About 350 kilometre from Delhi, covering the Delhi to Shimla distance by bus can take roughly 10 hours, but it is one of the most exhilarating drives you will remember for time to come. A drive on the stretch can cut down your travel time by about 2 hours, but you end up missing out on the passing scenery which is splendid to say the least. Under the circumstances, a bus ride is most recommended for your trip to Shimla from Delhi letting you soak up the change of scenery with every passing state such as Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, before you arrive in Shimla.
While there are plenty of overnight buses operating on this route that bring you into Shimla by sunrise, it cannot match the joy of driving down in the day and watch the paddy, sugarcane and wheat fields along the road flash bright emeralds and ochre as the sky changes colours. Between Delhi and Chandigarh, the main stoppages comprise Sonepat, Panipat and Pipli before entering the big junction city of Ambala and continuing further towards Chandigarh. Your next landmark is Kalka from where Shimla is another 3-hour drive. By now, you would have already travelled over 6 hours and can make stops at the many restaurants and dhabas along the national highway for snacks or lunch. Your uphill drive commences from Kalka and brings you to Dharampur in under an hour from where you would be driving downhill towards Solan. From Solan, Shimla is about 50 minutes away. You will find ample fast food joints along the way in case you wish to make a pit stop.
Bus Services from Delhi to Shimla
One thing you can rely on is the frequent bus service on the Delhi to Shimla route. There are more than 25 buses by the state-owned Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) that take off from Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate and arrive in Shimla’s ISBT Tutikandi in approximately 10 hours. These buses are available through the day beginning with 06:45 am to the last bus at 11:40 pm. The fleet is typically made up of Himsuta AC Volvo/Scania 2+2, Himgaurav AC 2+2, Himmani Deluxe 2+2 non-AC aside from the regular non-AC buses, with the tariff ranging from INR 440 for a non-AC bus and around INR 965 for a Himsuta AC Volvo/Scania 2+2. The state bus service also includes fleets by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) which includes Volvo AC seater buses starting from Mandi House in Delhi and dropping off at Victory Tunnel in Shimla. The Volvo fleet of HPTDC comes at around INR 950 with the bus starting at 08:30 pm, landing in Shimla before the break of dawn by 05:30 am. Not to mention, you can always book your bus ride with a private operator as there are ample to choose from with their fleet of Volvo AC semi-sleeper buses plying mostly at night and dropping you off ahead of your breakfast time the following morning. City Land Travels, Zing Bus and Northern Travels are some popular operators covering the Delhi to Shimla distance in approximately 9 hours starting from Dhaula Kuan or Civil Lines in Delhi with a drop off at the Shimla Bypass crossing between 06:30 am and 07:45 am, depending on your starting time. The tariff of these buses range from INR 750 to INR 1300 per ticket per way.
Delhi to Shimla Bus Booking
Book your Delhi to Shimla bus with Yatra.com by heading to the Bus section. Enter the starting and onward destinations, the date of your journey and search for buses. The subsequent page will show you the operator list along with the bus timings and duration of the trip. Check the fleet, the amenities on-board, compare the prices and close your booking. You will be prompted your boarding time and a confirmed e-ticket will be sent to your registered id.
Delhi to Shimla Bus Boarding Points
Once you are decided about how to reach Shimla from Delhi, you need to figure out your bus boarding points. All HRTC buses depart from Kashmiri Gate, where as the HPTDC bus departs from Mandi House. The private operators, however, have a more flexible bus boarding point with pick ups happening from R K Metro Station, Vidhan Sabha Metro Station, Majnu ka Tila Indian Oil petrol pump, and Karnal Bypass CNG pump among others.
Delhi to Shimla Bus Drop off Points
While the private operators mostly drop off at the Shimla Bypass crossing or at the Victory Tunnel. The fleet operated by HRTC makes its final halt at Shimla’s ISBT Tutikandi, and the HPTDC bus drops off at the Victory Tunnel in Shimla.
Volvo Bus from Delhi to Shimla
It is rather easy to book a Volvo from Delhi to Shimla. You can rely on the state-owned HRTC for its fleet of Himsuta AC Volvo 2+2. These Volvo buses take off as late as 11:00 pm from Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate and take about 9 hours to drop you in Shimla’s ISBT Tutikandi. The earliest Volvo by HRTC starts at 06:45 am with a drop off in Shimla at 04:30 pm. Subsequently, there are HTRC buses through the day from morning, afternoon, late afternoon, early evening to night and late night, and you can easily find a slot convenient to you for your Delhi to Shimla Volvo journey. The government-owned HPTDC runs an overnight Volvo AC seater that leaves Mandi House at 08:30 pm and arrives in Shimla by 05:30 am next day. For more flexibility in boarding points, reserve your booking with a private operator who have fleets of Volvo AC semi-sleeper running from multiple boarding points in Delhi like Majnu ka Tilla, Dhaula Kuan, Civil Lines among others that drop you off at the Shimla Bypass crossing or the Victory Tunnel. Look up Northern Travels, Zing Bus and City Land Travels in case you are keen to book with a private bus service provider. The private buses mostly operate at night around 09:30 pm and 10:10 pm and take about 9.5 hours to drop you off in Shimla. An HRTC Volvo fleet comes at INR 965, while the Volvo by HPTDC comes at approximately INR 950. If you were to book with a private operator, a one-way Volvo trip would range from INR 750 to INR 1288. While there are several non-AC and deluxe buses too by HRTC on this route, the Volvo ones are preferred for the amenities on-board such as water bottle, charging point, reading lights, blanket, movie screen, pillow, Wi-Fi, and wet napkin. And since the journey time is long at around 10 hours, a comfortable journey is the prerogative of most people travelling from Delhi to Shimla by road.
