Shimla

From 1864 the government of British India moved to Shimla each summer, so for several months a year an administration governing a subcontinent worked from a ridge town at 2,200 metres reached by mule track. What it built survives: the Viceregal Lodge, a heavy grey stone mansion now an institute of advanced study, Christ Church on the Ridge, the mock-Tudor Gaiety Theatre, and the Mall, still closed to vehicles and walked end to end each evening. Behind the tourist frontage the older Indian town falls away in steep lanes below the Ridge, and Jakhoo temple on the summit is full of monkeys.

What you actually see

• The Viceregal Lodge - the grey stone seat of the summer government.
• The Ridge and Mall - the pedestrian promenade with Christ Church.
• Jakhoo temple - the hilltop Hanuman shrine, with aggressive monkeys.
• The lower bazaar - the older Indian town in steep lanes below.

When to go

March to June and September to November; May and June are peak season and very crowded. The monsoon brings landslides on the roads. Winter occasionally brings snow, which draws its own crowds.

Honest expectations

Traffic and parking in season are severe, and the roads up are slow. Monkeys at Jakhoo snatch glasses and bags routinely. The Mall is commercialised and the town has expanded far beyond its old core.

Nearby

The Kalka-Shimla railway runs down; Kufri lies east.