CHANDIGARH
TO KASAULI
60 kilometres. 1.5 hours. The easiest hill escape from Chandigarh - colonial-era cantonment, pine forests, and views of the plains below.
60 km
Distance
1.5 hrs
Drive time
Easy
Difficulty
Year-round
Best season
Baleno / Swift
Best car
THE ROUTE
THE BEST
SAME-DAY TRIP
Kasauli is the hill station that doesn't overpromise. It's a British cantonment town - quiet, well-maintained, with pine-lined roads and Christ Church at the centre. No mall chaos, no tourist tat, no Shimla-style crowds.
The drive from Chandigarh takes 90 minutes via Kalka. The road is well-paved, scenic, and easy to drive. No technical sections, no permits required. You can leave Chandigarh after breakfast and be walking Kasauli's Upper Mall by 11am.
For a solo trip or a couple's weekend, the Swift is all the car you need for this route. The Baleno Automatic makes it even more comfortable. Save the Jimny for Spiti.
WHAT TO DO IN KASAULI
Walk Upper Mall and Lower Mall - the main cantonment roads, mostly flat, completely pine-shaded
Christ Church (1853) - one of the best-preserved British colonial churches in Himachal Pradesh
Monkey Point - the highest point in Kasauli, views of the Sutlej valley and plains below
Kasauli Brewery (now a military institute, but the building is visible from the road)
Gilbert Trail - a 3km forest walk through deodar trees
Sunrise from Sunset Point - ironically named, but the dawn views over the plains are spectacular
BOOK FOR KASAULI
Chandigarh → Kasauli
No Permits Required
Kasauli is within Himachal Pradesh's unrestricted zone. No inter-state or special permits needed for this route.
KASAULI THIS WEEKEND?
60 km. 1.5 hours. No permits. Doorstep delivery. The easiest hill escape from Chandigarh.