A small town in Punjab and one of the holiest Sikh sites was founded by Guru Tegh Bahadur. It was here around 300 years back where Guru Gobind Singh Ji formed the Khalsa Panth.
Days required– Day trip from Chandigarh
Nearby places to go – Naina Devi Temple
Best time to visit – From October to February. Hola Mohalla is celebrated every year in March around Holi
How to reach – 90 Km from Chandigarh, this place can easily be reached by road and rail route. The bus stand and railway station are situated nearby the Kesh Garh Gurudwara.
How we traveled – We self drove to Anandpur Sahib as we covered Naina Devi Temple on the same trip.
Where to stay – If you are traveling from Chandigarh, there is no need to stay here and you can reach Chandigarh by night, otherwise there are plenty of budget options here to stay for a night.
How to go around – Anandpur Sahib is a small town with all tourist destinations nearby. If you are boarding a bus, the main gurudwara is just a walk away. You can also use the local taxis or auto-rickshaws for roaming around.
Places to visit
Gurudwara Keshgarh Sahib – It is the most sacred place for Sikhism in the town. It is the place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji formed the Khalsa Panth. Anandpur Sahib Fort – this town was once fortified by majestic five forts. Of these, the main fort built in red brick is still standing.
Virasat-e-Khalsa – this museum was built to commemorate the 300 years of the Khalsa Panth. It has two complexes- western and eastern complex connected by a footbridge and large pool and cafeteria. Galleries inside the complex tell the history of Punjab and Sikhism.
Where to eat – we didn’t try any local eateries here but you should eat at the Langar(Community Kitchen at Gurudwara). You can also offer your service in the kitchen if you have time.
Itinerary – we first headed for Naina Devi temple, one of the 52 Shaktipeeths. You can reach the temple by bus or your vehicle. Also, there is a cable car service to reach the temple. Enjoy the beautiful views on the way to the temple.
From there, we reached Anandpur Sahib in an hour. We rushed to Virasat-e-Khalsa as it is the only place with a time limit and closes by 5 pm. Entry is free but you have to pay for the parking. It is spread over the large area and takes 2-3 hours to cover. There are large water pools with gardens all around it. Inside the complex, there are so many beautiful galleries explaining Sikh history and culture. You can also get a free audio guide(machine) if you are interested in knowing all about the Sikhism. The only disappointing thing about the place is that photography is not allowed inside the galleries.
From there, we reached Keshgarh Gurudwara. It is a large complex with a main gurudwara in the center and sacred pool and ground on the one side and large parking space and langar hall. You get to see the personal belongings and weapons of the Guruji inside the Gurudwara. Visiting this place in the evening has its perks as you get to see the sunset and the illuminations and eat at the langar.
Quick tips for fellow travelers –
Naina Devi Temple – Avoid coming here on weekends and festivals otherwise you have to wait to hours for the Darshan.
Virasat-e-Khalsa is closed on Mondays.
If you are visiting Anandpur Sahib in March for Hola Mohalla Festival, you will find a huge amount of crowd( lakhs of people visit during that time).
Overall rating (it is subjective and my personal opinion) 7.5/10
Travel Expense 1/10 – there is no expense here other than traveling and meals.
Travel ease 8/10 – it is easily reachable from Chandigarh and trains and buses are connecting this town to many cities in Punjab and Himachal.
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.
Amritsar – City near to the Indo-Pak border, home to one of the holiest place for Sikhism and popular for Wagah Border ceremony and delicious Punjabi food.
Days required – It is a weekend trip for visitors from Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. 2 days are sufficient to explore the place.
Nearby places to go – Chandigarh
Best time to visit – during winter (October to February). Summer in North India is intolerable and should be avoided.
How to reach
By air – Amritsar has an airport with good connectivity and there are direct flights from Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai. Many international flights also run from here to Canada and Gulf countries.
By train – Amritsar Railway Station connects the city to all the major cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Mumbai, and Ahmadabad.
By road – There is govt. and private run bus services connecting Amritsar to all major cities in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi.
One can also self-drive or hire a car to reach here from Chandigarh and Delhi.
How we traveled – We booked a bus from Jaipur which took 14 hours to reach Amritsar but I recommend other travelers to take the train or flight as the journey was long tiring one and not comfortable at all.
Where to stay – Book your stay near Golden temple as it will be easy to roam around the city and most of the hotels are located around this area.
How to go around – Amritsar is a small city and can be easily covered by auto-rickshaws which are available everywhere around the city.
There is a HOHO(Hop On Hop Off) Bus service for tourists which covers all tourist spots of the city including Wagah border. Book the ticket online( http://amritsardekho.com) through the website or their counter near Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue on the spot.
For Wagah border, you will find many vendors around Jallianwala Bagh shouting to book the tour. You can book the whole cab (Rs.1000) or take a shared one for Rs.150-200.
Places to visit –
Golden temple complex- One of the holiest places for Sikh people, Harmandir Sahib is visited by thousands of visitors daily. Here runs the largest free kitchen serving 80000-100000 people daily. Visit here in the evening to witness the beautiful reflection of the temple in the Sarovar. Golden Temple is open 24 hours but the best time to visit is early morning(less crowd) or late evening (illumination at Temple Complex).
Jallianwala Bagh is walking distance from Golden Temple Complex. It is memorial infamous for 1919 massacre. You can see the bullet marks and the well where people jumped to save themselves from the firing.
Jallianwala Bagh
Durgiana mandir – Dedicated to goddess Durga, the temple is modeled on the Golden Temple.
