Shimla

Shimla, the former summer capital of British India, cascades down a ridge at 2,276 meters in the Himalayan foothills, wearing its colonial heritage like a well-tailored blazer. The Mall Road promenade winds past Tudor and Gothic Revival buildings, Christ Church (the second oldest in North India) presides over the Ridge, and the Kalka-Shimla toy train — a UNESCO World Heritage railway — chugs through 102 tunnels and over 800 bridges on its way up from the plains. But Shimla is far more than a colonial relic. The Jakhu Temple sits at the highest point with panoramic Himalayan views, the old Lakkar Bazaar sells carved wooden crafts, and the surrounding hills offer treks through deodar forests and apple orchards. In winter, nearby Kufri transforms into a snow playground. Shimla remains India's quintessential hill station a place where you walk everywhere (cars are banned on Mall Road), the air is pine-scented, and the mountains are always in view.