shimla that serve the best food of the city. Some of these include Wake and Bake, Cafe Simla Times, Café HideOut and many more. These cafes serve different cuisines at very budget friendly rates and have such surreal interiors that woo their customers. Not just on the inside but the scenic beauty of Shimla on the outside too is very soothing.

9. Shopping

Most of the tourists like to buy something from a place they visit and take it back with them to keep it as a memory of that place. Shopping at Shimla is not that difficult as there are number of bazaars and streets that sell authentic handicraft and other pahari products with such intricate details. For people who like Tibetan products Ram Bazar, Tibetan Market and Himachal Emporium are the places they should explore. Lakkar bazaar, Cottage emporium, Lower bazaar are some other street markets and shops for buying clothes, jewelries, fruits and vegetables etc.

10. Temples

The Tara Devi temple, the Kali Bari temple, Gurudwara Sahib are some of the most prominent and famous temples of Shimla that have regular visitors and are crowded throughout the year. For people who are very religious, missing out on these temples might not seem a great idea.

Shimla is a great tourist place with lots to do and lots to explore. The neighboring towns and cities of Shimla like Jammu, Mashobra, Kasauli and others are also a great option to visit after visiting Shimla. The Pahadi culture and the vibrant yet modest surroundings are sure to woo anybody. Shimla is truly a traveller's paradise.