Culture

Education

Schools in Shimla are Bishop Cotton School (boys only), St Edwards (boys only), Convent of Jesus and Mary (girls only), Loreto Convent popularly known as Tara Hall (girls only) but now Sacred Heart Convent Tara Hall, Auckland House School (girls only), DAV Public School New Shimla, Dyanand School, SD School, St Thomas, Himalayan International School, et al. Shimla has a Medical College IGMC, St Bedes Girls College(a women’s residential college), RKMV (a girl’s college), Government College Sanjauli, and Government College Chaura Maidan. Himachal Pradesh University offers Masters and Ph.D. programs.

Media

Sports

Ice skating is pretty popular in Shimla. The Shimla Ice Skating Club is said to be the oldest of its kind in Asia. Though the rink is operational only during the winter, a lot of locals flock the place. Volleyball is another popular sport in these parts.

Transport

Shimla is accessible by road, air and railway but road is perhaps the best means of transport.

Road

The nearest large city is Chandigarh, 115 kilometres on National Highway no 22. New Delhi is 365 kilometers. There are Volvo (Super-Deluxe) buses, operated by State owned roadways,that run between Delhi and Shimla via Chandigarh. It takes about 7-8 hours to complete the journey in these buses.

Railway

The narrow gauge Kalka Shimla Railway connects Shimla to the main railway network at Kalka. Travel by rail is slow but the scenery and 103 tunnels en route make it a tourist attraction. Shivalik Express (deluxe train with facilities like Shatabdi Express) runs daily on this route.

Air

There is a small airport about 25km from the city at Jubbalhatti. A private airline operates weekly flights to Delhi.

Restaurants and Dining
Baljees Restaurant (The Mall): Indian and Chinese Continental
Devicos (The Mall): Indian and Mughlai
Ashiana-Goofa(The Ridge): Indian and Continental
Dominos (The Mall)
Barista (The Mall)
Trishool (The Mall) : Old and very famous Bakery
Sita Ram (Lakkar Bazaar): Old and Famous Chole-Bhature shop

Places of interest

Heart of the city

The ridge and the adjacent Mall Road form the heart of the city. Vehicular traffic is not allowed on the Mall Road, making it a favorite place for walking.

Gaiety Theatre

Gaiety Theatre,located on the Mall road,is one of the oldest theatres in the world.It was opened on the 30th of May, 1887,Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Year. Notable film personalities like K.L. Saigal, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendall, Raj Babbar, Anupam Kher, Manohar Singh, Nasseerudin Shah, frequently performed on the stage of the Gaiety theatre.

Viceregal Lodge

On the Observatory Hills is located the Viceregal Lodge. Also known as Rashtrapati Niwas, it was formerly the residence of the British Viceroy Lord Dufferin.This is the most beautiful building in Shimla. It houses some of the most ancient articles going back to the times of the British rule.

Places of worship

Kali Bari (a temple of the Hindu goddess Kali) is five minutes walk from Mall Road, Jakhoo Temple (a temple of the Hindu god Hanuman) is located at the highest point in Shimla (2600 m above mean sea level, about a 30 minute to one hour walk from the mall). Sankat Mochan (a temple of the Hindu god Hanuman) is located on Shimla-Kalka Highway. Tara Devi Temple is about 10 km from Shimla, directly visible from the city.

Marketplaces

The Lower Bazaar adjoining the Mall Road caters the city. Lakkar Bazzar is famous for its wooden articles.