Govindgarh fort- For almost a century it was hidden within a surrounding compound wall and concealed by trees and vegetation. Gobindgarh Fort is the symbol of the dramatic rise of Punjab, its golden days and then the collapse of the Sikh Kingdom when faced with the relentlessly expanding British Empire, till it’s independence. It is now open for public but is still under renovation. There is not much to see inside for now. Authorities are developing the museum, 7D shows, kid’s rides and other things to make it attractive.
War Memorial – This newly built Memorial/Museum consists of 45 meters high Sword and 8 galleries depicting the sacrifices and heroic deeds from the times of the Sikh Kingdom till Kargil operations.
Wagah border- A must visit place for every visitor in Amritsar. Every evening before sunset, the soldiers from India and Pakistan lower the flags at this international border in a perfectly coordinated way. The ceremony starts at evening just before the sunset (timings differ in different seasons). Entry is free. Reach here 1-2 hour early to get good seats (near to Indo-Pak Border gates).
Retreat Ceremony
Amritsar is not just the Golden Temple and Wagah border. There is so much more to do here. You will love the Amritsari food and local bazaar for shopping.
Where to shop – Explore the streets of Hall Bazaar, Lahori Gate Bazaar, and Guru ka Bazaar and get a variety of things like Phulkari suits and Dupattas, Punjabi Jutti(footwear) and lip-smacking Amritsari Papad. Don’t hesitate to bargain here.
Where to eat – Amritsari food is 3rd major attraction for travelers after the Golden Temple and Wagah Border.
Langar/Kara Prasad – After offering your prayers at Golden Temple have a simple meal of dal, roti, sabzi, and chawal at the largest free kitchen of the world. Don’t miss the Kara Prasad on your way out.
Amritsari Kulcha – what can be more satisfying than eating legendary Amritsari Kulcha for breakfast at All India Famous Amritsari Kulcha and Kulcha Land.
Lassi – No meal in Punjab is complete without Lassi. Try the best one at Ahuja Milk Bhandar.
Desi Punjabi khana- Eat at these 100-year-old Dhabas the delicious Punjabi thali – Bharawan Da Dhaba and Kesar Da Dhaba.
Chicken/Mutton – Non-vegetarian don’t get hopeless – Tandoori chicken at Beera and Paya of Pal Da Dhaba and mutton of Mohan Singh Dhaba is waiting for you.
Itinerary
Day 1 –
We reached Amritsar in the morning and took a cab for our hotel. We took some rest as we were tired of the bus journey. Later, we took an auto-rickshaw for Hall Bazaar for shopping. We bought some Phulkari Dupattas and reached Bharawan Da Dhaba for lunch. After eating amazing food there, we both decided to come again the next day here for lunch(though that didn’t happen). Jallianwala Bagh is 10min walk from there. Golden Temple Complex is very nearby. You don’t need any auto/cab for these places.
It was around 5 pm when we walked into Harmandir Sahib and we were awestruck and it was a different world and atmosphere there. We sat near the Lake for hours and didn’t take our eyes off the calming water of the lake with the reflection of the temple in it. Later, after offering prayer, we went to the Langar Hall. Everyone is invited here with no discrimination at all. People from all religions and culture visit this place every day. They serve a simple meal to everyone sitting the hall and you can eat as much as you want but no wastage of food is allowed.
Day 2 – HOHO bus tour
We had booked a HOHO bus tour in advance as it was covering all of Amritsar. We covered all of the major tourist destinations by noon and then after having lunch, we started our Wagah border journey.
There is a big parking facility where all the vehicles are parked. Only VIP or Army vehicles can go further than that. It is quite a distance to cover. Rickshaws were available which will drop you near the entry gate. There was a huge crowd there waiting in a long queue for the security check. There was a different queue for men and women and we had to pass through a double security check to reach the theatre area built for the ceremony.
There was construction work going on to increase the seating capacity of the area. From here, we could easily see the Pakistani people sitting at their side waving their flags and singing and shouting songs.
Just before the ceremony, an army officer with mike in hand came near the crowd and started chanting – Vande Matram, Bharat Mata ki Jai and people went mad and started dancing on the patriotic songs. It was an experience of a kind.
The ceremony starts with a parade by the soldiers from both the sides and ends up in the perfectly coordinated lowering of the two nations’ flags. It lasts for 30 minutes.
The bus dropped us near the Town Hall from where we went to visit the Durgiana Mandir to finish our Amritsar trip.
Quick tips for fellow travelers –
Make arrangements for Wagah border tour in advance as most of the cabs/taxis are booked by 3 pm and it will cost you more for a last-minute booking. You may not get a shared taxi/cab.
Even if you have your vehicle, don’t drive it around the main market area as it is very congested and you will not get a parking spot. Just take an auto-rickshaw to explore the market.
During Wagah visit, keep your bags and other things safe in cab/taxi. Take the camera, water, sunglasses, umbrella, Sunscreen lotion, wallet and any valuable items with you. You can take a camera, mobile phones, wallets and water bottles but bags of any kind are not allowed.
Govt. approved photo ID may be asked during checking at Wagah border, so better to carry one.
Be respectful at Golden Temple Complex. Cover your head all the time. Don’t take photographs at Prayer area.
You can volunteer yourself for any work at Golden Temple like serving or making food or cleaning the utensil or serving water to other visitors.
Ratings (it is subjective and my personal opinion)
Destination overall rating 8/10 – You get to shop, eat Punjabi delicacies and visit Golden Temple and Wagah Border in a 2-day trip.
Travel Expense 1/10 –my one of the cheapest trip.
Travel ease 8/10 – easily reachable place and easy to explore. A variety of options available according to everyone’s budget.
