If you are driving from Delhi, you will have to take the outer Ring Road towards GT Karnal Road, then turn right on NH 1. After you reach Ambala, leave NH 1 and move on to NH 22 towards Kalka. Keep going on same highway towards Solan and then on to Shimla. The journey usually takes about 6-7 hours depending on traffic.
By Train
The nearest broad gauge head is at Kalka - a four- to seven-hour journey from Delhi. After that, take the mountain train from Kalka to Shimla. This railway track has recently been granted the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The view is stunning, with the line passing through an amazing 103 tunnels. The fastest way to get to Kalka is to catch the Shatabdi Express, which departs early morning from the New Delhi Railway Station, arriving at Kalka four hours later. A detailed list of trains between Delhi, Kalka and Shimla is available at and.
By Road
It takes only 2 hours from Kalka to Shimla by taxi. If hiring a private taxi, ensure that the driver has experience driving in hilly regions and is not deprived of sleep. There is also a bus service operated by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation that leaves at 830pm from Delhi every night. It reaches Shimla around 530am the next morning. An air-conditioned single decker bus, it is quite a comfortable ride.
By Plane
Shimla has its own airport at a place known as Jubbarhatti 22 km away, a distance which, owing to the difficulties of the mountainous terrain, poor condition of road surfaces, and the increasing traffic congestion, often takes hours to traverse by car from Shimla. The airport has severe limitations imposed both by its elevation at 1,546 metres above sea level and by the shortness of its single runway (1,230 m) which ends in precipice at either end, and it can accommodate only turboprop Dornier aircraft; jets such as Airbus A310, 320s and Boeing 737s can all land at the larger Chandigarh airport. The Chandigarh Airport, located at a distance of 120 km from Shimla along far better roads and at an elevation of only 308 metres above sea level, offers far better flight options. Major airlines including Indian, Jet Airways and Air Deccan operate flights to Delhi, Jammu, and Mumbai. Most of the flights to Mumbairequire a stop-over in Delhi. Tip, confirm the flights till the very last moment, bad weather often delays flights during the winter fog.
