Perched at over 2,200 metres in the Himalayan foothills, Shimla was the summer capital of British India, and it still wears that legacy proudly: mock-Tudor mansions, a mock-gothic church, and a promenade called the Ridge where the whole town gathers at dusk. Framed by deodar forests and snow-flecked peaks, it is one of India's most atmospheric hill stations, and one of the very few reached by a heritage railway rather than a road.
The approach is part of the experience. The narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, climbs nearly 100 kilometres through more than 100 tunnels and 800 bridges, and journeys aboard the Deccan Odyssey weave a ride on this line into their itinerary as travellers head up into the hills after touring the plains of northern India. Arriving this way, with the temperature dropping and the pines closing in outside the window, sets Shimla apart from any destination reached by car.
Palace Trains guests joining the Deccan Odyssey's northern India routings can add Shimla as a hill-station finale or diversion, trading the heat of Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan for cool mountain air, colonial-era architecture and long walks through cedar forest.
- ✦UNESCO-listed Kalka-Shimla mountain railway
- ✦Former summer capital of British India
- ✦The Ridge and Christ Church
- ✦Grand Viceregal Lodge
- ✦Jakhu Temple hilltop views
- ✦Himachali mountain cuisine
- ✦Reached by the Deccan Odyssey
Places to See in Shimla
The Ridge
Shimla's open-air heart, a wide pedestrian promenade with sweeping views of the surrounding peaks. It is the social hub of the town, especially at sunset, and connects directly to the Mall Road shopping street and Christ Church.
Christ Church
India's second-oldest church, completed in 1857 in neo-Gothic style, with its distinctive mustard-yellow facade and stained-glass windows overlooking the Ridge. It remains one of the most photographed buildings in the Himalayas.
Viceregal Lodge (Indian Institute of Advanced Study)
A grand Jacobethan-style residence built for the Viceroy of India in the 1880s, set in landscaped gardens on Observatory Hill. It hosted key pre-Independence conferences and is now a research institute open to visitors for guided tours of its wood-panelled halls.
Kalka-Shimla Railway
The narrow-gauge "toy train" line, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, threads through 102 tunnels and 800-plus bridges on its climb from the plains, including the iconic multi-arched Barog tunnel approach and Solan valley viaducts.
Jakhu Temple
A hilltop shrine dedicated to Hanuman, reached by a steep walk or cable car from the Ridge, marked by a towering statue of the monkey god and offering panoramic views over the town and, on clear days, distant snow peaks.
Mall Road
The town's colonial-era shopping and dining spine, lined with Himachali handicraft shops, bakeries and cafes, closed to private vehicles and best explored on foot in the cool evening air.
Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex
A beautifully restored Victorian theatre dating to 1887, once the stage for amateur dramatics among British officials, now home to a small museum and occasional performances.
Kufri
A small hill resort a short drive from Shimla, popular for its views, pony rides and, in winter, snow activities, and often paired with a Shimla stay as a half-day excursion.
Food & Gastronomy
Shimla's food culture mixes Himachali mountain cooking with the bakeries and cafes left behind by a century of British and colonial-era residents. Mall Road is dotted with old-world tea rooms and bakeries alongside stalls serving warming, high-altitude comfort food.
- Siddu — a steamed, slightly leavened wheat bun stuffed with poppy seed paste or minced meat, a Himachali staple served with ghee and lentil chutney.
- Madra — a rich Himachali curry of chickpeas or kidney beans simmered in a yoghurt-based gravy, traditionally cooked in ghee and served at festive meals.
- Chha Gosht — mutton cooked in a gram-flour and curd gravy, a signature dish of the Himachal hills often served with rice.
- Tudkiya Bhath — a spiced Himachali rice dish layered with lentils and vegetables, a hearty mountain take on pulao.
- Babru — a Himachali stuffed fried bread similar to a kachori, filled with black gram paste and eaten with tamarind chutney.
- Chana Madra and Rajma — slow-cooked legume curries that anchor most home-style Himachali thalis.
- Momos and thukpa — Tibetan-influenced dumplings and noodle soup, widely available given Shimla's Tibetan community, perfect for the cool evenings.
For something closer to the Raj era, Mall Road's bakeries still turn out cakes, patties and pastries in the old colonial style, best paired with a cup of Kangra tea grown in the valleys below town.
