Transportation

A convenient and efficient transportation network can be found in Shimla, linking it by road, rail and air with major towns and cities across India.

By Air

Connecting flights to Kullu and New Delhi can be found at Shimla airport, located 23 kilometres from Shimla in Jubbar Hatti. The Chandigarh airport located nearby offers flights to all main airports in India.

Himachal Pradesh has three airports.

• Kangra Airport at Gaggal
(15 kilometres from Dharamshala, 25 kilometres from Mcleodganj)

• Shimla Airport at Jubbar Hatti
(23 kilometres from Shimla)

• Kullu Airport at Bhuntar
(10 kilometres from Kullu, 50 kilometres from Manali)

Regular services are also offered by the following airports:

• Amritsar (205 kilometres from Dharamshala)

• Jammu (210 kilometres from Dharamshala)

• Chandigarh (260 kilometres from Dharamshala, 116 kilometres from Shimla and 312 kilometres from Manali)

By Rail

Shimla is connected by a narrow gauge railway to Kalka, 96 kilometres away and the journey takes about 6 hours. Kalka is linked to many other destinations such as Calcutta, New Delhi, Amritsar by a broad gauge railway network.

Himachal is connected by the following main railway stations:

• Kalka - Direct train services are available to Calcutta, New Delhi, Mumbai and many other parts of the country. A 96 kilometre long narrow gauge railway links Kalka to Shimla. The train journey lasts for about 6 hours.
• Pathankot - Direct train services are available to major cities such as Calcutta, Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Baranasi, Gujarat, Bangalore, Rajasthan and also to all parts of India. Trains to Jammu pass through this station. The rail link to Joginder Nagar is about 113 kilometres.

Railway Reservations

Computerised reservation desks operated by Northern Railways can be found at Shimla, Pathankot and Mandi stations, and used to make bookings throughout India.

By Road

Dehradun, Amritsar, Jammu, Kalka, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Ambala, and New Delhi are some of the many cities linked to Shimla by road. Towns in Haryana and Punjab are also well connected. A large number of buses of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation provide transport to all parts of the state, as every part is linked by roads. Private buses also operate in addition to the state-run buses. Luxury and semi-luxury buses, along with inter-state buses to Punjab, New Delhi, and Haryana are also available. The Himachal government operates tourist buses from Dharamshala / Mcleodgani to Manali, Shimla, New Delhi, Kullu, Dalhousie, and Chandigarh.

Local Transportation

Vehicles that can be rented / hired for local transport include cars, jeeps, and buses.