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In this blog, we will give you a rundown of the best places to visit in Chandigarh- Chandigarh, a union territory of India and the capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, was planned by the Swiss-French modernist architect, Le Corbusier, assisted by Maxwell Fry, Jane Drew, and several Indian architects and town planners.
Chandigarh is home to some of the most remarkable architectural marvels and many well-preserved natural wonders. This very well-planned city, in fact, India’s first planned city, is not only a fantastic place for people to inhabit but also has a lot to offer to the tourists- Rose garden Chandigarh, Pinjore Garden, Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, Elante mall, Timber trail Parwanoo and many more!
Distance Shimla to Chandigarh: Approximately 112 km. Another reason to visit Chandigarh! You can also plan a trip to the Queen of hills Shimla next!
This blog will cover some of the best places to visit in Chandigarh, which people can enjoy viewing and exploring.
Listing some of the Best Places to visit in Chandigarh below:
#1 – Rock Garden Chandigarh
One of the best places to visit in Chandigarh is Rock Garden Chandigarh. Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a vast outdoor exhibition hall that displays sculptures created from urban and industrial wastes, designed and executed by Nek Chand, a former Road Inspector in Chandigarh hence also referred to as Nek Chand Rock Garden. Rock garden Chandigarh is a massive 40-acre garden situated between the famous Sukhna Lake and the Capitol Building. The exhibition area of Rock Garden Chandigarh is divided into three different parts, which have different types of installations and beautification in them. Each part deals with a different type of installation, and it is an absolute treat to the eyes. Mr. Nek Chand has truly reformulated art and craft from terracotta pots, light fixtures, and even broken toilet pots.
Rock Garden Chandigarh timings: 9 AM – 7 PM (April- September), 9 AM – 6 PM (October- March)
Rock Garden Chandigarh Entry Fee:
- Adults – INR 30
- Children – INR 10
#2 – Rose Garden Chandigarh
Next on the list of the best places to visit in Chandigarh, we have the Rose Garden. Rose garden Chandigarh is a botanical garden, considered Asia’s Largest Rose Garden, which covers an area of 40.25 acres. Rose Garden Chandigarh was named after India’s former president, Zakir Hussain, and created in 1967 under the guidance of Chandigarh’s first Chief Commissioner, late Dr. M S Randhawa. Rose Garden Chandigarh is home to 1600 varieties of Roses and indeed one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh. As soon as one enters the beautiful Chandigarh Rose garden, they are hit by the magical scent of all the blooming roses with a heavenly view awaiting them with each step taken by them. Apart from all the beautiful roses, some plants of medicinal value are also found in Rose Garden Chandigarh like Camphor, Bel, Gulmohar, Harad, Bahera, and many more.
Rose Garden Chandigarh serves as the venue for hosting an annual festival called Festival of Gardens, a major cultural event in Chandigarh during February or March. Rose garden Chandigarh receives visitors from all over the country in a vast number. While exhibiting the finest of roses, Rose Garden Chandigarh also offers many competitions, cultural events, and other celebrations.
Rose Garden Chandigarh is located in Jan Marg, 16B, Sector 16, Chandigarh.
Rose Garden Chandigarh Timings: 6 AM to 10 PM
Rose Garden Chandigarh Entry Fee: INR 50 (both adults and children)
#3 – Sukhna Lake
The beautiful Sukhna Lake Chandigarh is also one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh. Sukhna lake Chandigarh is an artificial lake situated at the foot of the Shivalik Hills and covers an area of 3 square km. The seasonal stream of Sukhna Choe that flows down from the Shivalik hills was dammed- creating the Chandigarh Sukhna Lake in the year 1958. Sukhna Lake Chandigarh is a calm and beautiful lake that forms an emotional connection with you. One can enjoy the beauty and tranquility of Chandigarh Sukhna Lake and feel enveloped in the most peaceful, loving utopia.
The entry fee to visit Sukhna Lake Chandigarh is zero, but one has to pay to enjoy the boating experience in Sukhna lake Chandigarh. There is also a dedicated cafe to the Sukhna lake Chandigarh known as the CITCO cafeteria that has both indoor and outdoor seating. There is also a camel outside the Sukhna lake Chandigarh that offers tourists camel rides. If not anything else, one can always sit on the rock stairs of the Sukhna lake Chandigarh and enjoy the mesmerizing view of the sunset!
