It’s really a big question while planning a trip, the destination, where to go just for a weekend. We all have researched a lot whenever I feel like the time has come and I must go somewhere. Then the process of web searching, asking from people, distance tracking and everything comes into picture. Still we turns out to be confused on which place to finalize and go ahead with one place that we can opt to go with friends, family, or solo to beat the heat or beat the chilled winter and ignore the pollution of Delhi or office workload just for weekend.
I have been to many places and today I would try n help you provide list of places you can go, enjoy and relax on a weekend. These weekend trips are really amazing, relaxing with beautiful view and time saving. Now, I believe this list would help you in taking a quick decision for your next trip and wasting time on sticking you with google whole day in researching places to go.
The places in this list are selected in such a way that they can be given a visit in weekends like if you start your journey on Friday night or Saturday morning you would easily roam around and come back by Sunday night or Monday morning to join your office.
So, let’s get started!!
Chandigarh: Distance from Delhi – 247 km and can be covered in 4 hour 45 minutes
The city is known for its tree-lined modern infrastructure and is given name as ‘The City Beautiful’. The city offers many a thing to the tourists from Nek Chand’s Rock Garden to street shopping at Sector 17 market. Travellers can also give a visit to Zakir Hussain’s Rose Garden, Chhatbir Zoo and Government Museum and Art Gallery.
Tempting and delicious street food near Punjab University Campus is a must try in Chandigarh along with chain of restaurants in Chandigarh including Dastarkhan, Laziz Rasoi and Barbeque Nation among others. Malls like Elante Mall, DLF City Centre Mall and Central Mall are few of the most prominent shopping malls in Chandigarh.
The best thing is the city’s location gives scenic Himalayan views and is surrounded by many of the hill stations like Shimla, Chail, Parwanoo, Nalagarh, etc.
Reaching Chandigarh
Chandigarh can be reached via train, flight and road as well. Train or bus would be a good option to reach Chandigarh.
Jaipur: Distance from Delhi – 281 km and can be covered in 5 hour
Best known with the name Pink City, Jaipur is one of the most royal and cultural cities of India as the city is in the state of Rajasthan or the Place for Kings. In Jaipur tourists can give a visit to Amer Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and City Palace as they are most historical places of the city. Visitors can walk on the city streets, shop handicrafts at Bapu Bazar and watch Light and Sound show at one of the forts.
The aromatic and spicy Rajasthani cuisine is a must try in Jaipur in a breath-taking architecture of Chokhi Dhani. Few of the most popular restaurants in Jaipur are 1135 AD, Suvarna Mahal, Spice Court and Surya Mahal. People can also go for shopping in Jaipur like Chandpol Bazaar, Tripolia Bazaar, Johari Bazaar and Krishanpol Bazaar.
Reaching Jaipur
Jaipur can be reached via train, flight and road as well. Train or bus would be a good option to reach Jaipur.
Lansdowne: Distance from Delhi – 277 km and can be covered in 6 hour 24 minutes
The name of the city is named after Lord Lansdowne, Viceroy of India, who visited the place in 1884. The town is a small hill station in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand at the height of 1700 meters and is a cantonment managed by Indian Army.
Since the town is maintained and administered by the cantonment board it still retains its cleanliness, greenery, serenity, less commercialized and smooth roads. The place offers stunning views and is perfect to escape the scorching heat of the plains for a few days.
Reaching Lansdowne
Dehradun Airport is used by travelers who want to reach Lansdowne by air. Lansdowne is well-connected with Kotdwara by bus and is an hour away from Kotdwara, with options of private taxis, minibuses or shared taxis for transport here. Lansdowne does not have a railway station; the rail connectivity is maintained to this region by Kotdwara Railway Station that is 45 km from Lansdowne and the distance can be covered in an hour, by road.
Nainital: Distance from Delhi – 325 km and can be covered in 7 hour
Nainital is a very famous and beautiful hill station in the Uttarakhand state of India located in the Kumaon region at an elevation of approx. 2000m. It is one of the nearest and dazzling hill station that can be visited from Delhi as a weekend trip. The place is famous for its beautiful Lake, Boating, Naina Devi Temple and snow view point situated at uphill. Beauty of the hill station attracts every traveler at an extent that they won’t be able to resist from visiting the place again and again. The cool breeze on the mall road beside the Naini Lake in the evening till night is a good place to walk through the side lane starting from the exit of bus stand till the Naina Devi Temple.
Reaching Nainital
The closest airport to Nainital is located in Pantnagar at a distance of 70 km, from Pantnagar Airport, one can easily get a cab or bus that would take about 2 hours to reach Nainital. City can be reached in an overnight journey via bus, the fare will be about INR 600-1000. Via train with its halt at Kathgodam which is the nearest railway station to Nainital. Even you can go with this option as well if you love driving.
Mussourie: Distance from Delhi – 310 km and can be covered in 6 hour 30 minutes
Popularly known as the Queen of Hills, the city needs no introduction as this tourist place has been catering to the wanderlusts and travelers for decades. Mussourie offers several things to keep you engaged throughout the trip like trekking, paragliding, rappelling, etc. Dotted with waterfalls, lakes, vantage points and other glories of nature, the hill station provides a perfect escape from the chaos and hot weather of the cities. Then there is the iconic Mall Road waiting to be explored.
