Indian Institute of Advanced Study
viewpoint · 9 min from Shimla
1 night · 2 daysFirst visitClassicrelaxed
Two days in Shimla — the Ridge and Kufri
A two-day Shimla plan: the Ridge, Christ Church and Jakhoo Temple on day one, then Kufri and Tara Devi Temple on day two. Free, copyable plan on HimLocal.
A second day added to the one-day loop, reaching Kufri, a resort hill station about 29 minutes out, and Tara Devi Temple, a roughly 250-year-old hilltop shrine further on. Day one covers the Ridge, Christ Church, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study and Jakhoo Temple; day two leaves town for both proper day trips.
Photos: Jishnu Mohan (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Virusism (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Anyone with two full days in Shimla who wants both the colonial-era town core and a taste of the wider Shimla district beyond it.
Day by day
Day 1
The Ridge, Christ Church, the Viceregal Lodge and Jakhoo
The core of Shimla's colonial-era town, all within a short taxi ride of each other.
- 09:00The Ridge, ShimlaThe open square at the heart of Shimla, connecting the Mall to Lakkar Bazaar.
- ↓ a short walk10:30Christ Church (Shimla)On the Ridge itself, the second oldest church in North India, consecrated in 1857.
- ↓ 26 min by road · 11 km11:30Indian Institute of Advanced StudyThe former Viceregal Lodge, where the 1945 Simla Conference and the 1947 partition decision both took place.
- ↓ 22 min by road · 10 km14:00Jakhoo TempleOn the town's highest point, home to the world's largest Hanuman statue.
Day 2
Kufri and Tara Devi Temple
The two proper day trips out of town — a resort hill station, and a 250-year-old temple on its own hilltop.
- 09:30KufriA resort hill station on NH5, with a Himalayan wildlife zoo and a ski track through the potato plantations in winter.
- ↓ 1 h 5 min by road · 31 km13:30Tara Devi TempleA roughly 250-year-old temple on its own hilltop, built by Sen dynasty kings, at about 1,850 m.
Getting there
Shimla is reached from Chandigarh by car, bus or train — about 108 km and just over three hours by road. See the hub guide for the full arrival table.
Where to stay
Shimla works as a base for both days — Kufri and Tara Devi Temple are round trips, not overnight moves.
Know before you go
- Start day two reasonably early — the round trip covering both Kufri and Tara Devi Temple takes most of the day.
- Kufri's ski season runs winter only; outside it, the potato-plantation track is just a walking path.
- Carry cash for both days; card payments are unreliable this far out of the main town.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Shimla itineraries →
Questions people ask
Is Kufri worth the drive from Shimla?
Yes — it's a genuinely different landscape from the town itself, a resort hill station with a Himalayan wildlife zoo and, in winter, a ski track through the potato plantations. It's about 29 minutes and 15 km from central Shimla.
How far is Tara Devi Temple from Shimla?
About 39 minutes by road, roughly 18 km, on a hilltop of its own. The temple is roughly 250 years old, built by Sen dynasty kings, and sits at about 1,850 m above sea level, with clean flowers maintained all around it.
Can I visit both Kufri and Tara Devi Temple in one day?
Yes, though it makes for a full day rather than a relaxed one — both are proper day trips out of Shimla in different directions, so budget real time for the driving between them, not just for the stops themselves and the walking around each.