The hustle bustle life needs a short break from regular routine and traveling is the best option to give pleasurable change. It is a fact that traveling is most relaxing, adventurous, and enjoyable moments which prepares memories for lifetime. If you are planning to go somewhere for vacation, so visiting hill station is the great option.

It is said that hill station can heal your stress, sorrow, and wounds of heart; anyone can go there and find immense pleasure and peace of life. The scenic views, natural landscapes, high elevated mountains, beautiful valleys allure your attraction and steal your heart.

All types of people can visit hill stations to spend some quality time and enjoy the special moments of life with their loved ones, friends, and family. Hill stations are places where you can enjoy sightseeing, boating, horse riding, purchasing, and so much. Today, I am going to share some popular and easy to reach hill stations of India and relevant details.

See the List of Most Popular Hill Stations of India

• Kashmir

Kashmir is the heaven of the earth. Nothing any beautiful location like this, scenic sights, eye catching scenes,  hills and valleys wrapped in white sheets, gorgeous greenery of gardens, and snow capped lakes bring your attention and make you fall in love with this beauty of nature. This location is the perfect destination for all couples, family, and friends.

There are so many options available to reach Kashmir by air, train, and bus. You can take flight of Srinagar airport which is 15km away. This airport is connected with main cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Jammu, etc. After reaching this airport, tourists can hire Cab to reach different locations of Kashmir.

But if you choose by road journey, so there are many JKSRTC buses, private, and luxury buses available with several nearby cities. And if you want to go by train, so nearing railway station is Jammu Tavi station, you can find several connecting trains from this station to other prime cities of India.

Best places to visit in Kashmir are Srinagar, Patnitop, Pahalgam, Dal Lake, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Dachigar National Park and many others. Most happening activities here are Shikara Ride, Houseboat Stay, Golf Club, Pony Ride, and Shopping.

• Shimla 

There are so many options to reach here; you can go by air, bus, train, cab, and private vehicle also.  Nearest airport is Chandigarh airport, you can come here by flight and then go to Shimla by road by using Bus, Cab, private vehicle. You can also get a train from Kalka to Shimla, if you are a train lover. There are many trains available for Shimla to Kalka and vice versa.

Himachal Pradesh is flourished by amazing beauty of Shimla where scenic views and elevated hills bring you towards the nature and give you real pleasure of nature.

Must visit places in Shimla are Jakhoo temple, Rashtrpati Niwas, Kalka-Shimla railway, The Ridge, Himachal State Museum, Christ Church etc. You can also enjoy activities like shopping at Mall road, hot pool bath and river rafting at Tattapani, paragliding, camping, heli-skiing at Narkanda and Kufri etc.

• Manali

Manali is best location for snow lovers. Yes, it is the place where tourists enjoy the snow filled   mountains. The beautiful tourist place of Himachal gathers the attraction of people and forces them to visit it again and again. It is the perfect holiday location for family and couples also.

To reach Manali, nearer airport is Kullu Manali airport in Bhuntar. There are many domestic flights available to reach Manali from many places like Delhi, Chandigarh, Varanasi, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, etc.

If you want to get train, so Jogindarnagar Railway Station is the nearest railway station, you can also get trains from Chandigarh and Ambala. Instead of these, you can also find buses from Chandigarh, Delhi, Ambala, and Dehradun.

The main attractions of Manali are Hidimba Devi Temple, Bhrigu Lake, Pin Valley National Park, Manali Sanctuary, Vashishth Temple, Jogni Falls etc. Tourists can also do here some activities like Paragliding at Rohtang Pass, camping and winter sports at Solang Valley, river rafting at Pandoh Dam.

• Nainital

Nainital is known as Lake District of India. It is one of the best tourist places where people enjoy beautiful and calm ambiance in the summer also. Its captivating sceneries and ancient temples give you divine and joyful feelings. It is the great place for couples, family, and friends. Scenic lake views make you fall in love with place.

 If you want to fly for Nainital, you can get flight for Pantnagar which is nearer airport, just 1 hour drive distance. There are many flights available from Delhi to Nainital. But, if you like to go by bus, so you can get a variety of buses like air conditioned bus, Volvo bus, Sleeper bus.

Several tour operators operate buses from Nainital to different connecting cities. There is no matter, if you prefer train to reach here, nearest railway station is Kathgodham, located around 34km away.

In Nainital, most popular visiting places are Nainital Lake, Snow View, Naini Peak, Gurney House, Naina Devi Temple, Hanuman Garhi, Kainchi Dham etc. Tourists can find amazing activities like Horse trekking at Tiffin Top, camping and birdwatching at Sattal, cave exploring at Cave Garden etc.

• Darjeeling

Darjeeling is the splendor of West Bengal, surrounded by several slopes of tea plantation sites. Soothing cloudy ambiance and magnificent sceneries are attracting the tourists and help them to forget all stress of life and get lost in wonderful eye catching sights.

To reach Darjeeling by flight, nearest airport is Bagdogra airport, located about 95km away. Many direct connecting flights available from the cities like Kolkata, New Delhi and Guwahati. Taxis are easily accessible outside the airport to reach Darjeeling, which is around 3 hours journey to reach the destination. The nearing railway station is Siliguri Junction which is just 38km away. Other main stations are Tinsukhia, Guwahati, and Dibrugarh. There are many bus operators provide bus services from many connecting cities.

