Located at the foothills of Shivalik range of Himalaya, Chandigarh is the first planned city of India after independence designed by Le Corbusier. Chandigarh, itself home to many gardens and is the gateway to many hill stations in Himachal.
Days required– 1-2 days
Nearby places to go – Patiala, Amritsar
Best time to visit – October to February and during monsoon
How to reach –
By air – Chandigarh has an airport with very good connectivity to all major cities in India.
By train – Chandigarh railway station is connected to all major cities.
By road – You can book the govt. or private run buses to Chandigarh from all major cities in North India.
How we traveled – We did a road trip to Chandigarh from Ludhiana. It is a 3-hour drive from Ludhiana.
Where to stay – It is a small city and you can stay anywhere in the city but if you don’t have your vehicle then don’t book stay around Zirakpur/Dariya/Industrial area. There are many hotels in Sec.22, 42 and 45.
How to go around – We had our car to roam around the city. Auto-rickshaws, taxis, Ola/Uber are easily available everywhere in the city.
Places to visit
- Rock Garden – Prime attraction of Chandigarh built from complete waste, it was built by Govt. Officer Nek Chand as a hobby. Now it is spread over 25 acres of land and visited by hundreds of visitors every day.
Doll Museum inside Rock Garden - Rose Garden – Named after former Indian President Zakir Hussain, it is the home of more than 30000 varieties of trees and plants and some of the rare and exotic rose varieties. Best time to visit is around February-March when Rose festival is held here annually.
- Sukhna Lake – Beautiful manmade lake is the hotspot for locals as well as visitors in the evening time. You can walk around the lake and enjoy boating.
- Capitol Complex – Declared UNESCO Heritage site in 2016, it was designed by Le Corbusier. Spread over 100 acres, this place has many monuments including the Palace of Assembly or Legislative Assembly, Secretariat, High Court, Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill and Tower of Shadows.
- Pinjore Gardens- Located in Panchkula district, these magnificent garden spread over 100 acres of land.
There is Bougainvillea Garden, Cactus Garden, Japanese Garden, Hibiscus Garden, Topiary Park, and Leisure Valley. If you have time, then you can explore these gardens also.
Where to eat –
Pal Dhaba(Sec.28D) – Butter Chicken, Mutton curry, Keema Kaleji, and Lassi
Swarn Dhaba(Sec 30C) – Mutton curry and Chicken curry. This place is very small, nothing fancy and pretty basic with limited seating capacity. Also, outlet closes early.
Katani Dhaba- Vegetarian Punjabi food
Garg Chat(Sec23) – Gol Gappa, Dahi papdi, aaloo Tikki
Kulcha Land – Amritsari Kulcha
Itinerary – We have been to Chandigarh a couple of times and covered different tourist spots described above in different trips so I will help you with an itinerary which will cover most of the Chandigarh.
Day 1 – Reach Chandigarh by noon. Have lunch at Pal Dhaba then visit Rock Garden. It will take 2-3 hours to explore this place. In the evening, stroll along the Sukhna Lake. Avoid eating at stalls around the lake and go to Katani(veg)/Swarn Dhaba(non-veg) for dinner.
Day 2 – Start your day early and reach Panchkula to explore the Pinjore gardens. It will take 2-3 hours and come back to the city for Lunch. Go to Leisure Valley or Rose Garden to relax or you can visit Capitol Complex.
Try street food near Punjab University at night.
Quick tips for fellow travelers –
- If you are driving here, you need to extra cautious of traffic rules as traffic police are very strict. You will be penalized for parking at the wrong spot or any other traffic rule violation.
- There is not much to see at Rose garden or bougainvillea garden if you are not visiting Chandigarh in Blooming season.
Ratings (it is subjective and my personal opinion)
Destination overall rating 7/10 – Chandigarh is usually a gateway for all the hill stations and not a popular tourist destination in itself.
Travel Expense 2/10 – not expensive at all(depends on your choice of accommodation and meals).
Travel ease 8/10 – Chandigarh is easily reachable and you can easily roam around the city.
Food 8/10 – A few good old eateries and a wide variety of restaurants/cafe/pubs and lip-smacking street food.