Chandigarh: Getting There

Chandigarh getting there

Chandigarh is linked to all major urban centres in the region by road, rail, and air. Delhi Chandigarh is the main route as a majority of travellers travel through / from Delhi to Chandigarh. Owing to its central location, Chandigarh serves as a  gateway to the Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and northern Punjab. Tourists and public in general travel to Chandigarh to approach northwards to places like Kasauli, Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Dharamsala, Kangra, Palampur, Dalhousie, Chamba, Khajjiar

By Air

Popular flights

Airlines Flights to / from
Indian Airlines Delhi, Jammu, Mumbai
Jet airways Delhi, Mumbai
Kingfisher Delhi, Mumbai
Go Air Delhi, Mumbai, Goa

aeroplaneChandigarh is connected to Delhi and Mumbai (daily) and other major towns and tourist circuits by flights of Indian Airlines and other private sector airlines. There is also a weekly flight to Leh from Chandigarh. The airport is 11 km away from the main city. The traffic is increasing day by day and more flights get added / modified on a regular basis. Maximum number of flights are in the Delhi Chandigarh section

By Rail

Some important trains from Chandigarh

Train Name to / from station Arrival Departure
Shatabdi Morning Delhi 11:05 06:50
Shatabdi Evening Delhi 20:45 18:20
Paschim Express Mumbai 16:30 11:20
Garib Rath  Jaipur 06:35 21:50
Klk Bme Express Barmer 05:10 22:30
Cdg Lko Express Lucknow 10:15 21:30
Himalayan Queen Delhi 10:25 17:32
Kalka Mail Howrah 03:15 01:10

The railway station is 7 km away from the city center. It is well connected to the major cities of India like Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai, Trivendrum etc. Important trains like the Shatabdi Express and the Himalayan Queen service the city on a regular basis in Delhi Chandigarh section. Check exact timings from Indian railways website.

By Road

Chandigarh is well connected by road to almost every small and big town in northern India. The city can boast of an excellent road-network. It is also conveniently located within motor-able distance from a number of major cities of North India. National Highways 21 and 22 run through the city. Near perfect road condition and breathtaking views on either side of the road offers a pleasant drive.
Frequent buses ply from Chandigarh to Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and even Rajasthan. One has a varied choice that includes deluxe VOLVO buses, luxury buses, ordinary buses and taxis, all of which are readily available.

Delhi Chandigarh by AC taxi

carclip4Taxi facility is also available between new Delhi and Chandigarh. The travel time is 4 to 5 hours only. The advantage of taxi service is that it is available as per your required date time and place. This service is a bit costly but more comfortable than bus services. If number of passengers are more then this service comes in your budget. AC tata Indica car is available for Rs 2400 only and AC Tavera is available for RS 3000 only. read more

Chandigarh Weather

Chandigarh Weather

Chandigarh enjoys an extreme climate with hot summers (March to June) and chilly winters (November to February). The monsoon season, though pleasant in the evenings, is humid during the daytime. The best season to visit Chandigarh is autumn (August to November), when the weather is pleasant, neither too hot, nor too cold.

Summer season ( Max temperature between 35-40° C)

Chandigarh, being located in the plains of Northern India, has a moderate weather, just like any other North Indian City located in the plains. The summers which start from the month of May, do get pretty harsh by the late end of the month and in the whole of June, with temperatures inching down a few degrees in the month of July with the onset of Monsoon. The mercury can scale up to 45° centigrade which really makes the going tough and the education institutions are given a summer vacation in the months of May and June. This is the time when most of the city’s citizens head up towards the hill stations located in the vicinity of the city, like Kasauli and Shimla.

