Shimla Tourism – A Perfect Shimla Travel Guide

Amazing cloud capped mountains, lush greenery and cooling weather all makes Shimla a perfect tourist spot which make this place a perfect tourist hub. Holding a prominent position in North India tours, Shimla houses with many tourist attractions which makes the place more appealing.

About Shimla

Once famous as a summer retreat for the British rulers Shimla is listed among the best tourist attractions in India. Serving as the capital city of Himachal Pradesh, the place is surrounded by Kullu and Mandi in north, Kinnaur in east and Solan, Sirmaur in South. The place has derived its name from the Shyamala Devi who is considered as the incarnation of Goddess Kali.  The scenic beauty of Shimla is filled with dense forests of pine, deodar and oak forests.
Shimla is also the house of many renowned educational institutes where many prominent and notable personalities have completed their education. There are also many vintage styled architectural marvels in the state which were dating back to British Rule. Filled with amazing temples, churches and palaces the place is the house of rich culture and heritage that mirror our country.

History of Shimla

The beautiful place of Shimla is believed to be discovered by the British, in 19th century when this charming place was a pleasing village filled with rich dense forests. Earlier Shimla was the part of the then Nepal Kingdom. It is during the reign of Lord William Bentinck who got mesmerized by the beauty of the place and acquired Shimla into Indian territory by the Government procedure and since then the place had served as the summer retreat for the British officials. After India gained Independence in 1947, the place has merged in to the state of Himachal Pradesh. It was year till 1966 when Shimla served as the capital of Punjab  and later it converted into the capital of Himachal Pradesh.

Shimla – Culture-Festival-Art-Music-People

Though it is not easy to describe the rich and plush beauty of Shimla in few words but yet here are some amazing facts which might blow your mind after reading the same. Located in the lap of the mysterious ranges of Himalayas, the place is filled with tourists round the year and one can enjoy the rich culture of Shimla like never before. 
The interesting thing about the culture of Shimla is that it is not built and developed on the basis of particular cast or religion. Even The people of Shimla are of various races and the tribes that make this place more unique. Coming with family and kids in Shimla will definitely be a pleasing experience for North India family tourism. One can see the high influence of Tibeten lifestyle on Shimla’s lifestyle. Salwar-Kurta, Kameez, Juan Chadiya of long knee length are some normal attire people wears here.
The music of Shimla is as beautiful as this place. People generally play the folk music and tap their feet on traditional dance form on various festivals. Instruments generally played here are Ektara, Chimta, Ghunghroo, Flute and Khartal etc. Dance like Bakayang Dance, Kayang Dance, Jataru Kayang Dance and many more are famous dances of Shimla.
Talking about the religion, as such there is no particular religion followed in the place. One can find Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity majorly followed here. St. Micheals Church, Bhimakali Temple, Sankat Mochan Temple and many Buddhist monasteries are some of the major pilgrim sites in north India.

List of Things To Do in Shimla

Visiting this charming place and not enjoying its beauty to fullest is something not expectable. So here is the list of things to do can do in Shimla which goes as follows – 
Enjoy a classic Jeep Safari and explore classic north Indian jungle along with lush valleys and Kinnaur.
Take a trail to the heritage sites of Shimla and enjoy the amazing and thrilling experience of heritage walk in India. You will love exploring temples, castles, heritage hotels and other heritage sites of Shimla.
Exploring the green valleys and enjoy the exotic flora and fauna of the place under wildlife tours in India.
Here are some more things that you can do while being in Shimla, such as – 

• Bird Watching, 
• Climbing Shaily Peak, 
• Visiting Jakhoo temple in Jakhoo Hill, 
• Enjoying strolling at Chadwick Waterfall
• Exploring Lakkar Bazar for shopping experience 
• Ice Skating in Shimla and many more

Best Time To Visit Shimla

With its charismatic weather Shimla holds a prominent place in North India holidays. Though the place is filled with a plethora of tourists from all over the country round the year but yet the place is best visited in the month of March to June. It is the time of spring season when the winters have just passed away and a vanilla sky welcome the new season which would be quite enjoyable. People from northern part of the country visit Shimla for summer holidays.

Stay Options in Shimla

Being a prominent tourist destination, Shimla is filled with a wide range of accommodation options that travellers can avail in all ranges according to their budget and pockets. There are various hotels in Shimla, some of the names of 5 star Shimla hotels includes, Hotel The Oberoi Cecil Shimla, Hotel Radisson Shimla and Hotel Wildflower Hall Shimla are just to name a few. While Hotel Aamod, Clarks Hotel, Club Mahindra Mashobra and Flag House Resort are some of the finest 4 star hotels in Shimla. For all the budget friendly people, the place has a wide option for stay such as Aachman Regency, Alpine Heriatge Residency, Asia The Dawn Shimla and The Cedar Grand which are considered as the best budget hotels in Shimla.

How To Reach Shimla

The tourist hub Shimla is easily accessible from all the locations. The place is  well-connected by most of the modes of transportation. Cities life Chandigarh, Kullu, Manali and New Delhi are located close to Shimla. Here’s how to reach Shimla – 
By Air – Shimla has its own airport namely Jubbarhatti which is located at a distance of 23 km from main city center.
By Train- Shimla has its connectivity by narrow lane with Kalka that connects the place with all other major cities of India. 
By Road- The place is famous among the travellers and thus one can find a well-clustered road that connects with this charming place with other major tourist destination. You can take bus from Delhi and its nearby locations.