Landour, above Mussoorie
town · 9 min from Mussoorie
Day planFirst visitleisurerelaxed
One day in Mussoorie — Gun Hill, Happy Valley and Landour
A one-day Mussoorie plan: the Gun Hill cable car, the Tibetan temple at Happy Valley and the Landour ridge, with short legs and no long drives. Free to copy.
A relaxed day that covers the three places most visitors come for: the cable car up Gun Hill, the Tibetan temple at Happy Valley and the ridge at Landour. It stays inside the town, with short legs between the stops. The two-day plan adds Sir George Everest's House and Kempty Falls.
Timing is in when to visit Mussoorie, and the stops are in things to do in Mussoorie.
Photos: Harshanh (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Paul Hamilton (CC BY-SA 2.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
First-time visitors with one day and no wish to drive far, including a day from Dehradun.
Day by day
Day 1
The town, the Tibetan quarter, then the ridge
The cable car early, the Tibetan temple at midday and the Landour ridge for the afternoon light.
- 09:30Gun HillThe cable car from the Mall Road to the hilltop, with the town laid out below. Go early for the clearer air.
- ↓ 13 min by road · 4 km11:30Happy Valley, MussoorieWhere Tibetan refugees settled after 1959. Visit the Shedup Choephelling temple quietly and see the prayer wheels.
- ↓ 15 min by road · 6 km14:00LandourWalk the ridge from the bazaar to St. Paul's Church and on to Lal Tibba for the view of the snow range if the sky is clear.
Getting there
Mussoorie is about 22 km and 46 minutes by road above Dehradun station, and about 250 km from Delhi on our routing. See how to reach Mussoorie.
Where to stay
Mussoorie has the rooms. Wikipedia says Landour Cantonment has no commercial hotels and the bazaar fewer than ten basic ones, so stay in the town and walk up.
Know before you go
- Start with Gun Hill in the first hour; the cable car is easiest before the weekend crowd arrives.
- We have no verified cable-car fares or temple hours; ask at the station and in Happy Valley before you plan around them.
- Bring a layer: Landour is 2 to 3 °C cooler than Mussoorie.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Mussoorie itineraries →
Questions people ask
Is one day enough for Mussoorie?
Yes for the main sights. Gun Hill, Happy Valley and Landour are all close to the town centre, so the day is mostly walking and viewpoints. It leaves out Sir George Everest's House and Kempty Falls, which are 14 and 30 minutes out and are covered by the two-day plan.
What is the best order for the day?
Gun Hill first, while the air is clearest and the cable car is quiet, then Happy Valley around midday, and Landour in the afternoon, when you can walk the ridge to Lal Tibba. If the sky is clear in the morning, swap the order and do the ridge first for the view.
Can you do this as a day trip from Dehradun?
Yes. Mussoorie is about 22 km and 46 minutes by road above Dehradun station on our routing, so you can reach Gun Hill by 09:30 if you leave early. Plan the return before dark, because the road down is a winding hill road and the light goes early in winter.