Atal Tunnel
road · 43 min from Manali
2 nights · 3 daysFriendsRoad trippacked
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.
The Delhi weekend is a fixed shape: an overnight bus up on Friday, two nights in Manali, an overnight bus back on Sunday. That gives you one arrival morning, one full day and one half day. This plan uses each for what it is good at: the town on foot on the tired first day, the tunnel to Sissu on the full day, and Naggar on the way down while the bags ride in the taxi.
The drive is 513 km by road from ISBT Kashmere Gate. Buses leave in the evening and arrive in the early morning; the Volvo services are the comfortable ones and the ordinary HRTC buses are the cheap ones, and both get you there. The return is the same in reverse, so Sunday's last stop should be on the road out, not back in town.
It is a packed plan by design. If you would rather have less, drop Sissu and keep Solang, or drop Naggar and sleep late.
Photos: Itsarti (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Dhruv shridhar (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Madhumita Das (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Nrr1729 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Friends and couples on a long weekend, first visits with only two nights, and anyone who wants the town, the snow side and the castle in one go. Not for the monsoon weeks: a landslide on the Mandi road turns the return bus into a twenty-hour night, and the tunnel road closes for hours after slides.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive, wake up, walk
The bus gets in early. Drop the bags, eat, and spend the day on foot inside town — no car until tomorrow.
- 09:00Old ManaliBreakfast in the lane above the bridge, then the stone houses at the top of the village.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 2 km11:00Hadimba Devi TempleThe cedar grove is the point; the temple is small and the queue is not.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 2 km13:00Van ViharThe deodar park by the river at the end of the Mall — shade, a bench and an hour off your feet after the bus.
- ↓ 6 min by road · 3 km15:00Vashisht TempleAcross the river; the hot-spring tanks in the courtyard are the cure for the bus.
Day 2
Solang and Sissu
The one full day. Out by eight, back by four, an early dinner — the bus tomorrow night is the deadline.
- 08:00SolangThe meadow 12 km up the valley; paragliding from the ridge in season, typically ₹3,000–5,000 as of Sep 2026 and paid at the counters, the ropeway on a clear morning.
- ↓ 22 min by road · 16 km10:30Atal Tunnel8.8 km under the ridge, no permit, open all year.
- ↓ 11 min by road · 10 km11:00SissuTwo hours on the Lahaul side — the waterfall, the lake, tea — then back through the tunnel and an early dinner in Old Manali.
Day 3
Naggar on the way down
Check out, keep the bags in the taxi, and take the far-bank road down the valley so the last stop is already on the way home.
- 10:00Naggar CastleTea on the terrace; the timber-and-stone castle of the old capital, 17 km down the valley. Walk down through the village if there is time.
- ↓ 24 min by road · 13 km13:00Jana water fallsLunch at the dhabas by the fall — siddu — before the drive to the evening bus at Kullu or Manali.
Getting there
Book the bus both ways the week before for May, June, October and any long weekend — Friday-night seats sell out. Sit on the left going up for the river. On arrival, taxis at the Manali bus stand take you up to Old Manali in ten minutes; agree the fare before the bags go in. For the return, the evening buses leave from the same stand; a taxi from Jana Falls or Naggar brings you back with time for dinner, or drops you at the Kullu bus stand if your bus starts there.
Where to stay
Old Manali for the cafés and a late Saturday breakfast; the bus-stand side if you want the Sunday-night departure to be a five-minute walk. Our stays page lists both, the map shows the walk from the bus stand, and the cafés page shows who serves breakfast at seven. Ask the stay to hold your bags on Sunday if your bus is late and you want a shower after Naggar.
Know before you go
- Take the earliest Friday bus you can. The difference between a six o'clock and a nine o'clock arrival is the whole first morning.
- Do not book Sissu for the arrival day. You will be tired and the tunnel road is busiest late morning; keep day one on foot.
- Fix the Saturday taxi on Friday evening with the stay; a full-day rate for Solang and Sissu is normal and the driver will suggest the timings.
- At Solang, a tandem paragliding flight is typically ₹3,000–5,000 (as of Sep 2026) and operators quote on the day; ask for the receipt and check the harness.
- Keep Sunday's plan on the far bank of the Beas so every stop is on the way down; a bus from Kullu saves an hour of Sunday evening.
- Carry cash for the temple lanes and for Jana Falls; the card machines above Solang stop working when the power does.
If plans change
If you want it slower: drop Sissu; do Solang in the morning and the hot springs in the afternoon on Saturday, and keep Sunday for Naggar.
If you are coming in winter: keep the plan — Sissu through the tunnel is the snow day — but start later on Saturday after the road is cleared, and expect the Sunday bus to run late.
If you can take Monday off: add a third night and put the four-day plan's walking day — Jogini Falls and the sanctuary — in the middle.
Places on this route
Hadimba Devi Temple
temple · 1 min from Manali
Naggar Castle
fort · 31 min from Manali
Old Manali
area · 5 min from Manali
Solang
town · 21 min from Manali
Vashisht Temple and hot springs
temple · 6 min from Manali
Jana Falls
waterfall · 53 min from Manali
Sissu
town · 54 min from Manali
Van Vihar
park · 3 min from Manali
Other ways to do it
All Manali itineraries →
2 nights · 3 days · First visitClassicThree 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.
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See the plan →1 night · 2 days · First visitClassicManali 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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Day plan · FriendsRoad tripManali 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
See the plan →Questions people ask
How long is the bus from Delhi to Manali?
It is an overnight journey — 513 km by road from ISBT Kashmere Gate, leaving in the evening and arriving in the early morning, with the last stretch through Mandi and the Aut tunnel slow and winding. Sit on the left going up for the river. Times stretch in the monsoon and in snow, so keep the first morning free.
Is a weekend enough for Manali?
Enough for the essentials: the town on foot, one high day through the tunnel to Sissu, and Naggar Castle on the way down. It is not enough for Rohtang Pass, which needs a permit and a full day, or for any trek. Treat the weekend as the first visit and the treks as the reason to come back.
Which bus should we take, Volvo or ordinary?
The Volvo and other air-conditioned coaches are the comfortable overnight option and cost more; the ordinary HRTC buses are cheaper, slower and stop more. Both reach the Manali bus stand. For a Friday night in season, book a week ahead either way — the seats go, and the later departures arrive too late for the first morning.
Can we do Rohtang Pass on a weekend?
Only with a permit booked in advance, in the months the pass is open, and at the cost of the whole Saturday. For most weekends the tunnel to Sissu is the better use of the day: no permit, an hour each way, and snow on the far side for much of the year. Save Rohtang for a longer trip.