Kolkata to Shimla

The land distance between Kolkata and Shimla is 1867 kilometres, which is a large distance to be covered by a direct bus or taxi. Hence, the simple alternative is to turn towards the flights. Now, even though both cities have their own airports, there are no direct flights from Kolkata's CCU Airport to Shimla Airport. Hence, you need to look for flights to Chandigarh Airport, which is the next nearest airport and provides efficient connectivity to Shimla.

BY FLIGHT: Kolkata - Chandigarh 

There are connecting as well as non-stop flights from Kolkata to Chandigarh. While the non-stop flights take 2 and a half hours, the connecting flight duration can range from 7 hours to as high as 18 hours. You can quickly look for these flights on Google Flights and book them on the flight operator's website.

1. BY BUS: Chandigarh--Shimla

The transport connectivity between Chandigarh and Shimla is efficient. There are frequent bus services from Chandigarh to Shimla, and if you are on a budget trip, you can take a bus to Shimla. There are direct buses leaving for Shimla. The bus types on this route are both ordinary and Volvo buses. Some coaches are not direct buses and head to farther places in Himachal, such as Rohru etc., but make a stop at Shimla. You can take those buses too if you are able to grab seats there. Volvo buses plying from New Delhi to Shimla make a stop at Chandigarh, you can go for them as well. Most of these buses are operated by HRTC and HPTDC. You can make the online booking of the same on the operator's portal.

If you are travelling in a huge number, you might want to book a whole bus, for which you can reach out the Chandigarh bus stand and book deluxe and Semi-deluxe buses from private bus operators. After landing at Chandigarh, just reach the bus stand and enquire about the next bus to Shimla and you can act accordingly. The distance between Chandigarh and Shimla is 118 kms, and buses take about 4-5 hours to cover this distance.

• Route: Chandigarh - Pinjore - Kalka - Parwanoo - Dharampur - Barog - Nagali - Solan - Shoghi - Shimla

• Types of Buses Available: Volvo, Deluxe, Semi-deluxe

• Starting point: Chandigarh Bus Stand

• Dropping point: Shimla ISBT Tutikandi Bus Stand

• Timings: There are overnight buses from Chandigarh and amongst the buses via Delhi, there is one Semi-deluxe that departs from Chandigarh at 2:40 PM and a deluxe bus that departs at 6:40 AM.

• Duration: 4-5 hours

• Bus Fare: INR 120

• Typical stop points: The main towns that comes in between are Pinjore, Parwanoo, Kalka, Solan, Shoghi and Tara devi.

Road Condition

The whole route is over National highway 22. The roads are in good condition but narrow, curvy and zig zag. However, even with some really sharp turns, it is one of the best roads for hill travel. The only traffic zone is from Pinjor to Kalka, but the Express Highway now saves around half an hour.

2. BY CAR/TAXI: Chandigarh - Shimla

Although expensive, yet a more comfortable option of reaching Shimla from Chandigarh is taking a car or taxi. You can book a cab online, with your pickup point as Chandigarh Airport or visit some local taxi operators in Chandigarh and try to get a cheaper quote. If you wish to avoid such hassles, you can book them on popular cab booking sites such as Savaari, Get Me Cab, Gozo Cabs, Hippo Cabs etc. Some of the popular local taxi operators are Chandigarh Taxiwala, Sharma Travels, HiWay Travels which offer a lot of amenities such as newspapers, cookies, juices, tissues etc., Mehra Tours and Travels, Chandigarh Shimla Taxi, Car bazaar etc.

The distance between the two cities is 117 kms, and it takes 3 and a half or 4 hours to reach Shimla, by a taxi. You can make as many number of stops as you wish to because there are many. This road trip has many adventure elements to add to your trip to Shimla.

• Route Options: Chandigarh - Pinjore - Kalka - Parwanoo - Dharampur - Barog - Nagali - Solan - Shoghi - Shimla

• Road Condition from Chandigarh to Shimla: The National Highway 22 is in a well maintained and good condition and facilitates superfluous driving. Pinjore to Kalka is a high traffic zone but this problem can be solved on driving on the Express Highway, which saves time. The roads are narrow, zig zag and curvy with sharp turns, covered with mountains on both sides.

• Duration: The ideal duration of the road trip is 3-5 hours, but may increase or decrease based on the number of stopovers made, traffic, weather conditions and other factors.

• Approximate Cost: If you are booking a cab from local taxi operators, the prices may vary and you can always negotiate with them. Usually, the cab operators charge based on the number of kilometers. A 4-seater hatchback or sedan's fare could be somewhere between INR 2000-2800, while a 6-seater SUV's fare can range from INR 3000-4000. A tempo traveller with a carrying capacity of 12 people can cost you INR 5000-6000.