Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh. The British used to call it their 'Tiny bit of England.' They also had other names for it ranging from 'Mount Olympus' and the 'Viceroy's Shooting Box' to the 'Abode of the Little Tin Gods'. Sirmaur, Kinnar, Kullu, Mandi, Solar and the Uttarkashi district of Uttar Pradesh surround the district of Shimla. There are a number of places outside the town that attract attention. Among them are Theong, Rohru, Chaupal, Rampur etc. The district has amazingly beautiful forests of firs, pines, oaks and rhododendron. The beautiful meadows with hyacinth, celandine, asphodel, climb gently up to the deodar forests and further up to rocky and snowy peaks of the Himalayas. A pleasant way to see much of the southern district is by travelling on the 'Kalka -Shimla' train. It runs on the narrow gauge and winds its way through forested hills of fir, pines, walnut, apricots and through terraced hillside fields of paddy, corn and the famous Shimla capsicum known as 'Shimla Mirch'. The entire district has a number of small streams and springs and is a delightful place for nature lovers. One can walk and love to walk some more.

The houses of the locals are made of stone and mud with thatched roofs. The materials used for the roofs are plenty but the style is always similar. The roofs slant down on both sides of the house. This helps the snow to slide down during the winters and not accumulate on top of the houses. The houses built by the British mostly used a lot of timber (oak) and were built in gothic styles. The roofs are generally colored brick red or green.

Shimla is a tourist paradise through out the year. The town itself is worth a visit in the off-season when it is less crowded and can be explored to one’s heart's content. People here, like in the rest of Himachal Pradesh are simple, hard working and fond of music and drama. They worship the goddess Shakti and one can see small temples on hillsides, in valleys, on peaks and ridges. These hillsides are known by the name of the goddess/god itself. The interior part of the district gives one a fine view of how rural or rather real hillside folks live like. The district offers something to any kind of a visitor. The young, the old, the writers, adventurers, nature lovers and peace lovers can all find their bit of heaven here.

Shimla was once a part of the Nepalese kingdom. It was called ‘Ad Shyamala’, which is another name of goddess Kali. At that time, everybody did not know Shimla. It gained its popularity when the British discovered it in 1819. In 1864, Shimla became the summer capital of India. It was an added boom to its popularity when the first railway line from Kalka to Shimla was constructed in 1903. Shimla was initially the capital of Punjab but later it became the capital of Himachal Pradesh.

Today Shimla is regarded as the ‘Imperial arbiter of India’s destiny’. It is a cool, lovely, developing town situated in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, which adds to its charm.

Proud capital of a proud state, Shimla is a visual treat for visitors. Solemn forests of deodar and pine cover it.

Shimla mall has come up after years of careful and loving care. The city’s main shopping center houses shops filled with the latest in fashion. This was the seat of imperial power and milady demanded nothing but the best, so laden ships came from over the seven seas to fulfil the imperial taste. After the shopping on mall, the road leads down to lower and middle bazaars below the mall where the hill men display their crafts etc.

All is calm, all is serene –just the atmosphere craved by a student of world affair, be it literature or be it politics. Here, some come for seminar at the Institute of Advanced Studies housed in the magnificent 'Rashtrapati Niwas' (President’s rest house). It has vast rooms and spacious gardens where discussions are held on different topics.

The Shimla museum was opened in 1974 and is built on a beautiful ground. It has a growing collection 2000 object daret. It contains a rich collection of paintings.

For outdoor lovers, Shimla offers delightful spots scattered around. Jakhoo, having a height of 2438.4 mts (8000 ft) and 2 km (1¹/4 miles) east of the town, rewards the climber with glorious views of the sun rising and a magnificent view of Shimla. There is also an old temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman, located on top of the hill.

Annandale is 2.45 km from the ridge at an altitude of 1864 mts (6117 ft). It is being developed as the playground of the capital. It is the chosen venue for cricket, picnics and princely game of polo.

4 km from the ridge, at an altitude of 1830-m (6000-ft) is a dense forest of glen. It is a delightful picnic spot having bubbling streams of icy cold water, fresh from the melting snows. This place is approachable by two different routes, one near the Cecil Hotel and the other from Kennedy House.

This is a place where Gandhiji once stayed in the elegant Georgian House of Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, daughter of last ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Dalip Singh. It is situated at a distance of 5 km from the ridge at an altitude of 1982m (6500 ft) and on the Shimla-Kalka railway line.

7 km west of the ridge is the silent Chadwick falls, at an altitude of 1586m (5200ft). The fall is 67 m (220 ft) in height.

Prospect hill, 5 km from Shimla and at a height of 2175-m (8137-ft)) is on the top of Boileauganj on the way to Jatogh. It is ideal for mountaineering. The temple of Creeda Devi or Kamna Devi has a glorious view of the surrounding hills including the toy train running from Tara Devi.