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The Dhauladhar range rising above green forested ridges near Dharamshala

Places to Visit in Himachal Pradesh

Thirteen destinations, four very different regions — from colonial hill stations to Buddhist high valleys.

Himachal Pradesh is best understood in four parts. The Kullu valley runs up the Beas to Manali and the adventure country around Solang and the Parvati Valley. Shimla and the lower hills hold the colonial heritage and the UNESCO railway. The Kangra valley — Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Bir, Dalhousie — is where the Tibetan world meets tea gardens and ancient temples. And beyond the main range lie the high, dry valleys of Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur.

Each guide covers what to see, how to get there, local tips and the tours that go there.

Kullu, Manali & Parvati

The Kullu valley and the snow-capped Rohtang range seen from above Manali Kullu, Manali & Parvati

Manali & Solang Valley

The Kullu valley’s adventure capital

At the head of the Kullu valley, Manali mixes deodar-forest temples, the old village lanes of Old Manali and Vashisht’s hot springs with the snow slopes, paragliding and skiing of Solang Valley just up the road. It is the base for the Atal Tunnel, Lahaul and the road to Ladakh.

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A glacier-carved valley and jagged peaks seen on the road from Manali towards Rohtang Pass Kullu, Manali & Parvati

Atal Tunnel & Rohtang Pass

Two ways over the Pir Panjal

The 9 km Atal Tunnel, opened in 2020, runs beneath the Pir Panjal range and links Manali with Lahaul all year. Above it, the 3,978 m Rohtang Pass is a snow playground in early summer — reached only with an online permit and a daily cap on vehicles.

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Clouds over the steep, snow-capped ridges of the Parvati Valley seen from Ratocha village Kullu, Manali & Parvati

Kasol & Parvati Valley

Cafés, pine forest and hot springs

The Parvati Valley branches off the Kullu valley at Bhuntar and climbs past Kasol’s riverside cafés and guesthouses to the gurdwara and hot springs of Manikaran, the hamlets of Chalal, Tosh and Malana, and the trek to the hot pools of Kheerganga.

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Musicians with long brass horns leading the Kullu Dussehra procession through crowds Kullu, Manali & Parvati

Kullu & Naggar

The valley of the gods

Kullu town is best known for its Dussehra, when hundreds of village deities are carried down to the Dhalpur maidan for a week-long festival. Across the Beas, Naggar has a 15th-century timber-and-stone castle and the estate of the painter Nicholas Roerich; the river below is Himachal’s rafting hub.

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Shimla & the lower hills

The Ridge in Shimla with Christ Church and Tudor-style buildings at sunset Shimla & the lower hills

Shimla

The summer capital of the Raj

Strung along a ridge at about 2,200 m, Shimla was the summer capital of British India and is now the state capital. Walk the pedestrian Mall Road and the Ridge, visit Christ Church and the Viceregal Lodge, climb Jakhu hill and take day trips to Kufri, Mashobra and Naldehra.

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The blue-and-cream carriages of the Kalka–Shimla toy train running through a sunlit forest Shimla & the lower hills

Kalka–Shimla Toy Train

UNESCO World Heritage on narrow gauge

Opened in 1903, the 96 km narrow-gauge line from Kalka to Shimla climbs about 1,400 m through more than 100 tunnels and over hundreds of bridges. Part of the UNESCO “Mountain Railways of India” since 2008, it is still the most romantic way to arrive in Shimla.

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Dharamshala, Kangra & Chamba

The stacked hillside buildings of McLeod Ganj below forested mountains Dharamshala, Kangra & Chamba

McLeod Ganj & Dharamshala

Little Lhasa under the Dhauladhar

Upper Dharamshala — McLeod Ganj — has been the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile since the 1960s. Visit the Tsuglagkhang temple complex, walk the kora, eat momos and thukpa, and use Bhagsu and Dharamkot as a base for Triund and the Dhauladhar.

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Large boulders on the Triund ridge with the Dhauladhar range and clouds behind Dharamshala, Kangra & Chamba

Triund

Himachal’s favourite day hike

A grassy ridge at about 2,850 m above McLeod Ganj, Triund faces the granite wall of the Dhauladhar across a deep valley. The well-trodden 9 km path from Dharamkot or Gallu Devi takes most walkers three to five hours up — and many stay the night to see sunrise.

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Colourful paragliders drifting above cloud-filled valleys at Bir Billing Dharamshala, Kangra & Chamba

Bir Billing

India’s paragliding capital

Launch from the Billing meadow at around 2,400 m and land in the Tibetan settlement village of Bir, 14 km below. Between flights, Bir has monasteries, cafés and tea gardens — and the quiet Kangra valley setting makes it a favourite stop between Dharamshala and Manali.

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The green meadow and small lake of Khajjiar surrounded by deodar forest Dharamshala, Kangra & Chamba

Dalhousie & Khajjiar

Pine ridges and a famous meadow

Dalhousie is a quiet colonial hill station spread over five hills near the Punjab border, with old churches and long forest walks. Some 22 km away, Khajjiar’s saucer-shaped meadow and small lake, ringed by deodar, are the region’s postcard view; Chamba town and its temples lie beyond.

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Lahaul, Spiti & Kinnaur

The braided Spiti river winding through a wide, barren valley near Kaza Lahaul, Spiti & Kinnaur

Spiti Valley

The Himalaya’s cold desert

Beyond the main Himalayan range, Spiti is a high, dry valley of whitewashed villages and centuries-old monasteries. Kaza is the base for Key Gompa, Kibber, Langza and Komic; downstream are Dhankar and Tabo, and to the west the Kunzum pass and the moon lake of Chandratal.

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The snowy Kinnaur Kailash massif glowing pink at sunrise Lahaul, Spiti & Kinnaur

Kinnaur

Apple orchards below Kinnaur Kailash

Kinnaur follows the Sutlej gorge from Shimla towards Tibet. Kalpa faces the sacred Kinnaur Kailash massif; the Baspa valley leads to Sangla and Chitkul, the last village on the old Hindustan–Tibet road; and wooden temples, apple orchards and dramatic roads fill the days in between.

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Keylong town and green fields below snowy peaks in the Bhaga valley, Lahaul Lahaul, Spiti & Kinnaur

Lahaul

Beyond the tunnel

Now only a short drive from Manali through the Atal Tunnel, Lahaul is a stark, beautiful valley of Buddhist and Hindu villages along the Chandra and Bhaga rivers. Sissu, Keylong and Jispa are stops on the Manali–Leh road, and the route to Spiti leaves from Gramphu.

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Linking the regions

Manali to Dharamshala is about 230 km (7–8 hours via Mandi and Baijnath, passing Bir). Shimla to Manali is roughly 250 km (7–9 hours via Mandi). Shimla to Dharamshala is around 240 km. Spiti is a multi-day loop from either Shimla (via Kinnaur) or Manali (via the Kunzum pass, in summer).

A sensible first trip links two or three bases rather than trying to see everything. See our Himachal travel guide for sample itineraries.

Plan your Himalayan trip

See the Himalaya with people who know the roads

Solang and the Atal Tunnel, the Triund ridge, the Shimla toy train or a week in Spiti — local guides and drivers handle the permits, the passes and the weather. Compare tours and book in a couple of taps.

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