Which is better, Shimla or Manali? Like many others, if this your question, you are in the right place. In this blog, you can get answers to this question.

Shimla and Manali are both the most famous tourist places in Himachal Pradesh. It is tough to decide where you can go or where not? I will help you to find the answer to this question.

According to tourism.gov.in, Shimla or Manali is one of the best places to visit in Himachal Pradesh.

So if you want to know which is best, Shimla or Manali? Then read this blog post until the end to see the answer.

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Are You in hurry… Read Quickly about which is better Shimla or Manali?

Manali – Manali is the best place for you if you have enough time to spend on holiday. In Manali, there are many places to explore compared to Shimla.

In Manali, you can explore many places like Dhauladhar, Hadimba Temple, Rohtang Paas, Solang Valley, etc. You can also do various activities like Paragliding, Trekking, etc.

In simple words, Manali is better than Shimla. Manali is a clear winner.

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Which is best, Shimla or Manali?

Shimla – It is also called the “Queen of Hills.” Shimla is the most beautiful city in Himachal Pradesh. In Shimla, you can explore many places like Mall Road, The Ridge, Jhaku Mandir, Hanuman Mandir, etc.

It is not so much so big city so you can cover Shimla in 1-2 days. Shimla is the best place if you have only a few days.

Manali – It is also known as the “Valley of Gods.” Manali is a perfect place for tourists all over India. In Manali, you can explore many places like Hadimba Temple, Solang Valley, Rohtang Pass, etc.

It is also the most famous adventure place for the people. In Manali, you can do activities like Bungee Jumping, Paragliding, Rock Climbing, Skiing, Rope walking, and many more.

If you have more than 4-5 days to spend on holiday, Manali is the perfect fit for you. Manali is much bigger than Shimla, so you need more days to explore it.

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Accommodation

Accommodation in Shimla – Shimla is a budget-friendly place to stay in hotels, resorts, and villas. You can find a lot of budget accommodation under Rs.1200/Night.

Some best locations in Shimla are Hotel Marina Shimla, Wildflower Hall, Clarkes Hotel, The Oberoi Cecil, Snow Valley, etc. It is one of the best places for solo traveling.

If you want to stay away from the Shimla crowd and spend your night in a peaceful place, you can also stay in Kufri hotels. Kufri is 14 Km from Shimla.

The best locations in Kufri to stay are Cheog Valley, Dak Bangla Cottage, Nimesh Savla, etc. You can also stay in these places.

Accommodation in Manali – Manali is the best place to stay in hotels, but it is not budget-friendly; if you want to stay in Manali, you will need a little more budget than Shimla.

Some best hotels in Manali are Old Cafe Manali, Sun Park Resort, Golden Tulip, Hotel Meadows, Apple Country Resort, etc. If you find you can also get some budget hotels in Manali.

If you want, you can also stay at places near Manali like Rohtang Pass and Solang Valley. You can also stay in hostels like Young Monk Hostel, Old Manali Cafe, etc.

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Best Time to visit in shimla and manali

• Shimla – You can visit between October to January; it is the best time to visit Shimla, and these days, you can also enjoy snowfall in Shimla.
• Manali – The Summer season is the best season to visit Manali because you can explore more in the summertime. If you want to visit Manali during the snowfall months, you can visit between November to January.

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Food

Famous Food in Shimla – Shimla has various varieties of food like Thukpa, Madra, Babru, Mash Daal, Dhaam, Chicken Anardana, Veg-Momos, etc. You should try these items.

Thukpa and Dhaam are the most famous dishes among all the dishes. Dhaam is the traditional dish of Shimla and Himachal Pradesh, and Thupka is the local dish of Shimla.

Famous Food in Manali – Like Shimla, Manali also has a lot of varieties of food like Sidu, Kullu Trout, Bhature, Patrodu, Vada, Sattu, and Jatu, etc. Mittha is another famous street food of Manali. It would be best if you tried this.

Sidu is the most famous dish of Manali, and it is also the local dish of Manali. You can eat it in any restaurant or cafe. The average cost of food in Manali is Rs.500/person daily.

Manali is not so expensive in terms of food, but it is better to eat more in local cafes and Dhaba because the rate of food there is very budget-friendly.

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Things to do

Things to do in Shimla – As I said, Shimla is a small town, so there is nothing to do much more, but you can go for a trek, and you can explore places like Mall Road, Church, The Ridge, Kali Bari Temple, Lakkar Bazaar, etc.

