Club House, Manali

What it is

A recreation ground on the bank of the Manalsu, the stream that divides the town from Old Manali, run by the state tourism corporation. Lawns by the water, a hall of indoor games, a roller-skating rink, a restaurant, and the sound of the stream over everything. It is where families go on a slow afternoon and where couples go for tea by the river between the drives. Nothing here needs planning; it is the place you go when the plan has run out.

Getting there

About 4 min from the bus stand by road, on the way up to Old Manali, just before the bridge over the Manalsu; twenty minutes on foot from the town, a few minutes down the lane from the village. A small entry fee at the gate; the games are charged separately inside.

What it is for

The lawns and the river, first: a bench, tea from the stalls, the water loud beside you. Then the hall for children — carrom, table tennis, billiards — and the skating rink, which is the answer to a rainy afternoon or a child who has seen enough temples. The kids plan puts it on the last day for exactly that reason; the couples plan uses the lawns for the afternoon that does nothing.

When to go

Any month. Mornings are quiet on the lawns; afternoons in season fill the hall and the rink. In the monsoon it is one of the few dry places to spend an afternoon with children in Manali; in winter the lawns are cold and the hall is the reason.

Around it

Old Manali across the bridge for lunch or dinner; the Hadimba temple and the museum ten minutes up the hill; Van Vihar, the other park, down by the Beas at the end of the Mall. Our cafés page has the riverside places on this road.

Plans that include this

All 6 plans that stop here →

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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2 nights · 3 days · Slow travelMonsoon

Manali in the monsoon — three slow, green days

Manali in July and August: the forest path, the museum, Naggar Castle under a roof, the hot springs and Old Manali — three green days that need no high road.

Best Jul–Sep

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2 nights · 3 days · CouplesClassic

Manali for couples — three unhurried days

A slow three-day Manali plan for two: late starts, hot springs in town, the castle terrace and a waterfall lunch at Naggar, then Solang at dawn and the river.

Best Mar–May · Sep–Dec

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3 nights · 4 days · FamilyClassic

Manali with kids — four easy days

Four easy days in Manali with children: a river park and the temple grove, Solang's meadow, snow through the tunnel to Sissu with no altitude, and the forest.

Best Mar–Jun · Sep–Dec

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4 nights · 5 days · Slow travelClassic

Five days in Manali, slowly — one thing a day

A five-day Manali plan at one thing a day: the temple and Old Manali, Naggar Castle and Jana Falls, the hot springs, the tunnel to Sissu, then the forest.

Best Mar–May · Sep–Nov

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6 nights · 7 days · WorkationClassic

A week's workation in Manali — work the days, use the ends

Seven days in Manali with a laptop: five weekdays at a desk in Old Manali with the forest, hot springs and grove in the breaks, then Solang and Naggar.

Best Mar–May · Sep–Nov

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