Manali

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Day plan · FriendsRoad trip

Manali to Sissu — the day trip through the Atal Tunnel

The Manali–Sissu day trip through the Atal Tunnel: about an hour each way, no permit, open all year. Timings, what to see in Sissu, and lunch at Solang.

Best Jan–Jun · Sep–Dec

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Day plan · First visitClassic

One day in Manali — the first visit

A one-day Manali plan for a first visit: Hadimba's cedar-grove temple, the Manu shrine, the Vashisht hot springs and the walk to Jogini Falls — no car till two.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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Day plan · Slow travelTemples & heritage

Kullu from Manali — the district town, its temples and the river, in a day

A day in Kullu from Manali, 40 km down the valley: the Raghunath temple above the bazaar, the Dhalpur ground, the shawl weavers, the stone temple at Bajaura.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

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1 night · 2 days · Slow travelCafés & food

Old Manali — two days of cafés, lanes and one forest walk

Two days in Old Manali without a car: long breakfasts on the lane, the Manu temple, the riverside lawns, the forest walk, the Hadimba grove and the hot springs.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

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1 night · 2 days · CouplesTemples & heritage

Naggar and the left bank — two days below Manali

A night at Naggar below Manali: the castle from around 1460, the temples and the Roerich gallery; then lunch at the Jana Falls dhabas and a temple walk.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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1 night · 2 days · Slow travelWaterfalls

Waterfalls and short walks around Manali

A slow two-day Manali plan on foot: the Jogini falls above Vashisht, a rock shrine above Solang, Rehala Falls on the Rohtang road and Bhrigu Lake in season.

Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct

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Manali is a small town at the top of the Kullu valley, 2,050 m up, where the Beas turns north towards the Rohtang ridge. The town itself is a bus stand, a pedestrian Mall, a temple in a cedar grove and an older village across the stream. The reason people come is the valley around it. The meadow at Solang, the road over Rohtang or through the Atal Tunnel to Sissu, the castle at Naggar, the hot springs at Vashisht, and the walks and treks that start within an hour of the bus stand.

This guide is built from data we keep for every place in the valley — road minutes measured on the actual road network, how long people spend at each stop, which months a road is open — and from the stays, cafés and activity centres on HimLocal. Where a number comes from somewhere else, the source is at the bottom of the page.

Plans that include this

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1 night · 2 days · First visitClassic

Manali in two days — the first time

A two-day Manali plan for a first visit: the temples and Old Manali on foot, then Solang in the morning and Naggar Castle after lunch. No permit, no pass.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

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1 night · 2 days · BikersRoad trip

Manali as a stopover — one night before the road to Leh or Spiti

One night in Manali before the road to Leh or Spiti: sleep low at 2,050 m, sort fuel and cash, a last hot bath, then out through the tunnel to Sissu.

Best Jun–Sep

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2 nights · 3 days · FamilyClassic

Manali with parents — three gentle days, short walks, no altitude

A three-day Manali plan for travelling with parents: everything by car with a short walk at the end — the grove, the museum, the meadow, the baths, the castle.

Best Mar–May · Sep–Nov

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2 nights · 3 days · FriendsRoad trip

A Manali weekend from Delhi — two nights, one overnight bus each way

A Delhi–Manali weekend by overnight bus: the town on foot the first morning, Solang and Sissu through the tunnel on the full day, Naggar on the way to the bus.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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2 nights · 3 days · FriendsRoad trip

Manali weekend from Chandigarh — two nights, one snow morning

A two-night Manali weekend from Chandigarh: 264 km up on Saturday, hot springs and the Mall, the tunnel to Sissu on Sunday, the temple before the drive home.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassic

Three days in Manali — the classic first visit

A three-day Manali itinerary: the temples and Old Manali on foot, Solang and the Atal Tunnel to Sissu with no permit, then Naggar Castle on the way out.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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What Manali is, and is not

Manali works as a base, not as a sight. A day in town covers the Hadimba Devi Temple, the Manu Temple above Old Manali, the Vashisht Temple with its hot baths, and a walk to Jogini Falls. Everything else is a drive out and back: Solang in 24 min, Naggar Castle in 25 min, Sissu through the tunnel in about an hour, Rohtang Pass in roughly an hour and a half when it is open.

