Dalhousie is not surprising that the heat-fearing British built 80 hill stations within a span of just 30 years. Named after the Marquess of Dalhousie, a British Governor General, this resort came up as the solution to the man’s search of leisure holiday. Thanks to the whim of Brits like him, our delightful hill stations got a head start right away.

The Scenic Beauty

Dalhousie stands at the foot of one of the main spurs of the Dhauladhars. The views are spectacular to the north; range upon range of hills culminating in the snow of the Pir Panjal mountains of Kashmir and to the south the plains of Punjab. Far below runs the valley of the Ravi, while the Beas and Chenab can be seen snaking across the plains.

Dalhousie retains much of the ambience of the Raj. The town spreads around five hills – Kathlog, Portreyn, Tehra, Bakrota, and Balun – and is clothed extensively in stately groves of deodar and oak. Its two busy points, Gandhi Chowk and Subhash Chowk, are connected by the Mall which is actually two roads intertwined like the figure of eight. You’ll probably find yourself at the bus stand on reaching here first, which is the scruffiest part of the town. The main parts of Dalhousie lie above this terminus. Its tin-roofed, half-timbered houses present the most delightful sight.

The Attraction of Churches and Temples

There are some churches and temples to see in town, but the best sites are outside it. It really pays to take long walks to places like Subhash Baoli, Jhandri Ghat, Satdhara and Dainkund Peak. These are marvellous forest trails and picnic spots with splendid vistas over the Chamba Valley. But the best sites around Dalhousie are Khajjiar(22km) and Kalatope(9km). Its no wonder that some people say that Dalhousie is a cheaper, but arguably more attractive, alternative to Shimla. The best time to visit is perhaps autumn which has sunny skies and clear nights.

Dhabas For The Adventurous Gourmet

This is for those who believe that a good holiday also means good food. Apart from the hotel restaurants in Dalhousie, there are numerous places to eat, but most of these are high on price and low on quality. You could try out the dhabas (inexpensive roadside eating joints) instead.
They are just about everywhere – in any place in the length and breadth of the country.
Although roadside, almost everybody haunts them for good, cheap food. In Delhi especially, dhabas are just the place for a quick meal of dal-chawal-subzi-roti (the common north Indian meal of rice, lentil broth, dish of vegetables and bread).

People from ‘fine’ families still shudder at the thought of actually going and eating in a dhaba, but no one has any qualms about ordering take-out meals from there.

The reason for their popularity is simple: these modest ‘restaurants’ turn out surprisingly good food and the advantage is that it is fresh and cheap. With time, the dhabas have gone hip and now also include ‘buttertoast’, sandwiches, fries, Chinese food and much more. So if you can overlook the rather shabby surroundings, the dhaba is a very much a good-deal food outlet.

Anyway, in Dalhousie these dhabas are best value for money on your holiday trip. Moreover, the dhabas here are a cut above the usual Indian dhaba. Amritsari, Sher-e-Punjab and the Royal Dhaba (on Court Road) are definitely worth checking out.

Restaurant Preet Palace on Subhash Chowk offers Mughlai, Kashmiri and Chinese cuisine at reasonable prices. Moti Mahal, New Metro and Lovely are some of the other restaurants you could try. Kwality Restaurant on Gandhi Chowk is very popular too while Snow Lion near the bus stand does Tibetan food.

How to reach Dalhousie

Air : Amritsar is the nearest airport .Jammu airport is188 kms.Both are connected to Delhi by Indian Airlines and by Vayudoot flights.

Rail: Pathankot about 80 kms, the nearest railway station and is connected to all of the major cities.

Road:Network bus services is from Dalhousie to Manali 402 kms, Khajjiar 27 kms,,Amritsar 188 kms, , Pathankot 80 kms, , Delhi 563 kms, Chandigarh 352 kms, Dharamshala 143 kms, Jammu 188 kms.Chamba 56 kms,Jalandhar 192 kms

Local Transport: Taxis,autos and ponies are available.