- Sukhna January to April: 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM
- August to September: 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM
- September to December: 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Cost of boating in Sukhna Lake Chandigarh:
- INR 100 each for four, INR 50 each for two.
#4 – Pinjore Garden Chandigarh
Next on the list of best places to visit in Chandigarh is the Pinjore Garden Chandigarh, a beautiful Mughal Garden located in Pinjore of Panchkula district Haryana. It was made in the 17th Century by architect Nawab Fidai Khan. In recent times, it has been renamed as ‘Yadavindra Garden’ in the memory of Maharaja Yadavindra Singh, former of former the princely state of Patiala. Pinjore Garden covers a massive area of 100 acres.
Pinjore Garden Chandigarh is celebrated for its cleanliness, well-kept greenery, and reviving fountains. Tourists from around the world visit Pinjore Garden Chandigarh to experience this Mughal creation that India has proudly and meticulously nurtured. Pinjore Garden Chandigarh is an excellent example of terrace gardens in India.
During Baisakhi, between April and June, the Pinjore garden serves as the venue for the annual Mango Festival. Not only does Pinjore garden Chandigarh have a large area of beautiful flora, but it is also home to a mini zoo, an area dedicated to historical places, a serene Japanese garden, a magnificent plant nursery, and some areas that serve as picnic areas. So Pinjore Garden Chandigarh has enough for everyone, be it children or adults. Many believe that the Pandava brothers rested in the Pinjore Garden Chandigarh for some time during their exile. The best time to explore the Pinjore garden Chandigarh is at night. The entire garden is illuminated after sunset in such a way that the atmosphere of the Pinjore garden changes completely.
Pinjore Garden Timings: 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Pinjore Garden Chandigarh Entry Fee : INR 20
#5 – Fun City Chandigarh
Now in the list of best places to visit in Chandigarh, we have Fun City Chandigarh, located on 42 acres of land in Ramgarh. Fun City is the largest water park in northern India and one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh indeed. Like any other major city, Chandigarh has several water parks and amusement parks that serve the city residents and attract many tourists. When we think of a water park in Chandigarh, Fun City is the name that comes to our mind. Fun City is one of the oldest water parks and amusement parks in Chandigarh, but apart from this park, there are two other water parks in Chandigarh that have a good competition with Fun City. Out of Chandigarh’s three water & amusement parks, none is located within the city but are just a few minutes drives from the city.
It has an activity pool, three landing pools, and a wave pool, a group of waterslides of various shapes and sizes, making for a fun ride for water lovers. Other popular attractions are the lazy river ride, splash pool, aqua dance, red dragon slide, run away raft slide, slides like white multi-lane, typhoon tunnel, white slide, and pendulum slide.
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Ticket Price:
- Amusement Park Ticket at Fun City Chandigarh = INR 590
- Water Park Ticket = INR 1070
- Combo Ticket for Amusement Park & Water Park = INR 1090
- Kids below 3 feet of height and senior citizens above 65 years of age are offered free entry throughout the year.
We also have two other water parks near Chandigarh: Thunder Zone in Mohali and Aqua Village in Pinjore, which also attract many tourists.
#6 – Timber Trail Parwanoo
Parwanoo is a district that is a few km away from the Himachal-Haryana border and is about 35 km from Chandigarh. Timber Trail Resort is the perfect place with the surrounding greenery, fresh air, exceptional comfort, and relaxation- listing it as one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh indeed.
Timber Trail resort has good facilities for you to explore the surrounding ranges in cable cars. The world-class designer rooms are very comfortable, equipped with elegant furniture and all kinds of amenities, including the complimentary breakfast. The lush pine forest and the waves of the Kaushalya River delight the eye. If you don’t want to stay at the Timber trail resort, you can ride the cable car operated by the management of Moksha Group of Hotels. This means that the cable car’s route goes in two ways: one up and the other down. The entire journey takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
Entrance Ticket Details For Timber Trail Parwanoo:
- Timber trail Parwanoo ticket price is applicable for ropeways.