If you are an adventure or sports lover, you can do various things here like, Paragliding, Trekking, Camping, River Rafting, Skating, Cycling, Golfing, etc.

If you are looking for an area in Shimla where you can relax, you can go to some hidden places like Scandal Point, Chadwick Waterfall, Tara Devi, Green Valley, Shaily Peak, Naldehra, etc.

In Shimla, there are around 15 places to explore. I will give you a brief below:

1. Go to Museum
2. Chadwick Waterfall
3. Trek to Jakhoo Temple
4. Sunset at Scandal Point
5. Pine Forest
6. Kuthar Fort
7. Coffee Cafe at Shimla
8. Apple Gardens
9. Kiala Forest
10. Green Valley
11. Tara Devi Temple
12. Shaily Peak
13. Paragliding
14. Camping in Forest
15. Naldehra

These are the most famous tourist attractions in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. You can explore all these places one by one, and it is all in Shimla or nearby Shimla.

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Things to Do in Manali – Manali is a place that attracts adventure lovers and travelers. In Manali, the things to do list is more than 100, but I will tell you some best things-to-do.

You can do Sking, Paragliding, ATV ride, Bonfire, rock climbing, Zorbing, Camping, etc. You can also trek to Jogini Waterfalls, Hadimba Devi Temple, Beas River, etc.

There are 20 major things to do in Manali:

1. Solang Valley
2. Beas River
3. Hadimba Devi Temple
4. Paragliding
5. Manikaran Gurudwara
6. Beas Kund
7. Camping
8. Nature Walk
9. Rope Walking
10. ATV Ride
11. Skiing
12. Manali Wildlife Sanctuary
13. Old Manali
14. River Rafting
15. Bhirgu Lake
16. Van Vihar Park
17. Hampta Pass Trek
18. Chandartal Lake Trek
19. Prashar Lake Trek
20. Himachal Culture

These are the top attractions in Manali that you can see. There are many other attractions, but these are the most famous attraction; you can explore even more of the 20 places in Manali.

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How to Reach?

How to reach Shimla via Flight– Shimla is easy to reach via bus, flight, or car. To reach Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, you can take a direct flight from major cities like New Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Mumbai, etc. to Shimla.

Jubbarhatti is the nearest airport from Shimla. You will land there and then take a cab or bus to reach Shimla.

Via Bus – Like flight, there are many options to reach from the bus to Shimla. To reach Shimla, you can take a bus from major cities like New Delhi, Rishikesh, Jaipur, Chandigarh, etc,. to reach Shimla directly.

Via Car or Bike – If you own a vehicle like a car or a bike, you can reach from anywhere to Shimla. The distance between Chandigarh to Shimla is around 115 Km.

Via Train – The only direct train to Shimla departs from Kalka, Haryana railway station. If you want, you can take a train from cities like New Delhi and Chandigarh but, in this case, you need to change your train 2-3 times.

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How to Reach Manali via Flight – Manali is very famous among tourists, so there are many options to reach Manali. You can reach Manali via flight from major cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh, etc.

There is no airport located in proper Manali. The nearest airport to Manali is Bhuntar which is 50Km from Manali. You can land there directly and then take a bus or cab to reach Manali.

Via Bus – The bus is the best and cheapest way to reach Manali. You can take a bus from major cities like New Delhi, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Mumbai, etc.

Manali is around 550 Km from New Delhi, which takes approximately 12 hours to reach Manali. But if you travel the first time to Manali, it is highly recommended you travel via bus.

Via Train – There is no railway station nearby, so the train is not a way to reach Manali. But if you want, take a train to Chandigarh or Shimla, then take a cab from there to reach Manali.

Via Car or Bike – You can reach Manali easily via car or bike, but it is only recommended for those with some experience of driving a car or bike in the mountains.

The road from Shimla to Manali is narrow, so you should drive very slowly and carefully, but this is also an excellent way to reach Manali.

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Who is the winner? Shimla or Manali?

The simple one-line answer is Manali. Manali is a winner because, compared to Shimla, there are more things to do in Manali, and it is also more beautiful than Shimla.

But this doesn’t mean that Shimla is looser you can visit Shimla if you travel first time to the mountains or with friends.

Conclusion on Which is better, shimla or manali?

So, guys, that’s it. It is a complete comparison between Shimla and Manali. I hope you will find out which is best, Shimla or Manali?

I tried my best, and believe me, guys, this is the most challenging article to write in my overall blog journey. So I request you to share this article as much as you can.

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