General Info

Shimla was once part of the Nepalese kingdom and called Shyamala. In 1864 Shimla became the summer capital of India. Following independence, Shimla was initially the capital of the Punjab, then became the capital of Himachal Pradesh in 1966. Today, Shimla is a pleasant, sprawling town, set among cool pine-clad hills with plenty of crumbling colonial charm. High season is mid-April to mid-July, mid-September to late October and mid-December to mid-January. The best time to visit is mid-September to late November.

The Himachal Emporium on the (eastern) Mall has a reasonable collection of local handicrafts. The Tibetan Refugee handloom shop, at the other end of the Mall, is the showroom for a local development project and sells carpets, clothes and other Tibetan crafts.

Probably the most popular, and best, entertainment is to stroll along The Mall and The Ridge. This is especially pleasant in the evenings when the views and lights are wonderful. The lovely old Gaiety Theatre often has some shows or racitals, particularly in summer.

Private airlines operates flights from Shimla to Delhi. The HPTDC offers daily buses in season to Manali, Dharamsala, Delhi and Lahaul & Spiti. The train journey to Shimla involves a change from broad gauge to narrow gauge at Kalka, a little north of Chandigarh.