Monsoon Season (Max temperature between 28-35° C)

The monsoons arriving in the middle/late of July bring with them a great relief for the local citizens, which is at time short lived due to the increasing humidity. But after a fresh rainfall, the sight of the city is breath taking, with green trees and grass having being dusted of with a splash of water, a hint of cool air and the awesome view of the Shiwaliks from the Sukhna lake are the things to enjoy the most. By the end of August and till the mid of September, the monsoons have crossed their way over the city and then sets in the fall season, with moderate temperatures ranging between 25 – 30 Degrees Celsius and the mercury keeps on dipping lower with the onset of winters till November. The period of September till November. attracts most of the tourists to the city as the weather is there to be enjoyed by everyone, throughout the day. Maximum amount of rain received by the city of Chandigarh during monsoon season is 195.5 mm in a single day.

Winter season (Max temperature between 8-20° C)

With the start of winters in November, the city is lashed with some rainfall, which help in further reducing the already declining temperatures in the months of December, January and February.

By then end of November and the beginning of December it is winter time for the city people and mostly everyone stays indoors during early morning and at the night, venturing outside around noon. Another aspect of the North Indian winters is the FOG, which settles down almost as every other day by late evening and gets cleared by 10 AM the next day. Fog does create a major problem for commuting in and around the city, as it makes the driving conditions extremely dangerous and many at time the air and rail traffic are also affected by the fog.

All this ceases to occur by the end January and the spring season starts to kick in by late February. Spring calls in again the onset of moderate temperatures till the summers start to blast of their furry by the end of April.

Spring Season (Max temperature between 15-25° C)

The climate remains quite pleasant during the spring season (from mid-February to mid-March and then from mid-September to mid-October). Temperatures vary between (max) 16 °C to 25 °C and (min) 9 °C to 18 °C.

Autumn (Max temperature between 17-30° C)

In autumn (from Mid-March to April), the temperature may rise to a maximum of 36 °C. Temperatures usually remain between 17° to 20° Celsius in autumn. The minimum temperature is around 13 °C.

Chandigarh Location

Chandigarh Location

The Chandigarh city is located in north of India and surrounded by three states Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. The Chandigarh city is situated in a picturesque setting under the foot of Shivalik Hills at a height of 365 meters above the sea level. Geographically its boundaries are defined by two seasonal rivulets – the Patiali ki Rao and the Sukhna choe.
Chandigarh covers an area of approximately 114 km². and shares its borders with the states of Haryana in the south and Punjab in the north. It has an average elevation of 321 meters (1053 feet).

The surrounding districts are of Mohali, Patiala and Ropar in Punjab and Panchkula and Ambala in Haryana. The boundary of the state of Himachal Pradesh are not too far from its north.

The government is a major employer in Chandigarh with three governments having their base here. A significant percentage of Chandigarh’s population therefore consists of people who are either working for one of these governments or have retired from government service. For this reason, Chandigarh is often called a “Pensioner’s Paradise”.

Transportation

Chandigarh has the largest number of vehicles per capita. Wide, well maintained roads and ample parking space all over the city, make it convenient to use private vehicles for local transport.

Public buses run by the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), an undertaking of the Chandigarh Administration, provide local transport as well as inter-state transport services. People prefer to travel on their own private vehicle and generally there are more than one vehicle in a household making Chandigarh the largest number of vehicles per capita city in India.

Chandigarh Transport Undertaking has introduced Grid Transport System in Chandigarh on local routes to reduce the traveling time by the passengers.

Chandigarh Tourism ‘Hop on Hop Off’ double-decker bus

Touring Chandigarh has been made more user-friendly with the special ‘Hop on Hop Off’ double-decker bus. A complete whole trip costs Rs25 (without getting on or off) and lasts an hour and covers the major places of Chandigarh like the secretariat, rock garden, rose garden, Sukhna lake etc. It runs in the summer from 9.30am-6.30pm and in the winter from 10am-5pm. It leaves from the parade ground in sector 17.

The Chandigarh Traffic Police oversees the implementation of the traffic rules, and is widely credited for a fairly orderly traffic system. The traffic police is very efficient in implementing traffic rules and keeps a strict vigil on offenders.