How to reach Shimla from Delhi – 2023 Updated

Once the summer capital of India, Shimla is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India. It is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh and Occasionally called “Queen of Hills” and It is a weekend destination for North Indian Tourists.  This blog will share complete knowledge of how to reach Shimla from Delhi through different modes.  

Where is Shimla located?

Shimla is a small town situated on Hindustan Tibet road National Highway -22 in the Southern side of Himachal Pradesh. 

Name of the Place	Shimla ( शिमला  )
State	Himachal Pradesh
District	Shimla
Elevation of Place	2200 m, 7200 feet
Accessibility	By road, By Rail & By air
Best time to visit	Round the year, For Snow Mid-Dec to Mid -Feb
Distance from Delhi	Around 365 Km

How to reach Shimla from Delhi

Shimla is well connected by air, train and by road. Accessible throughout the year except during very heavy snowfall. 

 The distance between Shimla  from Delhi is around 365 Km. There are different modes by which one can reach Shimla.

How to reach Shimla from Delhi by Road

There are many options for reaching Shimla  by road.

 You can refer to the below table to plan your journey to Shimla

Sr. No.	Location	Distance (Km)	Elevation (ft)	Elevation (m)	Time  (Hr)
1	New Delhi	0	700	225	00:00
2	Zirakpur	250	1000	320	05:00
3	Solan	316	5100	1550	07:00
4	Shimla	365	7200	2200	08:30

How to reach Shimla  from Delhi on a Bus

If you want to travel to Himachal with a limited budget then traveling by Bus would be the best option. Unlike other hilly states, the bus network in Himachal is very good and night service is also available.

Himachal Pradesh State Owned Buses are called HRTC buses ( Himachal Road Transport Corporation buses). They are usually green/blue in color.   

There are multiple options to reach Shimla by bus. You can take a bus to major bus stands / ISBTs and then a further connecting bus can be taken.

Before moving to the options we need to understand the route map. 

There are many direct buses from Delhi to Shimla. You can choose the options below for reaching Shimla.

Option – 1 Delhi  to Shimla.

There are many  buses from Delhi to Shimla with and without online booking :

SR. No.	SERVICE NO.	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	DURATION	DEPOT	TYPE	ORIGIN	DESTINATION	ONLINE BOOKING
1	501	5:00 AM	3:30 PM	10:30 Hrs	SHIMLA RURAL	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
2	6	6:45 AM	4:30 PM	9:45 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	HIMACHAL BHAWAN DELHI	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
3	592	8:05 AM	7:00 PM	10:55 Hrs	TARADEVI	HIMDHARA 3X2 AC	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
4	129	8:50 AM	6:50 PM	10:00 Hrs	TARADEVI	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
5	7	9:25 AM	6:55 PM	9:30 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	HIMACHAL BHAWAN DELHI	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
6	510	10:32 AM	9:15 PM	10:43 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
7	657	11:00 AM	10:00 PM	11:00 Hrs	SHIMLA RURAL	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
8	551	3:30 PM	2:40 AM	11:10 Hrs	SOLAN	HIMDHARA 3X2 AC	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
9	525	4:50 PM	1:30 AM	8:40 Hrs	ROHRU	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	ROHRU	YES
10	532	5:59 PM	4:15 AM	10:16 Hrs	ROHRU	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	ROHRU	YES
11	538	6:31 PM	5:28 AM	10:57 Hrs	RAMPUR	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	RAMPUR	YES
12	93	7:35 PM	5:01 AM	9:26 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	RAMPUR	NO
13	301	7:43 PM	5:30 AM	9:47 Hrs	SHIMLA RURAL	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	KHAMADI	YES
14	556	8:10 PM	5:45 AM	9:35 Hrs	REC PEO	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	RECONGPEO	YES
15	46	8:24 PM	6:44 AM	10:20 Hrs	SOLAN	HIMGAURAV 2X2 AC	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
16	591	9:00 PM	8:15 AM	11:15 Hrs	TARADEVI	HIMDHARA 3X2 AC	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
17	8	9:02 PM	6:30 AM	9:28 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	HIMACHAL BHAWAN DELHI	ROHRU	NO
18	570	9:25 PM	7:40 AM	10:15 Hrs	SOLAN	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
19	176	9:30 PM	6:00 AM	8:30 Hrs	SHIMLA RURAL	HIMGAURAV 2X2 AC	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
20	20	9:36 PM	7:00 AM	9:24 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
21	518	9:58 PM	7:15 AM	9:17 Hrs	REC PEO	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SANGLA	YES
22	579	10:30 PM	8:45 AM	10:15 Hrs	KARSOG	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	KARSOG	YES
23	36	10:31 PM	8:30 AM	9:59 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES
24	22	11:00 PM	8:50 AM	9:50 Hrs	DW TARADEVI	HIMSUTA AC VOLVO / SCANIA 2X2	HIMACHAL BHAWAN DELHI	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	NO
25	564	11:40 PM	9:30 AM	9:50 Hrs	TARADEVI	ORDINARY	DELHI ISBT KASHMIRI GATE	SHIMLA ISBT TUTIKANDI	YES

Option – 2 Delhi to Chandigarh,  then to Shimla.