Delhi to Shimla Volvo Package
If exploring Shimla is on your mind, you can sign up for a sightseeing Volvo package spanning over 3 nights and 4 days or less. The tour starts with a pick up in a Volvo coach from Delhi and travelling overnight to arrive into Shimla early the following morning. After a private car checks you into your hotel, your holiday in Shimla begins with a sightseeing tour around the hill station that includes all its iconic landmarks before you are dropped off at your hotel at the end of the day. In the following days you can visit nearby Kufri, explore its Himalayan Nature Park, and eventually your tour ends with you getting dropped off in Delhi by a Volvo bus. Daily buffet breakfast at the hotel and either lunch or dinner are a part of your Volvo package. It is a great idea if you want a ready-made itinerary and don’t wish to be bothered sorting out the logistics.
Delhi to Shimla Bus Fare
Aboard a regular non-AC bus by HRTC, the tariff ranges from INR 440 to INR 640. Their Himsuta AC Volvo/Scania 2+2 comes at approximately INR 965. If you were to take a HPTDC Volvo AC seater bus, the Delhi to Shimla bus ticket price is around INR 950. The Volvo AC semi-sleeper buses run by the private operators like Northern Travels, City Land Travels and Zing Bus come to the tune of INR 750 to INR 1300. The private buses take between 8.5 to 9.5 hours to get you from Delhi to Shimla with all of them making the journey overnight.
Delhi to Shimla Bus Time Table
The Delhi to Shimla bus timings are quite flexible, especially if you plan to ride a HRTC fleet which has buses operating starting from early morning to midnight. The first bus by HRTC is a Himsuta AC Volvo/Scania 2+2 leaving from Kashmiri Gate at 06:45 am, while the last bus is a regular non-AC bus departing from Delhi at 11:40 pm and arriving in Shimla’s ISBT Tutikandi by 09:30 am the following day. You can find an HRTC bus at various times of the day like around 09:30 am, 11:00 am, 03:30 pm, 06:00 pm, 07:45 pm, 08:30 pm, 09:30 pm and close to midnight. These buses are a mix of Deluxe non-AC buses, regular non-AC buses and AC Volvo/Scania 2+2, and all of them take approximately 9.5 to 10 hours to get you from Delhi to Shimla. Most HRTC buses have a single boarding point, the ISBT Kashmiri Gate, but the buses operated by private operators have multiple boarding points like Civil Lives, Dhaula Kuan, Mandi House, Majnu ka Tilla, Vidhan Sabha metro station, RK metro station, Karol Bagh among others. Most private operators have overnight buses starting between 09:30 pm and 11:00 pm dropping you off at the Shimla Bypass crossing or the Victory Tunnel in about 9 hours. The HPTDC fleet of Volvo AC seater departs from outside the Himachal Bhawan in Mandi House at 08:30 am and brings you to Shimla by 05:30 am.
Delhi to Shimla Bus Route
The Delhi to Shimla road journey is a stunning one if you are making it during the day. There is pure joy is watching the swaying fields of sugarcane pass by as the states change from Delhi to Haryana to Punjab to Chandigarh and finally Himachal Pradesh. The entire stretch from Delhi to Shimla is filled with dhabas and eating joints, and not to mention, petrol pumps. The 350-kilometre run takes a bus about 10 hours with the main stoppages between Delhi to Chandigarh being Sonepat, Panipat and Pipli. Moving towards Ambala, the big junction city, Chandigarh is an hour away. About 5 hours would have passed by the time you finish the drive from Chandigarh to Kalka. Now you are all set for an uphill drive. Kalka to Shima takes an average of 3 hours with a halt 45 minutes later at Dharampur filled with restaurants and dhabas. You arrive into Solan in an hour’s time and begin a downhill descend towards Kandaghat which is another 45 minutes away. It takes another 20 minutes before you skirt Shoghi, a suburb of Shimla. The main Shimla town is about 13 kilometre away from here.
