How to reach Shimla — road, rail and air
Getting to Shimla via Chandigarh in about three hours, by the UNESCO Kalka-Shimla Railway, or by HRTC bus — and what each approach actually involves.
ArticleVerified 2026-10-23
Where to see snow in Himachal — ten places, and when each one gets it
Where to see snow in Himachal this winter: Shimla, Kufri and Narkanda, Manali and Sissu, Dalhousie, McLeod Ganj, Kinnaur and Spiti, with when each gets it.
The rule that decides everything
Snow in Himachal is about height, then month. The towns most people book, Shimla at 2,205 m, Manali at 2,050 m and Dalhousie at 1,970 m, get snow in spells, mostly in January and February, and lose it within days on the sunny slopes. The places a few hundred metres higher, or over a pass, hold it for weeks. So the reliable plan is to stay in a town and drive up to the snow, and to keep your dates loose enough to go when a fall comes.
Photos: UnpetitproleX (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Skmishraindia (CC0) · UnpetitproleX (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Amareshwara Sainadh (CC BY-SA 3.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Near Shimla: Kufri and Narkanda
[Shimla](/destinations/shimla) itself takes 42 cm of snow in January and 43 cm in February on its IMD record, and only 7 cm in December. After a fall the Ridge and Jakhoo are white for a day or two. [Kufri](/places/kufri), about 15 km beyond the town at 2,720 m, keeps snow after the town has melted, and in a deep winter its potato-field path becomes a ski track. [Narkanda](/destinations/narkanda), further up the same road at 2,708 m below Hatu Peak, is a ski area in winter and stays white longest of the three. The month-by-month detail is in snowfall in Shimla and Narkanda in winter; the three-day snow plan strings them together.
Near Manali: Solang, Gulaba and Sissu
[Manali](/destinations/manali) is white some weeks and brown others; the snow you can count on is higher. Sissu, the first village of Lahaul at 3,120 m, is about 39 km and 60 min from Manali through the Atal Tunnel, which is open all winter and needs no permit, and holds its snow from December into spring. Solang and the road towards Gulaba are white when the winter has been generous. See Manali in December and Manali in January and February.
Kasol and the Tirthan side
In the Parvati valley the village of Tosh, above Kasol, is the snow day; the Kasol winter plan goes there. In the Banjar valley, Jalori Pass above Jibhi is the snow, and the Jibhi winter plan uses it; the pass road can close after heavy falls.
Dalhousie and McLeod Ganj
[Dalhousie](/destinations/dalhousie) gets 20 to 30 snowy days a year on its record, and the ridge at Dainkund and the meadow at Khajjiar hold the snow longest: Dalhousie in winter. In the Dharamshala area, Wikipedia notes that snow and sleet are common in upper Dharamshala, meaning McLeod Ganj, Bhagsu and Naddi, while the lower town at 1,457 m gets little: Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj in winter.
Kinnaur and Spiti, for the deep winter
Kinnaur has a long winter: October to May at Kalpa, with the villages under about 5 to 7 ft of snow, and Sangla's orchards white for weeks. See Kinnaur in winter. Spiti beyond it is the far end: reachable all winter only by the Kinnaur road, with Kaza's January minimum at −30 °C. It is a serious trip, not a snow weekend: Spiti in winter.
Which to choose
For a weekend from Delhi or Chandigarh, Shimla with Kufri and Narkanda is the shortest drive to snow; the weekend trips guide has the road times. For four or five days, Manali with a day at Sissu is the surest snow. For a quiet winter with snow in the lanes, Dalhousie or McLeod Ganj. For the deep winter, Kinnaur, and only the well prepared should go on to Spiti.
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Questions people ask
Where is the best place to see snow in Himachal?
For a sure thing from December to March, go high: Sissu through the Atal Tunnel from Manali, Narkanda above Shimla, or Kinnaur, where Kalpa's villages lie under 5 to 7 ft of snow. For snow in a town with hotels and roads, Shimla and Manali in January and February are the likeliest, though neither is white every week.
Which month does it snow in Himachal?
January and February are the snowiest months in the towns. Shimla's IMD record gives 42 cm in January and 43 cm in February against 7 cm in December. The high valleys start earlier and stay white longer: Kinnaur's winter runs October to May, and Spiti is frozen all through it.
Where is the nearest snow to Delhi in Himachal?
Kufri, above Shimla, is the nearest place that holds snow reliably after a fall: about 15 km beyond Shimla at 2,720 m. Narkanda, further along the same road at 2,708 m, holds it longer and is a ski area in winter. Both are reached through Shimla in a long day from Delhi.