From Delhi to Chandigarh:

There are many buses between Delhi and Chandigarh. You can easily get an ordinary/deluxe / Volvo bus very frequently.

From Chandigarh to Shimla Travel you can read this blog with complete details of Buses . 

For online booking of buses on the HRTC website kindly Click here

Note: If you are planning to take an offline HRTC bus, kindly confirm the timings from the HRTC Depot office before finalization. Click here to know the phone numbers. 

How to reach Shimla from Delhi on your own Vehicle

If you have good exposure to driving on mountainous roads then this is a perfect option to travel to Shimla. Below are key things to be considered while traveling to Shimla on your own driving.

1. Around 8:30 Hrs are required to reach Shimla from Delhi.
2. Roads till Solan are very good  separate lanes for up and down traffic) and in the rest part till Shimla construction is going on the road..   .
3. You don’t require a 4X4 or a SUV as the normal vehicle can reach there.
4. In winter there would be high snowfall around Shimla. Please plan your journey by checking the weather.

How to reach Shimla from Delhi on a bike

Kindly consider the below points before planning a trip to Narkanda on a bike.

1. Every bike can reach Shimla but prefer a bike with > 150 cc engine if you are with a pillion rider. 
2. Carry rain covers along as there might be rainy uphill while there is a clear sky on the plains.
3. There would be many landslide-prone areas that are treacherous during the rainy season.
4. During winters Bike riding is not advisable as there will be snowfall / black ice on roads and bike riding is extremely dangerous..

How to reach Shimla from Delhi on a Taxi

Taxis can easily be hired for Shimla and there are many options available on the online platforms. Following key things to be considered while taxing taxis to Shimla.

1. The Driver should be experienced in traveling in these areas.
2. Vehicle to be comfortable since travel time would be around 10 hrs.
3. Ground clearance of the Vehicle to be good.
4. Negotiate well before finalization.

How to reach Shimla from Delhi by Train

The nearest railway station en route to Shimla  is the Shimla railway station. But this station is on the narrow gauge. You need to change trains from Kalka railway station. The Kalka railway station is for both broad gauge and narrow gauge.

• Pros
  • This route is a UNESCO world heritage site.
  • Best train route to see beautiful Himalayan mountains.
• Cons
  • Travel time is much high since the maximum speed of this train is around 30 km/hr
  • The frequency of the trains between Kalka and  Shimla is quite low.

The major train station en route to Shimla is Chandigarh railway station.

• Pros
  • There are many regular trains between Delhi and Chandigarh.
  • Taxi service, as well as bus service, is available for further journeys.
• Cons
  • Since Chandigarh is only 250 km from Delhi, the rest of the journey will be covered on road so better travel the whole journey by road.

How to reach Shimla from Delhi by air

1. The nearest airport en route to Shimla is Shimla airport.
   • Pros
     • More than half the distance can be covered.
     • Shimla can be covered in a day if you start early from Delhi.
   • Cons
     • The frequency of the flights between Delhi and  Shimla is quite low. 
     • Total travel costs will be much higher.
     • Total distance is not covered.
2. Another airport en route to Shimla is Chandigarh airport.
   • Pros
     • There are many regular flights between Delhi and Chandigarh.
   • Cons
     • There is not much time saving on flights from Delhi to Chandigarh.
     • Total distance is not covered.

Summary – “How to reach Shimla from Delhi”

Let’s summarize what we have understood in this blog  “How to reach Shimla from Delhi ”

• Shimla is a wonderful travel destination located in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh at around 365 KM from Delhi.
• You can reach Shimla in 8:30 hrs from Delhi
• Shimla can be reached throughout the year.
• Shimla can be reached by self-driven car, bike, taxi, and by Bus.
• Nearest railway station is  Shimla which is narrow gauge. The major railway station is Chandigarh railway station.
• Nearest airport is Shimla airport.
• Cheapest way to reach Narkanda is by the HRTC bus.

We hope you have got a good understanding of “How to reach Shimla from Delhi ”. If you want to give suggestions on this blog ” please comment.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions: