Shimla Travel Guide (Overview)
Shimla is the capital Himachal Pradesh in India and a popular hill-station among Indian families and
honeymooners. Situated at the height of 2200m, Shimla was the summer capital of British India. Shimla
still retains its old-world charm with beautiful colonial architecture, pedestrian-friendly Mall Road and
the ridge lined up with multiple shops, cafes and restaurants.
Language: Language: Hindi ( Hello- Namaste) Currency: Indian rupee Weather: Shimla features a subtropical highland climate under the Köppen climate classification. The
climate in Shimla is predominantly cool during winters and moderately warm during summer.
Temperatures typically range from −4 °C (25 °F) to 31 °C (88 °F) over the course of a year.
The average temperature during summer is between 19 and 28 °C (66 and 82 °F), and between −1 and
10 °C (30 and 50 °F) in winter. Monthly precipitation varies between 15 millimetres (0.59 in) in
November and 434 millimetres (17.1 in) in August. It is typically around 45 millimetres (1.8 in) per
month during winter and spring, and around 175 millimetres (6.9 in) in June as the monsoon
approaches.
The average total annual precipitation is 1,575 millimetres (62 in), which is much less than most other
hill stations but still much heavier than on the plains. Snowfall in the region, which historically has
taken place in the month of December, has lately been happening in January or early February every
year.
The maximum snowfall received in recent times was 38.6 centimetres (15.2 in) on 18 January 2013.
On two consecutive days (17 and 18 January 2013), the town received 63.6 centimetres (25.0 in) of
snow.
Places to Visit: - The Ridge
- Kufri
- Chail
- Kalka Shimla Toy Train
- Tattapani
- Mall Road
- Shimla Christ Church
- Jakhu Temple
- Green Valley
- Mashobra
- Naldehra
How to Reach
The nearest broad gauge railway station from Shimla is in Kalka which is 89 km away. One can either
take a taxi, local bus or the toy train to Shimla. Shimla is easily accessible via road too and ChandigarhShimla highway is in good condition and it only takes around 3 and a half hours to reach here from
Chandigarh. Chandigarh is the nearest major airport from Shimla and is around 113 km away. The
nearest airport is Jubbarhatti Airport which is 25 km away from the heart of Shimla, however, this
airport occasionally functions with limited flights from Delhi.