Main tourist’s points of Darjeeling are Tiger Hill, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Batasia Loop, Japanese Peace Pagoda, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Observatory Hill, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and Rock Garden. Best thing to enjoy here is Toy Train journey, a great fun full journey where you can explore and enjoy breathtaking sights.

• Mount Abu

Mount Abu is one and only hill station situated in Rajasthan. This beautiful place is the blessings of nature to Rajasthan state where tourist get lost in the lush green surroundings. The best time to visit this place is monsoon time where natural beauty entices the heart of visitors.

To reach Mount Abu, get flight to Udaipur, it is nearing domestic airport connecting with prime cities of India like Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai.  After reaching airport, taxis are available to reach Mount Abu easily. You can also get the train to nearing railway station Abu Road railway station, which is connecting to other stations.

Many state government and private buses run from neighboring cities to Mount Abu. This hill station has several enticing spots like Dilwara temples, Nakki Lake, Peace Park, Sunset Point, Toad Rock, Honeymoon Point, Raghunath Temple, etc. Tourists mainly enjoy the trekking and climbing on hill, boating at Nakki Lake, adventure of wildlife at Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Pachmarhi

Pachmarhi is the dignity of Madhya Pradesh. The hill station blessed with natural beauty and surrounded by emerald green Satpura hills. Pachmarhi is also known as Queen of Satpura. This place is suitable for all types of tourists like couples, family, friends, and group trip and single.

If you plan to visit this place, you can get flight of Bhopal, because it is the nearest airport to go Pachmarhi and also connecting from other prime cities like Delhi, Indore, Raipur, Ahmadabad, and more.

Outside of airport, you can find buses or cabs to reach Pachmarhi. Instead of this, there are many bus options available of state government and private companies. You can also get train of nearing railway station Pipariya, which has connecting trains with other cities like Kolkata, Jabalpur, Agra, Gwalior, Delhi, Ahmadabad, Varanasi, Nagpur etc.

The main attractions of Pachmarhi are Satpura National Park, Dhoopgar, Bee Fall,  Witness Duchess falls, Visit shiva shrine, Apsara vihar, etc. Some activities also entice your heart which are horse riding and ATV riding at Handi Khoh, Land Parasailing and Zipling at Satpura Adventure Club, Hiking to Dhoopgarh, and Cycling.

• Mahabaleshwar

Most of the folks love to visit Mahabaleshwar again and again due to its easy connectivity and tremendous views. Due to nearer place to Mumbai, many Hindi and Marathi film shooting had done here. This is the main reason for the popularity of Mahabaleshwar, it is considered as most popular shooting point of Bollywood.

To reach here, you have to come at Pune city and find various options to go like Bus, Cabs, private vehicle, etc. People can come here by using their own private vehicle simply, because distance between Pune to Mahabaleshwar is only 121km. People can also come from Mumbai by Bus, Cab or private vehicle.

The main attractive points of this place are Mahabaleshwar Temple, Arthur’s Seat, Elephant Head Point, Venna Lake, Pratapgarh Fort, Willson Point, Sunset Point, and many others. To enjoy activities, just enjoy trekking and nature walks in Tapola, hike up to Lingmala Water Falls, relish fresh yummy strawberry ice-cream at Mapro Garden, also try horse riding, paragliding etc.

• Munnar

Munnar is the splendor of Kerala, which blessed with breathtaking mountain views, tea and spice garden, and wonderful wildlife with beautiful sceneries. It is considered as the most romantic places in India, this is the reason that honeymooners preferred this gorgeous location for the beginning of their life.

Cochin is the nearest airport, if you want to get flight to reach Munnar. After reaching airport, you can get Cab for Munnar. Trains and buses are also available to reach Munnar. Kochi or Ernakulam is the nearing railway station connecting with prime cities of India. And Tamil Nadu, Kerala state buses available to reach Munnar.

The main attractions of Munnar are Tea gardens along Kolukkumalai Hills, Echo Point, Attukal Waterfalls, Top Station, Kundala Lake, Tata Tea Museum, Matupetty Dam etc. Also find activities like Birdwatching at Thekkady Bird Sanctuary, wildlife spotting at Eravikulam National Park, enjoy mountain biking at Anamudi Shola or Vandanmedu areas, have a picnic at Lakkam Waterfalls, rock climbing, rappelling etc.

• Ooty

Ooty is considered as one of the top hill stations of South India, nestled in Nilgiri Hills. It is situated in the midst of four elevated hills. Once, tourists come here and get lost in the natural beauty of Ooty. Here, cozy cottages and the beautiful plantation sites entice you and force you to visit it many times.

To reach Ooty, nearest airport is Coimbatore International airport. For train passengers, Mettupalaym is the nearing railway station where Nilgiri Express from Chennai to Mettupalayam is available. Buses, Cabs, shared taxis also available to reach Ooty simply.

The main attractions of Ooty are Pykara Falls and Lake, Mudumalai, Doddabetta, Tea Estate Viewpoint, Wax Museum, Hidden Valley, Echo Rock and Emerald Dam. For activities, enjoy trekking along the plantation sites for magnificent sights. You can also enjoy adventurous activities like angling and hand gliding too.

All the above hill stations are considered as top hill stations of India. So, if you are planning for vacation, must read travel blog like this blog. Hope, above list of places helps you to choose best destination for vacation. Read the description of each place and choose according to your choice, nearing location, and budget.