Himachal in eight days — Shimla, Manali, Bir and Dharamshala in one loop
The loop most first-time visitors want from Himachal in one week: one night in Shimla, three in Manali, an afternoon in Bir and three nights in Dharamshala. In Shimla you walk the Ridge and Jakhoo. The road to Manali stops at Naggar Castle. In Manali come Hadimba, Vashisht, Solang and Sissu beyond the tunnel. The road west stops at Bir's monasteries, and Dharamshala gives you the Dalai Lama temple, the Tibet Museum, Bhagsu, Norbulingka and Kangra Fort.
Photos: Itsarti (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Virusism (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Madhumita Das (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Original: PanWoyteczekDerivative work: UnpetitproleX (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada (CC BY-SA 2.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
First-time visitors with a week and a car or hired driver. Two days are long road days; the rest are easy. For Shimla and Manali only, the six-day plan is shorter.
Day by day
Day 1Shimla — the Ridge and Jakhoo
3 stops · 7 min on the road
Shimla — the Ridge and Jakhoo
Arrive in Shimla by midday and walk the old town: the Ridge, the church and the hill above.
- 12:00The Ridge, ShimlaThe open square at the top of the Mall; walk from here, the Mall is closed to most traffic.
- ↓ a short walk13:30Christ Church (Shimla)The yellow church on the Ridge.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 2 km15:30Jakhoo TempleThe Hanuman temple on the highest hill in town, in deodar forest. Keep bags closed.
Day 2The long road to Manali
2 stops · 33 min on the road
The long road to Manali
Shimla to Manali is about 237 km and 372 min on our measured routing, through Mandi and the Kullu valley. Leave by seven and stop at Naggar on the left bank for a late lunch.
- 14:30Naggar CastleThe old capital's castle above the Beas, the break in the drive.
- ↓ 33 min by road · 20 km17:30Old ManaliThe lanes under the deodars, and the room for three nights.
Day 3Hadimba and Vashisht
3 stops · 15 min on the road
Hadimba and Vashisht
An easy day in town after the drive.
- 09:30Hadimba Devi TempleThe four-roofed wooden temple in the cedar grove, quietest before ten.
- ↓ 9 min by road · 4 km14:30Vashisht TempleThe stone temple above the hot springs, with the bathing tanks beside it.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 3 km17:30Mall RoadThe evening walk and dinner.
Day 4Solang and Sissu
2 stops · 33 min on the road
Solang and Sissu
Up the valley to Solang, then through the Atal Tunnel to Sissu in Lahaul, back before dark.
- 09:30SolangThe meadow with the paragliding counters and the ropeway. Operators quote on the day.
- ↓ 33 min by road · 26 km13:05SissuThe first village of Lahaul beyond the tunnel, with a waterfall across the valley.
Day 5West to Bir, then Dharamshala
2 stops · 1 min on the road
West to Bir, then Dharamshala
The second long road day: down the Kullu valley and west by Mandi and Joginder Nagar to Bir, with an afternoon among its monasteries, then about 64 km and 119 min on to Dharamshala.
- 14:00Chokling MonasteryThe monastery in Bir's Tibetan colony, with its prayer wheels.
- ↓ a short walk15:00Bir Tibetan ColonyThe lanes of the colony around it, for tea before the last stretch of road.
Day 6McLeod Ganj — the temple, the museum and Bhagsu
3 stops · 10 min on the road
McLeod Ganj — the temple, the museum and Bhagsu
The Tibetan town on the hill above Dharamshala, on foot for most of the day.
- 09:30Dalai Lama templeThe Tsuglagkhang complex, the main temple of the Tibetan community in exile.
- ↓ a short walk11:00Tibet MuseumBeside the temple, on Tibet's history and the exile.
- ↓ 9 min by road · 4 km15:00Bhagsunag WaterfallThe short walk past the Bhagsu temple to the fall; we have no measured time for it.
Day 7Norbulingka and Kangra Fort
2 stops · 34 min on the road
Norbulingka and Kangra Fort
Down the hill to the lower valley: the Tibetan arts institute in the morning and the old fort in the afternoon.
- 10:00Norbulingka InstituteThe institute for Tibetan arts, its gardens and workshops.
- ↓ 34 min by road · 21 km14:00Kangra FortThe old fort above Kangra town, a short drive below Dharamshala.
Day 8Home from Dharamshala
1 stop
Home from Dharamshala
A slow morning, then Gaggal airport or the bus to Delhi.
- 10:00McLeod GanjA last walk in the main square and the market before the road.
Getting there
Start in Shimla from Chandigarh, Kalka or Delhi; see how to reach Shimla. Leave from Dharamshala by Gaggal airport or the overnight bus; see how to reach Dharamshala.
Where to stay
One night in Shimla, three in Manali, three in Dharamshala or McLeod Ganj.
Know before you go
- The two road days, Shimla to Manali and Manali to Dharamshala, are each a full day; leave by seven.
- Run the loop the other way if you fly into Gaggal; the stops stay the same.
- From December to February, see where to see snow in Himachal before fixing the dates.
Places on this route
Going together
No one has started a group going on this plan yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.
Other ways to do it
All Shimla itineraries →
More places nearby
All of Shimla →
Nearby destinations
All destinations →
Questions people ask
How many days are needed to see Himachal?
A week to eight days covers the three best-known towns, Shimla, Manali and Dharamshala, with Bir on the way. Two of those days are spent on the road, because the distances are long: Shimla to Manali is about 237 km and Manali to Dharamshala about 232 km on our routing.
Is it better to go Shimla to Manali to Dharamshala, or the other way?
Either works. Starting in Shimla suits travellers from Delhi or Chandigarh, since it is the nearest of the three. Starting in Dharamshala suits those flying into Gaggal. The two long road days fall in the same places whichever way you run the loop.
How far is Dharamshala from Manali?
About 232 km and 380 min on our measured routing, down the Kullu valley and west through Mandi and Joginder Nagar. Breaking the drive at Bir, about 64 km before Dharamshala, turns it into a day with an afternoon among Bir's monasteries rather than a straight transfer.