Delhi to Shimla Bus Travel Time
The average time taken by a bus starting from Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate to Shimla’s ISBT Tutikandi is 10 hours. The early morning and late night buses take about an hour or so lesser than the buses taking off post 09:00 am and until 07:30 pm or 08:00 pm. If you have booked yourself aboard an HRTC fleet, expect to reach Shimla in about 9.5 to 10 hours, again subject to the time of the day you are travelling in. The HPTDC Volvo AC seater bus running on this route leaves from Mandi House at 08:30 pm and arrives in Shimla in flat 9 hours by 05:30 am. The fastest on this route is a Volvo AC semi-seater by Northern Travels that leaves from Delhi at 10:05 pm and arrives in Shimla in 8.5 hours. The private operators mostly have overnight buses that typically take between 9 to 9.5 hours to reach Shimla from Delhi.
Hotels in Shimla
The erstwhile summer capital has hotels, resorts and homestays to suit every budget. Most hotels come with sprawling gardens, gorgeous view of the Himalayas and some cosy accommodation. Celebrating Shimla’s colonial heritage are some of its landmark hotels that include The Oberoi Cecil, Clarkes Hotel, Chapslee, and Wildflower Hall. A stay here will open you up to some old-world hospitality aside from giving you a splendid view of the surrounding deodar and oak jungles.
Sightseeing in Shimla
On a holiday in Shimla you will end up spending the better part of your time wandering down its iconic Mall Road, a pedestrian-only walkaway lined with shops selling everything from curios, clothes, woollens, books, stationary to ice-cream. This is also the address of some of the most amazing restaurants and cafes in Shimla. Once you have had your fill of handicraft, head out to the Lakkad Bazaar for some handcrafted wooden toys at the end of the Ridge Road. Soak up the unique atmosphere of this area; it is a perfect place to watch the world go by while taking in sweeping views of the valley. You can walk up all the way to the Christ Church on The Ridge and admire its neo-gothic architecture. The Jakhoo Temple is another important landmark in Shimla.
FAQ - Bus Tickets from Delhi to Shimla
Q. What are the state-owned bus operators on the Delhi to Shimla route?
A: There is a decent frequency of buses by Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and a few buses by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) that ply on the Delhi to Shimla route. HRTC has a mix of non-AC, Himsuta AC Volvo/Scania 2+2, Himgaurav AC 2+2, Himmani Deluxe 2+2 non-AC buses that run from 06:30 am to midnight almost at an hourly frequency. HPTDC has a bus running from Mandi House at 08:30 pm.
Q. What is the price of a one-way ticket on a state-owned bus from Delhi to Shimla?
A: The HRTC non-AC fleet starts from INR 440, with the Himmani Deluxe 2+2 non-AC coming at an average of INR 650 and the highest one being INR 965 for a Himsuta AC Volvo/Scania 2+2. HPTDC’s Volvo AC seater bus comes at INR 950.
Q. Are there private operators on the Delhi to Shimla bus route?
A: There are several private operators on the Delhi to Shimla route. Most private operators have overnight buses starting from around 09:30 pm and arriving in Shimla before sunrise. The private operators have boarding points across Delhi at Mandi House, Dhaula Kuan, Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, Vidhan Sabha metro station, RK metro station and Majnu ka Tilla with a drop off either at the Victory Tunnel or the Shimla Bypass crossing.
Q. What is the average time taken by buses on the Delhi to Shimla route?
A: Buses take an average of 10 hours to reach Shimla from Delhi. The early morning buses by HRTC including the night buses take approximately 9 to 9.5 hours to drop you off at Shimla’s ISBT Tutikandi. HPTDC has an overnight bus starting at 08:30 pm that takes 9 hours to arrive in Shimla. Among private operators there are a few like Northern Travels that complete the journey in 8.5 hours. But on the whole the private operators with their fleet of Volvo AC semi-sleepers take lesser time (approx. 9.5 hours) than the non-AC HRTC buses.
Q. What is the starting point for state-government buses from Delhi to Shimla?
A: The HRTC fleet commences its journey from Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate, while the HPTDC buses kick off from outside Himachal Bhawan in Mandi House.
Q. How do I get to Shimla by bus from Delhi?
A: There are nearly 44 direct bus plying between Delhi to Shimla. The minimum time a bus takes to reach Shimla from Delhi is 7h 29m.
Q. When does the first bus depart from Delhi to Shimla?
A: The first bus leaves from Delhi to Jaipur at 16:50 hours. It is a Non AC, seater bus run by Himachal Road Transport.
Q. When does the last bus depart from Delhi to Shimla?
A: The last bus leaves from Delhi to Shimla at 23:40 hours. It is an ordinary bus run by HRTC.
Q. What are popular bus operators on Delhi to Shimla bus route?
A: Top bus operator on Delhi to Shimla routes are HRTC, UPSRTC, UTC, Northern Travels, City Land Travels, Himachal Travels etc.
Q. What is Delhi to Shimla bus fare in HRTC?
A: The bus fare for an air-conditioned, Himsuta Volvo Scania (2+2) bus by HRTC is INR 965.
