Shimla - "The Queen of Hills". Review on Shimla

Hey Friends, Finally came back with a review on my favorite topic…Guess What ??? Yeah !!! Right !!! I am here again with the review on a hill station. Whenever we thinks of a hill station, the first name which comes in our mind is Shimla. Yes Shimla is in one of those hill stations which is very famous and almost everybody have heard its name. It is also known as “Queen of hills”. It is situated at the height of 7866 feet above from the sea level in Himachal Pardesh. Shimla is from one of those hill stations which is known to almost everyone. I have been there 3 times till now and every time I find it as amazing, lovely and beautiful. Shimla always been special to me as it was the first hill station where I visited with my Friends and it became a memorable and lovely trip for my whole life. It is not only a hill station to visit but also a well settled city also where you can find everything in the near market; no matter if you are looking for eatables, accessories, gifts, clothes or anything you want.

How to Reach:-

By Bus- You can go there by bus. Buses are easily available from Delhi & Chandigarh to Shimla. You can choose Volvo buses or can take Roadways buses also which are also good for comfortable journey. During the journey by bus you will enjoy the cool breeze & lovely atmosphere on the way and if are going there in the night then you will feel like “Taare Zameen Par”..:)

By Air- You also have the option to go there by air. You can take flights from Delhi airport. And taxis are easily available from there for rest of the journey as Shimla is 20 km from there. By Train- Well, nothing can be more exciting than a train journey in a hill station like Shimla. You can enjoy the beautiful Valleys and sights on the way. But train will leave you at Kalka Station. From there you will have to take bus or taxi to Shimla.

By Taxi or your own Vehicle- Journey by your own vehicle or by taxi is the most comfortable way of journey as you can take break at times whenever you want and can enjoy the photo shoot and sight seeing in between the way. No matter which way you choose; you will definitely enjoy the journey. Choose the way according to your budget and & ease and enjoy the journey. “Choose wisely live well..”..;-)

Where to stay:- There are a lot of luxurious  as well as affordable hotels & resorts  to stay. You can choose according to your budget.  Rain Basera, Gulmohar, Sunrise Villa, HHH Resort, Veergarh and many more are there.  But if your are going in peak season then would suggest you to book in advance otherwise you can face problem there.

Where to Go:- Mall Road- Like every hill station there is also a Mall Road in Shimla. But the different thing about Shimla Mall Road is that it is very huge & wide. It is one of the biggest Mall Road among those hill stations I have ever seen.  There are two ice cream parlors on the right side of Mall Road. You can enjoy the yummy ice-cream in the cool weather of Shimla. There is a statue of our Baapu Mahatma Gandhi which looks very nice. On the mall road there are chairs where you can sit and explore the beautiful valleys. There is a balcony type place also from where you can see the whole Mall Road. On the mall road there is a building where Badal movie was shot. Christ Church- On the Mall Road there is a beautiful Christ Church. It is a very peaceful and beautiful Church and you can buy Christ’s calendar, wall posters, Bible etc. Whenever you will go there please don’t miss this. I am in love with this Church and I got a chance to go there while my third visit…:-)

Lakkar Bazaar- On the left side of Mall Road there is a very famous Lakkar Bazaar from where you can buy a lot of different things made from lakkar. You can buy these goods for your own home decoration or can gift those goods too as they are useful and beautiful too. Zaakhu Mandir- Zaakhu Mandir is very famous Mandir of lord Hanuman. It is situated at the height of 2455 meters. It is the highest point of Shimla from where you can see whole Shimla and can enjoy the view.  It is said that when lord Hanuman was going in the search of Sanjeevani Booti ; he did rest there for some time and that’s why it is a very famous Mandir. You will find a lot of monkeys there, many people got scared because of them but they never hurt anyone. But be aware of your bags and other things like camera, prasad  and phone etc because these monkeys are very naughty ;-) I have experienced the same. They will come near you and will grab the things from you. So be aware of them. On the way you can see the house of cute and bubbly Preity Zinta…:-)

Kaali Mata Mandir- is also very famous which is in the opposite direction of Mall Road. I would suggest you to go there in the evening time when Aarti chants by Pujaris. At the time of Aarti you will feel the amazing - amazing peace there. Kufri- is 13 km away from Shimla which is also very famous for Skiing in the peak season. It looks more pleasant while snow falling. To reach at the place of skiing you can hire Khachchar’s and Horses from the parking place. You can also go by walk but as the road is not good for the walk so hiring them would be better. Main place is like an open & big ground and at the time of snow fall you will feel like you are above the white clouds. There are two stalls where you can enjoy the hot – hot Maggi and other snacks also. There is a small temple also. You can click beautiful memories also with Yalk and Ajgar also..:)

Chail- Chail is also a part of Shimla which is very famous for its beauty. Cool breeze of chail will chilled you out even in the bright sunny day. The main attraction of Chail is a palace (where 3 idiots movie was shot out, remember the scene just before the interval). Besides of these places you can go to Zoo (Where in some cages there is no one)…:D On the way of Shimla there are so many and lovely places where you can visit, off course if time allows. You can go to Kasauli (Check out my Review to know more in details), Solan, Kalka, Timber Train, Parwanoo, Chandigarh – The City Beautiful and many more.

Food- You can enjoy every type of food there like Chinese, Punjabi, Thai food, Tibet food, South Indian food etc. But don’t forget to taste those yummy ice cream on the Mall Road. Shimla is so much famous that a lot of bollywood movies are shot there like Krantiveer, Badal, Jab We Met, 3 Idiots etc. People go there again and again to explore its natural beauty. People of Shimla are also very humble and nice. If you haven’t visit Shimla yet, then please allow yourself to go there and visit the place. You will love it for sure. Take Care, Vanita