Weekend getaways from Shimla by car

Weekend Getaways from Shimla by Car

Eight places worth a night from Shimla, with the drive, the return fare and the weekend shape.

Call 7668570551WhatsApp a plan
8 destinations 5 two-day trips 3 need three days Chauffeur-driven, fare fixed before travel

Short answer

Where can you go for a weekend from Shimla?

8 destinations from Shimla are worth a night, 45 to 250 km away by road. The closest is Chail at 45 km, about 1.5-2 hours of driving, with the return journey from ₹5,940 in a sedan. 5 work as a two-day weekend; 3 need a third day because the drive is too long to justify a single night — the longest being Manali at 250 km.

Destinations
8
Two-day weekends
5 of 8
Nearest
Chail — 45 km
Furthest
Manali — 250 km
Return fare from
₹5,940
Need three days
3 of 8

Fares are the full return journey with a chauffeur, from the published round-trip rate card. Fuel, the driver and GST are included; tolls, parking, state permits and the driver's night allowance are charged at actuals.

Planning a weekend out of Shimla

Shimla is on a ridge with roads running four ways along and off it — the Hindustan-Tibet road east toward Kinnaur, the Kullu valley north, the Sirmaur hills south, and the plain below. Hill distances here are about the road rather than the kilometres, and the list below is honest about that.

The day-trip page covers Kufri, Naldehra, Chail and Mashobra, which are all inside an easy return. This page is for the trips a night or two makes possible, including two that reach into Kinnaur where the landscape stops being hill station and becomes high desert.

Return fares are computed from the published round-trip rate card.

8 weekend trips from Shimla, nearest first

Every fare below is the full return journey with a chauffeur, computed from the published round-trip rate card. Fuel, the driver and GST are included; tolls, parking and any state permit are charged at actuals.

Shimla to Chail

1 night · 2 days
Distance one way
45 km
Driving time
1.5-2 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

A former Patiala summer capital with the highest cricket ground in the world at 2,444 metres, a palace hotel in deodar forest, and the Chail wildlife sanctuary around it.

How the weekend runs

Close, and a day trip for most people. The night buys the forest at either end of the day — Chail at six in the morning is silent in a way the Shimla ridge never is, and the sanctuary walks want an early start.

Best season: Mar-Jun, Sep-Nov 600 km billedRoute details

Shimla to Narkanda and Hatu Peak

1 night · 2 days
Distance one way
65 km
Driving time
2.5 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

Apple country on the Hindustan-Tibet road, with the Hatu Peak temple at 3,400 metres eight kilometres above the town and a view across to the Shrikhand range.

How the weekend runs

The Hatu road is narrow and the view goes by mid-morning haze. A night at Narkanda gets you up there at first light with the Himalaya clear, which is the whole point and is not available to a day visitor.

Best season: Apr-Jun, Sep-Nov, Dec-Feb for snow 600 km billed

Shimla to Sarahan

1 night · 2 days
Distance one way
165 km
Driving time
5-6 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

The Bhimakali temple, a tiered Kinnauri tower of wood and slate that is one of the finest buildings in the Himalaya, with the Shrikhand Mahadev peak behind it.

How the weekend runs

Five to six hours on the Hindustan-Tibet road, which is slow and worth not rushing. The temple opens early and the peak behind it is clear at dawn. A night at Sarahan is also the standard first stop for anyone going further into Kinnaur.

Best season: Apr-Nov 600 km billed

Shimla to Manali

2 nights · 3 days
Distance one way
250 km
Driving time
7-8 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

Old Manali and the Hadimba temple in deodar forest, Solang for the snow and the paragliding, Vashisht's hot springs, and the Rohtang road above if it is open.

How the weekend runs

Seven to eight hours over the Kullu valley road. Two nights at least. Rohtang needs a permit, has a daily vehicle cap and is shut by snow for much of the year — check it before building a trip around it.

Best season: Mar-Jun, Sep-Nov 600 km billedRoute details

Shimla to Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj

2 nights · 3 days
Distance one way
230 km
Driving time
7-8 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

The Tsuglagkhang complex and the Dalai Lama's residence at McLeod Ganj, the Bhagsu waterfall, the Triund trailhead, and the Kangra fort and Masroor temples below.

How the weekend runs

Seven to eight hours across Himachal. Two nights. McLeod Ganj and the Kangra valley below it are two different days, and the Triund walk is a third if you want it.

Best season: Mar-Jun, Sep-Nov 600 km billedRoute details

Shimla to Chandigarh

1 night · 2 days
Distance one way
115 km
Driving time
3.5 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

The Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, the Capitol Complex with Le Corbusier's High Court and Assembly, and the Rose Garden.

How the weekend runs

Three and a half hours down the hill. The Capitol Complex is only visitable on guided tours at fixed times and must be arranged ahead, which is the thing a day trip usually misses. Build the weekend around that slot.

Best season: Sep-Mar 600 km billedRoute details

Shimla to Rishikesh

2 nights · 3 days
Distance one way
230 km
Driving time
7 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

Rafting between Shivpuri and Rishikesh, the footbridges, the Beatles ashram, and the Triveni Ghat aarti at dusk.

How the weekend runs

Seven hours across to Uttarakhand via Paonta Sahib. Two nights, because rafting is a morning activity and the aarti is at sunset, and getting both plus fourteen hours of driving into two days does not work.

Best season: Sep-Jun 600 km billed

Shimla to Kasauli

1 night · 2 days
Distance one way
75 km
Driving time
2.5 hours
Sedan, return
₹5,940
SUV, return
₹7,560

A small cantonment on a wooded spur, with Christ Church, the Monkey Point view over the plain, the Gilbert nature trail, and almost no commercial development.

How the weekend runs

Two and a half hours. Kasauli is a walking town rather than a sightseeing one, and the Gilbert trail and the view from Monkey Point are both best early. A night turns a drive-through into the reason to go.

Best season: Mar-Jun, Sep-Nov 600 km billedRoute details

Weekend trips from Shimla — common questions

Weekend getaways from other cities

AgraAjmerAmritsarAyodhyaBikanerDehradunDharamshalaFaridabadGhaziabadHaridwarJaisalmerJodhpurLucknowManaliMathuraMount AbuMussoorieNainitalPushkarRishikeshVaranasi

Plan your weekend from Shimla

Tell us the destination and the dates. We confirm the car, the driver and the fare before you travel, and there is no advance payment.

7668570551WhatsApp us

Chauffeur-driven across North India Available 24/7