It is not quiet in May, June, October and the Christmas week. It is not a snow guarantee: the town rarely holds snow for long, and "snow point" is wherever the road is open to that week. And it is not the place to see all of the Kullu valley from — Kasol, Jibhi and the Tirthan valley are each two hours away and deserve their own nights.

Plans that include this

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1 night · 2 days · First visitClassic

Manali in two days — the first time

A two-day Manali plan for a first visit: the temples and Old Manali on foot, then Solang in the morning and Naggar Castle after lunch. No permit, no pass.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Nov

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1 night · 2 days · BikersRoad trip

Manali as a stopover — one night before the road to Leh or Spiti

One night in Manali before the road to Leh or Spiti: sleep low at 2,050 m, sort fuel and cash, a last hot bath, then out through the tunnel to Sissu.

Best Jun–Sep

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2 nights · 3 days · FamilyClassic

Manali with parents — three gentle days, short walks, no altitude

A three-day Manali plan for travelling with parents: everything by car with a short walk at the end — the grove, the museum, the meadow, the baths, the castle.

Best Mar–May · Sep–Nov

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2 nights · 3 days · FriendsRoad trip

A Manali weekend from Delhi — two nights, one overnight bus each way

A Delhi–Manali weekend by overnight bus: the town on foot the first morning, Solang and Sissu through the tunnel on the full day, Naggar on the way to the bus.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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2 nights · 3 days · FriendsRoad trip

Manali weekend from Chandigarh — two nights, one snow morning

A two-night Manali weekend from Chandigarh: 264 km up on Saturday, hot springs and the Mall, the tunnel to Sissu on Sunday, the temple before the drive home.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassic

Three days in Manali — the classic first visit

A three-day Manali itinerary: the temples and Old Manali on foot, Solang and the Atal Tunnel to Sissu with no permit, then Naggar Castle on the way out.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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The four areas to stay in

• Old Manali — the older village across the Manalsu, uphill from the Club House. Cafés, guesthouses, late breakfasts, the most walkable evenings. Twenty minutes on foot from the bus stand.
• Around the Mall and the bus stand — hotels, taxis at the door, early departures. Noisy at the front, practical for a one-night stop.
• Vashisht — across the river below the hot springs, a slower village with valley views; a short taxi ride from town.
• The Solang road (Palchan, Kothi) — resorts and cottages with the valley to themselves; you drive in for every meal. Right for families with a car and for anyone doing Solang and the tunnel two days running.

When to go (and what each month is like)

The numbers below are India Meteorological Department normals for Manali, read from the climate table on Wikipedia.

• March–April — days 17–21 °C, nights 3–6 °C. Rohtang is shut; the tunnel is open. Apple blossom in the lower villages, snow still on the meadows above Solang.
• May–June — days 25–26 °C. The busiest months; Rohtang opens in May. Book stays early and start the Solang drive before eight.
• July–September — the monsoon: 201 mm of rain in July and 217 mm in August. Landslides close roads for hours, waterfalls are at their loudest, and the town is quiet and cheap. Keep plans loose.
• October–November — days 17–22 °C, nights 3–6 °C, the clearest skies of the year. The best walking weather; Rohtang closes by mid-November.
• December–February — days 10–13 °C, nights around or below freezing. Snow on the Solang road and, in a good year, in town. Rohtang is closed; the tunnel keeps Sissu reachable.

How to reach

• By road from Delhi — 513 km by road. Overnight buses leave from ISBT Kashmere Gate in the evening and reach the Manali bus stand in the morning; HRTC and private operators both run the route.
• By road from Chandigarh — 264 km; the routing model gives about 5 h of driving, and the road is slow through Mandi and the Aut tunnel.
• By air — Kullu–Manali Airport at Bhuntar is 49 km and about an hour by taxi. Flights are few and weather-dependent; do not plan a same-day connection.
• By rail — the nearest railhead is Joginder Nagar (161 km, about 4 h by road on a narrow-gauge line from Pathankot); most people take the train to Chandigarh and a bus or taxi from there.

