How to reach Shimla

From the airport

Shimla Airport (SLV) is at Jubbarhatti, about 22 km from town, 40 minutes to an hour by road; a pre-paid taxi is the simplest way in. Its short runway is cut into a levelled hilltop, so only small turboprop aircraft use it. Alliance Air restarted flights from Delhi in May 2026, announced as six days a week, with a Shimla-Dharamshala flight five days a week, but the service has been suspended several times over the years, including in bad weather, so check the current schedule before you book.

Chandigarh International Airport (IXC) has many more flights, from Delhi, Mumbai and other cities. It is about 120 km from Shimla, 3 to 4 hours by taxi.

From the railway station

Shimla has its own station (SML) on Cart Road, about 1 km west of the Old Bus Stand, at the end of the narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage line. The toy train covers the 96 km from Kalka (KLK) in about 4 to 5½ hours; six regular trains a day leave Kalka between about 3.30 am and noon, with an extra special in busy seasons. The morning Kalka Shatabdi from New Delhi (about 4 hours) reaches Kalka shortly before the Himalayan Queen leaves at about noon, and the overnight Netaji Express from Old Delhi reaches Kalka at around 3 am, in time for the early departures. Toy-train seats sell out quickly in the summer holidays, so reserve ahead. If you are short of time, leave the train at Kalka or Chandigarh (CDG) and take a taxi: 2½ to 3 hours from Kalka, 3 to 4 hours from Chandigarh.

By road

Shimla sits at the top of National Highway 5, the road up from the plains. From Delhi (about 350 to 370 km, 7 to 9 hours by car) you drive north on NH-44 through Panipat and Karnal to Ambala, take the expressway to Zirakpur on the edge of Chandigarh and join NH-5 there towards Kalka. From Chandigarh itself it is about 115 to 120 km, 3 to 4 hours.

At Parwanoo, just past Kalka, the climb begins. The 39 km from Parwanoo through Dharampur to Solan has been four-lane since 2021; from Solan the road runs on through Kandaghat and Shoghi for the last 45 km or so into Shimla. Allow 2½ to 3 hours for the 80 to 90 km from Kalka, and expect slow traffic at weekends and on holidays, especially on the final stretch into town.

From July to September landslides can close the highway for hours or days: the Chakki Mor slope on the Parwanoo-Solan stretch shut the road for several days in 2023 and gave way again in the 2026 monsoon. Snow, mostly in January and early February, can make the last stretch into Shimla icy. From Manali the road comes in from the north instead, via Kullu and Mandi: about 230 to 280 km depending on the route, 7 to 9 hours.

By bus

Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) runs the main services. From Delhi, HRTC Volvo and Scania coaches (Himsuta) and other buses leave Kashmere Gate ISBT every day and take about 9 to 12 hours, depending on the bus and the traffic. From Chandigarh, buses to Shimla leave the Sector 43 bus stand about every half hour for a run of about 4 hours via Parwanoo and Solan. Beyond Shimla, buses run to Rohru, about 5 to 6 hours away, and a few go on to Chirgaon for the Pabbar valley treks; from Rohru, shared jeeps and buses to Chirgaon run often. HRTC seats can be booked online, but timings change, so check current departures before you plan around a particular bus.

Local transfers

Long-distance buses stop at the ISBT at Tutikandi, about 5 km from the centre; local buses and taxis run from there to the Old Bus Stand on Cart Road. The Mall and the Ridge are closed to most traffic, so for hotels up there take a taxi to the nearest road point and walk, or use the public lift from Cart Road. Allow 8 to 9 hours by road from Shimla to Janglik for the Buran Ghati trek, and about 7 hours to Jiskun for the Rupin Pass trek. Arrive in Shimla the day before a trek starts.

Distances from major points

• Delhi to Shimla: about 350 to 370 km
• Chandigarh to Shimla: about 115 to 120 km
• Chandigarh Airport to Shimla: about 120 km
• Kalka to Solan: about 40 to 45 km
• Solan to Shimla: about 45 km
• Kalka to Shimla by road: about 80 to 90 km
• Kalka to Shimla by toy train: 96 km
• Shimla Airport (Jubbarhatti) to Shimla: about 22 km
• Manali to Shimla via Kullu and Mandi: about 230 to 280 km
• Shimla to Rohru, for the Pabbar valley treks: about 105 to 115 km

Good to know

Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, spreads along a ridge at about 2,200 m. It is the usual overnight stop before treks in the Pabbar and Rupin valleys and the town those treks return to. For an early start, stay near Cart Road or the Old Bus Stand rather than up on the Mall, which vehicles cannot reach. Shimla is the biggest town on these routes and the easiest place to buy anything you have forgotten and to draw cash before heading into the valleys. No permits are needed for Shimla itself. Rooms fill quickly at weekends and in the summer holidays, so book ahead.

Safety

Keep a spare day before a trek start. In the monsoon, July to September, one landslide can hold traffic for hours, and the toy train has been suspended after heavy rain, as in 2023. In December and January dense fog on the plains around Chandigarh makes night and early-morning driving slow. Heavy snow, mostly in January and early February, can make roads icy and block the highway beyond Shimla towards Kufri and Narkanda. At about 2,200 m Shimla needs no special acclimatisation. Avoid driving the hills after dark, and check the road locally before you set out.

Travel tips

• Plan buffer time for road delays, especially in monsoon and winter.
• Start early for long drives to avoid night stretches on mountain roads.
• Keep offline maps and cash as backup in low-network zones.
• If you are continuing to high altitude areas, acclimatize and hydrate well.