- Timber trail parwanoo, Chandigarh ticket price is INR 625 per adult and INR 500 per child
- Timber trail parwanoo costs INR 770 per person for a two-way round trip in case of only a Cable Car ride
Timber Trail Parwanoo Timings: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
#7 – Japanese Park Chandigarh
The Japanese Garden, located in Sector 31A, is a well-kept park that includes a park, ponds, pagoda towers, waterfalls, meditation centers, a Buddha statue, and several other buildings making it one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh. The park consists of two parts, connected by an underground tunnel decorated with beautiful Japanese paintings. It’s designed in Japanese architecture, and each element has a unique Japanese touch. This is Chandigarh’s first garden with a Japanese touch, which was developed for six crores.
Japanese Garden Entry Fee: No Entry Fee
Japanese Garden Timings: 5 AM – 11 PM
#8 – Elante Mall Chandigarh
Elante Mall Chandigarh is its second-largest shopping center, located in the industrial area Phase 1, and one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh. Spread over a vast 20 acres of land, Elante mall Chandigarh is equipped with the latest technology in terms of retail space, parking and PVR. The Elante mall Chandigarh boasts a vast food court with many restaurants, a huge play zone for children, and several stores selling clothes, shoes, and cosmetics.
Elante mall Chandigarh is well known by most people and gathers a lot of tourists from all over the country. Many people visit the Elante Mall Chandigarh to hang out with their family and friends, it being one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh, although some, of course, do visit the Elante Mall Chandigarh for shopping purposes. Elante Mall Chandigarh is one of the most common and favorite places for locals and tourists to hang out.
Elante Mall Chandigarh timings: The official timings are 11 AM – 10 PM (However, the PVR theatre remains open beyond these mall timings due to late-night Elante Mall movie timings.)
#9 – ISKCON Temple Chandigarh
Next on the list of one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh, we have the ISKCON temple, located in Sector 36B, Dakshin Marg in Chandigarh. It is one of several chain temples scattered around the country and the world. It is dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha and is visited by thousands of devotees. The temple reverberates with love and devotion. Aarti time in the evening is recommended, and the flower decorations in the temple add up to its beauty.
Temple opening time:
- Morning: 4.30 AM to 12.45 PM
- Evening : 4.15pm to 8.30pm
Darshan Timings:
- 04:30 a.m to 05:00 a.m.
- 07:15 a.m to 12:45 p.m.
- 04:15 p.m to 08:30 p.m.
#10 – Chattbir Zoo Chandigarh
Last, in the list of the best places to visit in Chandigarh, we have Chattbir Zoo, also known as Mahendra Choudhary Zoological Park, in Zikarpur, near Chandigarh. The park is home to a wide variety of animals, birds, and reptiles. Spread over a vast area of 202 acres, the Chattbir zoo offers animals an open-air range to preserve their natural habitat.
The months from October to March are considered the best months to pay a visit to Chhatbir Zoo Chandigarh. One can also travel to Chandigarh during August and September as the monsoon showers bring down the temperature and make the weather bearable to roam around the zoo. The main attraction of the zoo is the enchanting Royal Bengal Tiger.
Chattbir zoo is well maintained, and the Lion safari is a must-do there. You have to pay extra for the lion safari in which the bus will take you to the separate isolated area where the Lions roam around freely, and you can see them from a close range. The bird enclosure is very well maintained and is also a must-visit section.
Chattbir Zoo Timings: 9:00 A.M- 5:00 P.M
Chattbir zoo Entrance Fee:
- Children aged 3-12 — INR 25
- Individuals Over 12 years of age — INR 60
- Children below 3 —Free
If schools plan to take students on a study trip:
- Elementary school students — INR 25
- High school students — INR 30
- For those who want to try their hand at photography: INR 150 per day for filming – INR 250 per day.
- If the Chhatbir Chandigarh Zoo is to be part of a commercial film: 40,000 rupees a day.
The cost of the ferry :
- Children between the ages of 3 and 12: INR 25
- Adults: approximately INR 50 per person.
- A bus ticket for Lion Safari costs: INR 50 per person for people over 3 years old.
This is just a handpicked list of the best places to visit in Chandigarh, and Chandigarh, of course, has many more wonders in store for you. So, start planning your trip and explore all the “best places to visit in Chandigarh” yourself!
