Where to stay in Manali — the areas compared

Five places, not one

Manali is a small town with several distinct places to sleep around it, and the choice shapes the trip more than the hotel does. Here they are, with who each suits.

The town and the Mall

The centre: the bus stand, the taxi union, the market lanes, the Mall with its evening crowd, and the hotels packed round them. Convenient for one night on the way through, for arriving off the overnight bus at six and wanting a bed, and for the cheapest beds in a hurry. Noisy in season, and the view is of other hotels. Stay here for a night, not a week.

Old Manali

Across the Manalsu stream to the north-west, Old Manali climbs from the bridge to the Manu temple through a lane of cafés and guesthouses set in orchards. This is where most people who stay three nights or more end up: quieter, greener, better food, and the town twenty minutes down on foot when you need the bus stand. The higher up the village, the quieter and the better the view. Many places close from December to February; check before a winter trip.

Vashisht

The village across the Beas, 3 km from the bus stand up the far bank, with the temple and the free hot baths at its centre and the walk to Jogini Falls starting at the top. Vashisht has the cheapest rooms in Manali with the best view — across the river to the town and the ridge behind it — and a mixed, long-staying crowd. The lane is steep; cars stop at the bottom.

Prini, Aleo and the resorts south

On the far bank below the town, along the left-bank road towards Naggar, the resort hotels sit in their own grounds with parking, river views and quiet nights. This is the family and honeymoon end of Manali: you drive everywhere, the town is ten minutes by car, and nothing happens outside the gate. Good for a car trip with children; dull without one.

The Solang road

Palchan, Kothi and Burwa on the road north put Solang twenty minutes from breakfast and the tunnel the same. This is for snow trips in January, for families whose days are all Solang, and for the trek start at Dhundi. It is a road with hotels on it rather than a village; you need a car, and the town is half an hour back.

Naggar and further

Half an hour down the valley, Naggar has guesthouses among the orchards below the castle and a quieter, older feel than anything at Manali. It suits people who want the valley without the town and are happy to drive up for the day trips. The Kullu guide covers the rest of the valley.

Choosing

One night: the town. Three or more: Old Manali. Budget and a view: Vashisht. A car and children: the resorts south or the Solang road. Quiet above all: Naggar. Our stays page lists the places we know in each, with what they cost this season, and the map shows where each one sits.

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