Category: Travel Tips

Gifts to take back from Shimla

Gifts to take back from Shimla

Shimla fruit products

Himachal Pradesh is gifted with a variety of agro-climatic conditions, which are suitable for growing a large variety of fruits. With Citrus fruits in valleys, Grapes in high hills, Mangoes, Litchis, plums, almonds, Strawberries, Apricots, Peaches, Cherries, Pears in warmer and temperate regions – it is Fruit Bowl of the country.

Himachal is the top apple producing state in India. Apple revolution here started in 1920 when Apple sampling brought from America were grown at Kotgarh in Shimla District on an experimental basis. None had believed that it would bring prosperity to this hill state. People took fancy to horticulture and the state soon became Apple State of India.

Special efforts are being made to promote cultivation of new crops like Kiwi, olives, figs, hops, mushrooms, flowers, pistachio nuts, melons and saffron.

The region in and around Shimla happens to be a leading producer of fruit based products like Pickles, Juices, sauces and Jams. Fruit products from Shimla are ideal gifts to carry for near and dear ones.  These are available in various forms at many company and government outlets along the Kalka Shimla national highway.

HPMC is the government agency involved in food processing and all type of products including fresh apple juices can be purchased from its various outlets in Shimla and all along the national highway towards Chandigarh. Various kinds of fruit packs are available to carry back for friends and relatives.

Products to carry back home

Juices and squashes

Apple, Guava, Litchi, Mango, Pineapple strawberry, orange

Pickles and chutneys

Mango, Lemon, Green Chilly, ginger garlic, mushroom mixed etc…

Jams & Sauces

Apple, pineapple, plum, Kiwi, strawberry, apricot, mixed fruit jams, tomato sauces and ketchups

Wood products from Shimla

Wood products like walking sticks, decorative small boats, wooden toys, key chains etc. which are ideal gifts to carry can be bought from the Lakkar bazaar adjoining the ridge Shimla. This is the popular place to buy wooden articles. The attractive wooden items are prepared from the softwood found in the hilly region.You can also buy woolen cloths.

Sunrise Villa Shimla: Stay with nature @ Rs 1500 per day only. Stay in the lap of nature along with flowers and garden, forest walks, trekking, hiking and much more just 13 Kms before Shimla.

Himachal Pradesh: General Travel Tips

General Travel Tips

Traveling is generally supposed to be fun irrespective of whether it is for business meetings or pleasure. When planning to travel it is of paramount importance to gain some personal knowledge ideas as well as the local knowledge to guarantee a travel experience that is fun-filled. This also applies to a small group that is traveling together because it is the very vital for the whole groups safety. Before the travelers set out, the means of communication must be established as well as an agreement made on how individuals should keep in touch once they split.

While traveling for vacation is fun, you may want to check out the following tips to make your travel a very pleasant experience.

List All Needs

Make sure that you all have the things you need before you travel. Better write down all the stuffs you need and check each items while packing up. This actually works since people tend to forget things most of the time.Woolen cloths also required.

Take Needed Medications

Travelers are very prone to typical diseases such as diarrhea, headache, backaches, and nausea or that feeling of dizziness. Typical paracemotal and anti-diarrhea drugs will help.

Know Your Budget Limits

While traveling is fun, it can sometimes hurt your budget and savings. Allocate enough money for board and lodging reservation including your food budget. Allocate expenses related to entertainment as well so you will know exactly how much you will spend for your entire trip.

Record your information

Always when traveling off town, bring a notebook, or whatever’s comfortable for you to write on. Use it to record information about your activities, list important phone numbers, locations, write about your trip etc. When you come home, the notes in it will be a great reference source when are planning your second trip back!

Food

Standards of hygiene in restaurants are also different from home. A general rule is to drink either filtered or bottled water, avoid anything that has not been cooked or that may have been washed in unclean water, and favor busy restaurants that are popular with locals or other travellers.

Travel light: put your suitcase on a diet

Travel light and carry only the necessary clothes and other articles. Avoid heavy and light colored dresses that require maintenance and get dirty soon. Carry clothes that are easy to maintain require less / no ironing and dry in less time. Carry clothes according to the temperature conditions of the destinations. Checkup with friends hotels or the internet for this.

Traveling with kids is a family time that should be enjoyed together and all that is required is putting to good use some travel trips. It is important to schedule the departure earlier to be prepared for anything unexpected. The only way to beat holiday traffic is to leave earlier, but if it is within the financial

Famous restaurants in Shimla

Famous eating Joints and restaurants in Shimla

Shimla has a number of good restaurants and eating joints. Being a tourist destination for world over all types of food is available in Shimla, but finding a restaurant serving anything traditional is difficult to find. In general most hotels  have restaurants serving varied cuisine. Mall the main tourist attraction has a most number of popular restaurants and eating joints where you can find everything. Devicos is a multi-cuisine restaurant, serving north Indian, south Indian, Chinese and Continental. Baljees is ideal for breakfast or a quick lunch while shopping at the Mall.

Baljees Restaurant

This is located just opposite Municipal Corporation Office at the Mall and has a sweet shop with a snacks shop at the ground floor and restaurant called Fascination at the top.

Cuisines: North Indian, South Indian, Mughalai, Continental, Middle East, Chinese Address: 26, The Mall, Shimla

Timings: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The Devicos Restaurant

Cuisines: North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Continental

Address: 5, The Mall Road, Shimla

Timings: 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m.

Himanis Restaurant

Cuisines: North Indian, South Indian, Chinese

Address: 48, The Mall Road, Shimla

Timings: 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m.

Tripti Restaurant

Famous for South Indian dishes

Cuisines: North Indian, South Indian

Address: 5, The Mall Road

Timings: 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m.