The pass, the tunnel and the permit

Rohtang Pass (3,978 m) is open from May to November and closed by snow the rest of the year. Vehicles going up to the pass need a permit from the district administration's online portal, and the number of permits per day is capped, so book it before you arrive. The Atal Tunnel — 8.8 km, opened in October 2020 — runs under the ridge and is open year-round; it puts Sissu and the Lahaul valley about an hour from Manali with no permit for the tunnel itself. In winter the tunnel road, not the pass, is the snow drive.

Treks that start here

The classic short ones are Beas Kund (three days from Solang, to the lake the river is named for), Bhrigu Lake (three days from Gulaba), and Hampta Pass (four to five days, crossing to Lahaul and Chandratal). Patalsu and Lamadugh are day walks with big views. Every trek page has the route, the season and the road head; the treks page lists them all, and the stays, cafés and map pages carry the rest of the valley.

Money and small print

Prices below are typical local rates, given as bands, with the date we last checked; operators quote on the day and the rate changes with the season. Cash still matters in the temple lanes and above Solang, where card machines drop out with the power.

Places worth the drive

Van Vihar

Van Vihar is the town's park, a grove of tall deodars on the bank of the Beas beside the Mall, 3 min from the bus stand, with paths, benches and a pond.

Solang

Solang is the meadow 12 km up the valley from Manali, about 24 min by road: paragliding off the ridge, a ropeway, ponies in season, ski slopes in the snow.

Sissu

Sissu is the first village in Lahaul beyond the Atal Tunnel, 39 km and an hour from Manali: a waterfall across the valley, a lake below the road, winter snow.

Rohtang Pass

Rohtang Pass is 3,978 m, 49 km above Manali, open roughly May to November and permit-only for vehicles. The permit, when to leave, when the tunnel is better.

Rehala Falls

Rehala Falls drops beside the Rohtang road above Kothi, about 26 km and 47 min from Manali, in a stand of deodar where the buses stop. A short stop in season.

Old Manali

Old Manali is the original village across the Manalsu stream, 2 km from the bus stand: the Manu temple, cafés on the lane, guesthouses in orchards. Using it.

Nehru Kund

Nehru Kund is a cold spring beside the Solang road at Bahang, 5 km and about 8 min above Manali, with the Beas below and the valley opening ahead.

Naggar Castle

Naggar Castle is a timber-and-stone castle from around 1460, seat of the Kullu rajas, 19 km down the valley from Manali. What to see, and the Roerich gallery.

Museum of Himachal Culture and Folk Art

A small private museum two minutes from the Hadimba temple with house models, masks, costumes, tools and instruments of the Kullu valley. The key to the week.

Marhi

Marhi is the dhaba hamlet on the Rohtang road, 32 km and about an hour above Manali, where buses and taxis stop before the final climb to the pass.

Manali Sanctuary

The Manali Sanctuary begins a minute from the town: old deodar and fir above Old Manali, with a forest path that makes an hour's walk or a whole morning.

Mall Road, Manali

The Mall is Manali's pedestrian high street beside the bus stand: shawls, dry fruit, woollens, sweet shops and the evening crowd. What to buy, and when to go.

Kothi

Kothi is the last village on the Rohtang road, 11 km and about 21 min above Manali, where the Beas cuts a deep gorge and the snowsuit stalls begin.

Koksar

Koksar is the first village of Lahaul on the old road over Rohtang, on the Chandra below the pass, about 58 min from Manali through the tunnel. The junction.

Jogini Falls

Jogini Falls is the tall waterfall above Vashisht village, a short drive from Manali and then about 46 min on foot through orchards and pine. Route and season.

Jana Falls

Jana Falls is a waterfall above the village of Jana, up a side valley from Naggar, about 32 km and 53 min from Manali, known as much for its dhabas as water.

Gulaba

Gulaba is the meadow on the Rohtang road 19 km and about 35 min above Manali where the forest ends, the checkpost sits, and the winter snow day happens.

