[vkochar]

I have some spare time with me now in June and I am desperate to get away to a peaceful place, preferably a hill station.

I will be driving in my Verna with my wife and 2 year old son.

Plan to leave from Delhi in the morning to wherever I am headed to. So ideally a half days drive is manageable with a few stops as I am travelling with my son and cannot do long hauls in a single day. 8 - 9 hours from delhi.

The only 2 options I have got after browsing around a lot is -

Delhi - Chandigarh - Shimla ( and then head to a nearby quite place - Naldehra, Tatapani, Chindi etc )

Delhi - Chandigarh - Mandi ( and then some place around Mandi for 2-3 days )

Are these 2 places mentioned above near to each other or different directions from Chandigarh ?

I would prefer a nice place to stay where there is a lake, good morning walks, plenty of open space and low temperatures. Will carry my ration in the car with me so nearby markets are not a priority.

I can spare about 5 - 7 days in total.

Budget for hotels should not exceed 2k or so per night. I am not looking at a fancy resort or 5 star property. Any HPTDC / B&B / Small Cosy resort will do.

Please suggest some sort of an itinery for me. Thanks in advance. Hotel recommendations also please alongwith directions and contact details.

[tsk1979]

Peaceful, not so crowded. Shimla and around are not really the ideal places
Option 1
http://tanveer.smugmug.com/Travel/Hi.../7604988_nYBev
http://tanveer.smugmug.com/Travel/Hi...16047110_7rkVk
1. Delhi - Narkanda - 11 hours if you start early
2. Narkanda - Chitkul - 6 hours
3. Chitkul
4. Chitkul - Solan - 9 hours
5. Solan - Delhi - 6-7 hours


Alternate suggestion
http://tanveer.smugmug.com/Travel/Hi.../4483881_TEQXP
http://tanveer.smugmug.com/Travel/Hi...11385679_omSXg
1. Delhi - Shoja - (12 hours)
2. Shoja jalori pass tirthan valley sight seeing
3. More sight seeing
4. Shoja - Shimla - 6-7 hours nice drive over Jalori pass
5. Back to Delhi

Another suggestion
http://tanveer.smugmug.com/Travel/Hi.../6951868_i9rrh
http://tanveer.smugmug.com/Travel/Hi...11060021_mo7UQ
1. Delhi - Khajjiar - 11-12 hours
2. Time pass
3. Time pass
4. Back to Delhi


Travelogues for all these places in the forum - Pick and choose

If you do decide on Khajjar, Kalatop wildlife sanctuary is good. They have a nice FRH which is very cheap, and food is good(veg only with eggs). In Khajjar, you can stay at HPTDC.

Even though these places(except Khajjar) are offbeat, June rush is quite a bit.

[lilMonSter]

Hey,

if you explore option 2 on your list. you could check out rewalsar for a couple of days. it's just about an hours drive from mandi. had gone there 3 years ago and there are a lot of places to go around this place. including the sacred Kunti lake, which is a little above rewalsar.

Rewalsar Lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by lilMonSter

Hey,

if you explore option 2 on your list. you could check out rewalsar for a couple of days. it's just about an hours drive from mandi. had gone there 3 years ago and there are a lot of places to go around this place. including the sacred Kunti lake, which is a little above rewalsar.

Rewalsar Lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mandi temperatures touch 35 degrees. Its not really "cool". Ideal time to visit that area would be upto April and then after August.