Things to do in Kasauli — 5 worth the visit, and what each costs
Five things to do in Kasauli sorted by distance from the bus stand, with measured drive times, what each one costs, and the best time of year to go.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-23
Himachal weekend trips from Delhi and Chandigarh — seven towns by road time
Seven Himachal towns for a weekend from Delhi or Chandigarh, sorted by measured road time: Kasauli, Nahan, Paonta Sahib, Chail, Shimla, Narkanda and Mandi.
How to read this list
Every time below is our own road measurement, not a guess. The Delhi figures are free-flow routing from ISBT Kashmere Gate, which ignores traffic, so the real drive is longer, often by hours on a Friday evening. The Chandigarh figures are measured on the hill roads. Sorted nearest first from Chandigarh, here is what each town gives a weekend, and which of our plans fits it.
Photos: Harvinder Chandigarh (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Aarti Jadli (CC BY-SA 4.0) · UnpetitproleX (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wittystef (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Kasauli — the shortest drive
About 58 km and 92 min from Chandigarh; about 303 km and 234 min free-flow from Delhi. Kasauli is a small cantonment town on a ridge, quiet, wooded and walkable, with an old church, a sunset point and the hill-top Air Force station. From Chandigarh it is close enough for a day; from Delhi it is the nearest proper hill station on this list. Add Dagshai and Barog for a second day. Plans: the one-day loop and two days with Dagshai and Barog.
Nahan — the town of ponds
About 86 km and 86 min from Chandigarh; about 261 km and 192 min from Delhi. Nahan, the old capital of Sirmaur, is lower and warmer than the hill stations, built round its ponds and the old palace. A good winter weekend when the higher towns are cold, and a short drive from both cities.
Paonta Sahib — the gurdwara on the Yamuna
About 119 km and 117 min from Chandigarh; about 236 km and 188 min from Delhi. Paonta Sahib is a pilgrim town on the Yamuna, built round Guru Gobind Singh's gurdwara, with Renuka Lake and the Ashokan edicts at Kalsi within a day. The shortest drive from Delhi on this list; not a hill station, so better from October to March.
Chail — the quiet ridge
About 101 km and 180 min from Chandigarh; about 367 km and 303 min from Delhi. Chail has the old Patiala summer palace, a cricket ground on a hilltop and a wildlife sanctuary in deodar forest, with far fewer people than Shimla. A two-night weekend fits: see two days with the palace and Sadhupul.
Shimla — the classic long weekend
About 108 km and 181 min from Chandigarh; about 367 km and 273 min from Delhi. Shimla is the busiest weekend on the list, with the Ridge, the Mall, Jakhoo and Kufri. Go by the Kalka–Shimla Railway to skip the traffic. The two-day plan with Kufri is the weekend; in winter see snowfall in Shimla.
Narkanda — the far edge of a weekend
About 169 km and 294 min from Chandigarh; about 426 km and 352 min from Delhi. Narkanda sits higher than Shimla, on an open ridge below Hatu Peak, with snow in winter. From Delhi it is a long drive for two nights; from Chandigarh it works. See Narkanda in winter for the snow months.
Mandi — on the road north
About 164 km and 169 min from Chandigarh; about 420 km and 316 min from Delhi. Mandi, a temple town on the Beas, is less a weekend in itself than a first night on the way to Kullu and Manali, and a good one.
Further than a weekend
Manali, Kasol, Dharamshala, Bir and Dalhousie are all about 480 km or more from Delhi by road. Do them by the overnight bus, or give them four days or more. The six-day Shimla and Manali plan is the usual way to combine the two big names.
Places around Kasauli
The Kasauli guide →More stories to read
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How to reach Kasauli — the Chandigarh and Kalka roads
Getting to Kasauli via Chandigarh in about an hour and a half, by train to Kalka and onward by road, or by HRTC bus — and what each route involves.
The best time to visit Kasauli
Kasauli by season, using its own sparse published figures: when the monsoon humidity peaks, when the cold sets in, and the clearest windows for its viewpoints.
How to reach Darjeeling — Bagdogra, New Jalpaiguri and the toy train
How to reach Darjeeling: Bagdogra airport, New Jalpaiguri station, the road from Siliguri, the toy train from the plains and the monsoon landslide risk.
How to reach Srinagar — by air, rail and the Jammu highway
How to reach Srinagar by air, by the Jammu–Baramulla railway and by road from Jammu, Chandigarh and Delhi, with measured distances and the winter road warnings.
Best time to visit Mukteshwar — monsoon, snow and clear months
When to visit Mukteshwar: month-by-month temperatures and rain from Wikipedia's table, a heavy monsoon from July to September and occasional snow in winter.
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Questions people ask
For a weekend from Delhi, how close is the nearest hill station in Himachal?
By road, Paonta Sahib and Nahan are the nearest Himachal towns on this list, at about 236 km and 261 km from Delhi. For a hill station proper, Kasauli is about 303 km, roughly four hours free-flow. Shimla and Chail are about 367 km, which makes a fuller two days.
Which place in Himachal is best for a weekend from Chandigarh?
Kasauli, about 58 km and 92 min away, is the shortest drive and works even as a day trip. Nahan is about 86 km, Chail about 101 km and Shimla about 108 km, three hours each. Narkanda, about 169 km, is the furthest that still fits a two-night weekend comfortably.
Can I do Manali or Dharamshala in a weekend from Delhi?
Only by overnight bus both ways. Manali is about 513 km by road and Dharamshala about 480 km, so a car trip spends most of a weekend on the highway. Leave Friday night, sleep on the bus, and you get two full days; otherwise choose a nearer town from this list.