Gondhla Fort, Lahaul

Gondhla Fort is a seven-storey tower of timber and stone beyond Sissu, seat of the Thakurs who ruled this part of Lahaul for Kullu. About 76 min from Manali.

Club House, Manali

The Club House is the riverside recreation ground on the Manalsu below Old Manali, 4 min from the bus stand: lawns, indoor games, a rink, tea by the water.

Bhrigu Lake

Bhrigu Lake sits at 4,235 m on the ridge above Gulaba, east of Rohtang, a two-to-three-day trek from the road. The season, the route in outline, what to carry.

Beas Kund

Beas Kund is the small lake at the head of the Solang valley where the Beas begins, a walk up from Dhundi above Solang. Season, route in outline, what to carry.

Atal Tunnel

The Atal Tunnel runs 8.8 km under the Rohtang ridge and puts Sissu an hour from Manali in every month, no permit needed. Timings, winter checks, and beyond.

Vashisht Temple and hot springs

Vashisht is the village across the Beas from Manali, 3 km away, with a wooden temple to the sage Vashishtha, free hot-spring baths and the walk to Jogini Falls.

Tripura Sundari Temple, Naggar

The Tripura Sundari temple is Naggar's timber pagoda, a few minutes below the castle, 19 km and about 31 min from Manali. What it is, and when it is quiet.

Raghunath Temple, Kullu

The Raghunath temple above Kullu's bazaar holds the deity every village comes to at Dussehra, installed by Raja Jagat Singh in the 1600s. 49 min from Manali.

Manu Temple, Old Manali

The Manu Temple stands at the top of Old Manali, 3 km from the bus stand, dedicated to the sage Manu from whom Manali takes its name. The climb and the shrine.

Hadimba Devi Temple

The Hadimba Devi Temple is a four-tier wooden pagoda in a cedar grove above Manali, minutes from the bus stand. When to go, the queue, what is around it.

Gaurishankar temple walk, Dasal

The Gaurishankar temple at Dasal is a village temple above the Naggar road, a walk of about 31 min up, 24 min from Manali by road. The walk and the view.

Gauri Shankar Temple, Naggar

The Gauri Shankar temple at the foot of Naggar is a carved stone shikhara temple, older than the pagodas above, 19 km and 30 min from Manali. Usually empty.

Anjani Mahadev

Anjani Mahadev is a Shiva shrine under a rock face above Solang, about 46 min on foot from the road, where a waterfall freezes into a natural lingam in winter.

On the map

Open the Manali map →

The places a Manali day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.

Atal Tunnel

road · 43 min by road

Bhrigu Lake

lake · 38 min by road

Hadimba Devi Temple

temple · 1 min by road

Manu Temple

temple · 3 min by road

Naggar

town · 30 min by road

Naggar Castle

fort · 31 min by road

Old Manali

area · 5 min by road

Rohtang Pass

pass · 89 min by road

Solang

town · 21 min by road

Upper Jogini Falls

waterfall · 8 min by road

Vashisht Temple

temple · 6 min by road

Anjani Mahadev

temple · 23 min by road

Things to do — the honest guides

Skiing in Manali

Skiing in Manali happens at Solang in January and February when the snow holds: beginner slopes, hire by the hour, courses at the mountaineering institute.

River rafting near Manali

Rafting from Manali means the Beas below Kullu, between Pirdi and Jhiri, about 40 km down the valley. Typical prices, the season, what the stretches are like.

Paragliding in Manali

Paragliding in Manali happens at Solang, 12 km up the valley: tandem flights off the ridge above the meadow, typically ₹3,000–5,000, best before ten.

Day walks and trekking from Manali

Trekking from Manali runs from an hour's walk to Jogini Falls to the three-day Beas Kund and Bhrigu Lake treks and the Hampta Pass crossing. Which is which.

Camping near Manali

Camping near Manali comes in three kinds: tented camps at Solang and Sethan, riverside camps at Raison, and trek camps towards Beas Kund. Costs and season.

Bike and scooter rental in Manali — what it costs, where to ride, the rules

Scooters, motorcycles and bicycles for hire in Manali: typical daily rates, the rides that work — Solang, Naggar, the tunnel to Sissu — and where permits apply.

