Chandigarh is green, orderly and easy to get around, and it makes a good first night before the hills. See the Capitol Complex, part of Le Corbusier’s World Heritage listing, walk the Rock Garden made from scrap, and end the day at Sukhna Lake. Mata Mansa Devi temple in Panchkula and the Pinjore gardens are close by.
Highlights
- Capitol Complex, part of The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier (UNESCO)
- Nek Chand’s Rock Garden
- Sukhna Lake at sunset
- Rose Garden (Zakir Hussain Rose Garden)
- Mata Mansa Devi temple, Panchkula
- Pinjore (Yadavindra) Gardens on the Shimla road
What to eat
- Amritsari kulcha and chole
- Butter chicken and tandoori at the dhabas
- Lassi and paneer tikka in Sector 17 and Sector 35
Where to stay
Sector 17 and 35 for central hotels; Zirakpur and Panchkula for newer, bigger hotels.
Getting there
Chandigarh has an international airport and fast trains (Shatabdi and Vande Bharat) from Delhi in about three hours.
Tips
- The Capitol Complex tours need photo ID; register at the tourist reception before you go in.
- Sukhna Lake is busiest on weekend evenings.
- Use Chandigarh as a base for Kasauli, Morni Hills and Naina Devi.
Best time to visit
Oct-Mar. See what else is good in October and our best time to visit India guide.
Temples and shrines near Chandigarh
- Mata Mansa Devi, Panchkula Goddess Mansa Devi, a Shakti Peetha
- Kali Mata Mandir, Kalka Goddess Kali (Kalika Devi)
- Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib One of the five Takhts, where the Khalsa was founded in 1699
- Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib Memorial to the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh
Places to see in and around Chandigarh
31 places within 40 km. Tap I’ve been to add them to your India passport.
- Kali Mata Mandir, Kalka Temple, 20 km
- Open Hand Monument Monument, 4 km
- Rock Garden of Chandigarh Garden, 4 km
- Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh Museum, 2 km
- Sukhna Lake Lake, 4 km
- Secretariat Building World Heritage Site, 4 km
- Zakir Hussain Rose Garden Garden, 2 km
- Yadavindra Gardens Garden, 14 km
- Kaushalya Dam Landmark, 14 km
- Barog Hill station, 34 km
- Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib Gurdwara, 39 km
- Fateh Burj Museum, 11 km
- Burail Fort Fort, 3 km
- Nada Sahib Gurdwara, 10 km
- Chhatbir Zoo Zoo, 14 km
- Bhima Devi Temple Complex Temple, 14 km
- Sadna Qasai Mosque Mosque, 39 km
- Sukhna Lake Wildlife Sanctuary Wildlife sanctuary, 8 km
- Japanese Garden, Chandigarh Garden, 3 km
- Sanghol Museum Museum, 37 km
- Mata Mansa Devi Mandir Temple, 6 km
- Shanaleshwara Swayambhu Temple Temple, 29 km
- Khanda Museum Museum, 38 km
- Sukhna Interpretation Centre Museum, 3 km
And 7 more on our Haryana map.
Food to try in and around Chandigarh
Chandigarh favourites to look out for.
- Sarson da saag
- Dal makhani
- Paratha
- Gol gappa
The full food passport, state by state.
Is a place near Chandigarh missing? Suggest it
Have you been to Chandigarh?
Tips from travellers
Been to Chandigarh? Share one tip that would help the next person. The first good one goes right here.
Share a tip
Questions from readers
Got a question about Chandigarh? Ask it here. We answer the useful ones on this page.
Ask a question
Nearby and similar
Kasauli
A small, green cantonment town 65 km from Chandigarh: pine walks, colonial churches and sunset views over the plains.
Sep-Dec, Mar-Jun 1-2 days
Shimla
The old British summer capital: colonial Mall Road, pine forests and the UNESCO-listed toy train from Kalka.
Sep-Dec, Mar-Jun 2-3 days
Naina Devi and Anandpur Sahib
Two great shrines 20 km apart: the hilltop Shri Naina Devi temple, one of the Shakti Peethas, and Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib, where t…
Oct-Apr 1-2 days
Amritsar
The Golden Temple shimmering in its sacred pool, plus the world’s largest free kitchen and the Wagah border ceremony.
Oct-Mar 1-2 days