Shimla

This jaded town is a curious mingling of grand colonial structures with temple-topped mountains and chaotic bazaars. Although commercialisation has marred the charm of the town to some degrees, it is still very attractive for its Raj remnants, all nestled in the beautiful Himalayas.

The centre of the town remains the Mall, teeming with more tourists than locals, lined with ubiquitous restaurants and shops. But to get a taste of real Shimla, delve into the markets. Here you will see the Himachalis, dressed in colourful costumes, bargaining, chattering and lounging. While in the bazaars you will find it difficult to imagine that once Shimla was the hub of British frolics, home to parties and pantomimes, and that the Mall was off limits to all natives except the royalty.

But stroll around and you will see quaint bungalows, wooden cottages, grand churches and gothic turrets. Shimla was established as the British summer capital in 1817 and is claimed to have been as fashionable as London or Paris. Polo and cricket ruled the roost and the Gaiety theatre hosted plays. Places like Annadale, the Viceregal Lodge and the Georgian houses scattered around the town are privy to this fact. The Gaiety Theatre in fact still holds performances and the state museum houses ‘Company Paintings’ showcasing the times.

Shimla offers awesome views of the snow topped mountains and on a clear day, you can spend hours staring at the peaks, changing colour as the day ends. The town is also ideal as a starting point for trips to places such as Mashobra, Kasauli or Chail, or destinations farther away such as Kullu-Manali, Lahaul-Spiti or Ladakh. Well connected to rest of Northern India, the town is tourist friendly and has no accommodation or transport problems.