Goofa & Ashaian (Himachal Tourism)

At Shimla’s prominent Ridge, Himachal Tourism offers the Ashiana and Goofa Restaurants with fast food counter serving delicious Indian, Continental, Chinese and Himachali cuisines.

Embassy Restaurant

A delightful restaurant situated near the eastern side of Mall, in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. This self service restaurant offers delicious Indian and Chinese delicacies. Pizzas and hamburgers are their specialty.

Other popular restaurants include: Alfa Restaurant, Indian coffee house, Deepak Vaishnav Bhojnalya, Himani restaurant, Rendezvous Bar & Restaurant, Nalini restaurant.

Popular bakeries in Shimla

Trishool bakers next to Gaiety theatre, Krishna bakery near Lift, Beekays at the Scandal point, are famous for fast food such as burger, patties, pastries and much more.

Mehru Halwai and Natthu Halwai in Lower Bazaar is famous for Milk Jalebi, Samosa and other Indian Sweets.

Shimla Shopping & entertainment guide

Shimla Shopping & entertainment guide

There is an enormous range of goods that Shimla has to offer. This includes handicrafts, wood and metalwork, shawls, pullovers, local tweeds, caps, juices, pickles, jams and squashes and many more.

Lakkar Bazaar

The discerning shopper would find shopping in Shimla a pleasant experience. Like all hill stations in India, Shimla also has a rich and diverse forestland. One thing that must feature in your shopping cart in Shimla is the walking sticks. This and more is available in the Lakkar bazaar adjoining the ridge. The bazaar offers everything from toys, figurines, candle stands, key chains, carved sticks to pots, pans and spoons – all made of wood. The ace craftsmen in Shimla make exquisite walking sticks out of the wood available in Shimla. Shimla fruit products are also ideal gifts for near and dear ones.

The Mall

Shimla shopping center is basically centered around the Mall of Shimla. The Mall flocks with innumerable shops on both the sides. Shopping in Shimla is an absolute delight. There are various emporiums loaded with handicrafts on the mall. The government emporiums are more famous.

Local Himachal handicrafts like Woolen and pashmina shawls, decorative items, handmade shoes, dolls, the famous Himachali woolen caps, rugs, woolen coats etc. are available in these emporiums.

Weavers in the Kullu-Manali region weave colorful caps on their looms, which are favorite with the tourists visiting this region.

Lower Bazaar

As the name suggests the Lower Bazaar is located below the Mall. In between these two is the middle bazaar. These the shopping place for the local people. People from villages around Shimla are seen shopping at these markets. Goods here are also cheaper as compared to the mall. This is a narrow bazaar with traditional shops on both sides. Natthu Halwai, Mehru Halwai and Gujjar Khan Sweets are popular sweet shops in Lower bazaar.

Restaurants

These are some of the most popular restaurants in Shimla located on and around the mall road.

  • Baljees Restaurant
  • Alfa Restaurant
  • Indian coffee house
  • Embassy Bar and restaurant
  • Devicos sweets and restaurant
  • Deepak Vaishnav Bhojnalya
  • Himani restaurant
  • Rendezvous Bar & Restaurant
  • Nalini restaurant
  • Ashiana & Goofa restaurant ( government)

 Bakeries in Shimla

These are the popular bakeries on the mall road famous for pastries and cakes

  • Trishool bakers
  • Krishna Bakers Confectioners
  • Beekays

Cinema Halls in Shimla

Shimla has three old cinema halls. . These are old ones and have limited seating capacity. Ritz being the best in ambience.Now a new 2 screen multiplex is operational at the New Bus stand in Shimla

Rivoli Theatre :Located near Ice skating Rink, Lakkar Bazaar

Ritz Theatre : located at the ridge behind Christ Church and

Shahi Theatre Located near Bus Stand

SRS Multiples: Two screen new multiplex, CK Mall, second floor, New ISBT, Tuttikandi, Shimla

Theatre in Shimla

Gaiety Theater is a prehistoric building in Shimla located on the mall road. It is one of the major attractions of Shimla. It has been renovated recently to make it more attractive. Many movies have been shot in the old theatre (like Gadar) and it is witness to some of the finest stage plays of its time. Many popular film personalities have performed on its stage. Attached to the theater is a club known as Amateur Dramatic Club (ADC) meant exclusively for members. Various shows and events are organized here from time to time. Schools in Shimla also use this theater for performing arts.

Get complete travel information on Shimla here: Shimla travel Guide

Snow season in Shimla

Snow season in Shimla

Shimla, capital city of Himachal Pradesh is an all time favorite tourist destination in Northern India. Tourists generally love to enjoy this hill station during the season when it experiences snow fall and to see the hills covered with snow.

To enjoy the snowfall in Shimla, the best season to visit would be during the winters  from mid December- January. Usually tourists from nearby states expect snowfall on Christmas, New Year eve and there are good number of tourists during this time. The winters are extremely chill here, with frequent snowfall and rains with sometimes hailstorms. The temperature varies from max 8’C to min 0’C and may even go below that level at times. Snowfall is in abundance at most times during these months and tourists enjoy playing with snowflakes by throwing snowballs at one another.  The other places which experience snowfall near Shimla are Narkanda and Kufri and also sometimes in areas near Tara Devi temple 17kms from Shimla.

The other major attractions during this season are the Winter Carnival and Ice Skating in Shimla.

During this peak winters, heavy warm clothing including jackets, mufflers, shawls , caps and socks are worn to fight the extreme chill weather.  You can buy this stuff at Shimla market also.Tourists are advised to wear heavy boots to avoid falling on the snow covered streets of Shimla.