Before you go

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Where to stay in Manali — the areas compared

Manali has five different places to sleep: the town round the Mall, Old Manali, Vashisht, the resorts at Prini and Aleo, and the Solang road. Which suits you.

Where to go after Manali — Kasol, Jibhi, Lahaul and Spiti, compared

The four ways on from Manali: Kasol and the Parvati valley, 75 km; Jibhi and the Tirthan, 90 km; Sissu and Lahaul through the tunnel; Spiti or Leh.

What to pack for Manali, by season

Manali packing by season: layers for cold nights at 2,050 m even in June, rain gear for July and August, real winter kit for Sissu and Solang. What to hire.

What to eat in Manali — the local plate, and where it is actually served

The Kullu valley's own food and where a visitor meets it: siddu with ghee, river trout, red rice, dham, the dhabas at Marhi and Jana, and Old Manali's cafés.

What a Manali trip costs on the ground — the honest price sheet

What Manali costs on the ground: typical bands for paragliding, rafting, skiing, camping, bike hire and guides; what is free; what moves with the season; cash.

Things to do in Manali — 20 that are worth the drive, and what each costs

Twenty things to do in Manali sorted by distance from the bus stand, with measured drive times, what each costs on the ground, and which month each is for.

The Rohtang Pass permit — how it works, who needs it, and when you don't

The Rohtang permit is per vehicle, issued online with a daily cap and checked at Gulaba. How to apply, what a taxi needs, and when the tunnel is the better day.

Rohtang Pass or the Atal Tunnel — which day to do

Rohtang Pass is 3,978 m, permit-only and open May to November; the Atal Tunnel is 8.8 km, permit-free and open all year, with Sissu an hour away. How to choose.

Manali with kids — what works at each age, what to skip, and the altitude question

Manali with children: the park, grove and museum for small ones, the meadow and the snow day for the middle years, the walks for teens; altitude; what to skip.

Manali solo — the honest guide to going alone, on a budget or not

Going to Manali alone: the villages where solo travellers stay, the walks that need no guide, getting around without hiring a whole taxi, and what a week costs.

Manali or Shimla? An honest comparison for a first hill trip

Manali or Shimla for a first hill trip: which has the snow, which is closer, which suits families, couples and trekkers, whether to do both. Honestly.

Manali or Kasol? Two valleys, two kinds of trip, and how to do both

Manali or Kasol for a Himachal trip: the mountains and snow of one against the river and cafés of the other, 75 km apart. Which suits whom, and doing both.

Manali in September — the rain leaves, the treks come back, nobody has arrived yet

Manali in September: the monsoon drains away, days around 24 °C, the pass and the tunnel open, the treks in their best weeks, the valley empty before October.

Manali in October — the month we would send a first visit

Manali in October: the year's clearest skies, days around 22 °C, the pass open until mid-November, the poplars turning, the treks' last clear weeks, no crowd.

Manali in the monsoon — what July and August are really like, and who they suit

Manali in July and August: 201.5 mm and 217 mm of rain, slides that close the high roads, cloud on the meadows — and a green, empty, cheap valley.

Manali in May — the pass opens, the valley fills, and the first half is the secret

Manali in May: days around 25 °C, the pass opening with deep snow at the top, the Hadimba festival, rhododendron in the forests — and the crowd from mid-month.

Manali in March and April — blossom below, snow above, and nobody here

Manali in spring: days around 17 °C in March and 21 °C in April, orchards in flower, the high meadows white, the pass shut, the tunnel open. The quiet season.

Manali in June — everything open, everyone here, and how to still enjoy it

Manali in June: days around 26 °C, the pass open with snow at the roadside, flying and rafting at full tilt, the treks starting — and the year's fullest weeks.

Manali in January and February — the real winter, and how to use it

Manali's deepest winter: days around 10 °C, nights below freezing, snow on the Solang road and at Sissu, ski slopes when it holds, the Carnival on the Mall.

Manali in December — where the snow actually is, and how to plan for it

Manali in December: days around 13 °C, nights near freezing, snow in the town some weeks and reliable snow an hour away at Sissu. Roads, closures, packing.