Reaching Mussourie
The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, which lies 54 kilometers away. Mussourie is well-linked with a network of bus services and there are numerous trains connecting New Delhi with Dehradun. A scenic drive no matter where you approach it from, Mussourie makes for a great road trip.
Neemrana Fort: Distance from Delhi – 127 km and can be covered in just 2 hours
Visiting Neemrana on a day trip is a good option if you don’t want to invest much and just explore the fort along with its ambience. The fort is in Alwar district of Rajasthan and due to the heighted location people can see the stretches of Alwar from the fort. Tourists can experience the royal ambience and adventure activities here like flying fox, camel ride, ATV ride and tractor tour.
Choose the best option from the packages they offer from day tour to stay over in different types of rooms depending on your budget.
Reaching Neemrana Fort
The best way you can reach here is via your own vehicle since the fort is located inside the quiet streets of Alwar. It takes about 2 hours to reach the fort.
Dadhikar Fort: Distance from Delhi – 174 km and can be covered in just 3 hour 30 minutes
This fort was built in 9-10th century by King Chand which is now converted as a hotel or a getaway from hustle of Delhi NCR. The fort can visited as a day tour or stay over for a night with having option of several rooms depending on your budget. The package includes cultural activities of Alwar from villagers with their skills of musical instruments and cultural dance along with Rajasthani style dinner. The location and the vibes of village is far away from civilization.
Reaching Dadhikar Fort
The best way you can reach here is via your own vehicle since the fort is located inside the quiet streets of Alwar. It takes about 2 hours to reach the fort.
Mathura/Vrindavan: Distance from Delhi – 183 km and can be covered in just 3 hour
If you are thinking of a place to visit during Holi then go for Mathura and Vrindavan. Here, you can experience two types of Holi one which is celebrated all over India with colors and water, second the flower Holi. Flower Holi is specially played and organized by the devotees of Lord Krishna majorly enjoyed by travelers and photographers.
Since Lord Krishna spent his childhood here you would find many relatable places here like Madan Mohanji, Radha Damodar Temple, Mirabai Temple, Baanke Bihari Temple, and Gokulananda Temple.
Reaching Mathura/Vrindavan
There are direct trains to Mathura and you can also opt for bus routes or self-drive till here.
Agra: Distance from Delhi – 243 km and can be covered in just 3 hour 30 minutes
India me agar aapne Taj Mahal nahi dekha to Kya dekha? Travellers or tourists visit Agra for the same reason to see the beautiful Taj Mahal, click pictures with it and explore the premises. Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World representing a love story of the prominent ruler. Along with visiting Taj Mahal people can also give a visit to the main residence of Mughal emperors that is Agra Fort located just 2-3 km from Taj Mahal. Second, you can visit Mehtab Bagh located near the Yamuna River, you can get to see a beautiful view of Taj Mahal from here.
Reaching Agra
Agra can be reached through buses and trains going directly to Agra. You can even drive your own vehicle here to avoid the transport issues.
Kasauli: Distance from Delhi – 290 km and can be covered in just 6 hour
I believe Kasauli is the easiest hill station to reach in Himachal Pradesh. The place is again administered by cantonment board and is serene, clean, green and peaceful hill station. It’s a very small hill station and you can visit its sunset point, gilbert’s trail and Monkey Point; Monkey point offers you a beautiful view of Kalka and the villages around.
Reaching Kasauli
Reaching Kasauli is really easy, you just need to reach Kalka via train and from there take a bus to Kalka. Or you can directly take a taxi or cab till Kasauli.
Rishikesh: Distance from Delhi – 259 km and can be covered in just 5 hour
Rishikesh is a city in Uttarakhand also named as the Yoga capital of world and is located in the foothills of Himalayas. It’s a spiritual town that owned popularity by the Beatles band during their stay in the town in year 1986. The city is surrounded by beautiful Himalayan districts of Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Haridwar be sided by river Ganges. Saints from all over the globe travel to the place to meditate to attain Nirvana. Since it’s a spiritual city meat and alcohol is banned here. For travelers Rishikesh is a stop over as all the tourist places above Rishikesh starts from here. In short, Rishikesh is a package of adventures, spirituality, meditation, energy and holiness.
Reaching Rishikesh
The nearest hotspot to reach Rishikesh is Haridwar, the forward journey of 25 km can be taken via taxi, bus or tuktuk. There are numerous buses plying daily at an interval of an hour from Kashmiri Gate ISBT. Jolly Grant Airport is the closest airport located in Dehradun at a distance of 35 kilometers from Rishikesh.
Jim Corbett: Distance from Delhi – 238 km and can be covered in just 5 hour
Jim Corbett national park is said to be the oldest national park and animal sanctuary in India. Initially the park was named as the Hailey national park then seeing the contribution of Jim Corbett the park was renamed to give him honor for his work to establish the park. A visit to the national park is incomplete without Jim Corbett Safari, jeep ride or even an elephant takes you inside the dense green forests where the lucky ones get to see Tigers. The place is best for wildlife photography and the photographers give a visit to this place to get the best shot. The park can be visited after the rainy season and before summers as in the rainy season the park gets muddy and in summers all the animals try to be under the shades. Best option would be to visit Jim Corbett national park in the months from December to February since the animals would be under the sun in open.
Reaching Jim Corbett
The closest airport to Jim Corbett national park is the Pantnagar airport located at a distance of 50 kilometers from Jim Corbett national park and one can hail a taxi to reach. Volvo and regular buses runs on daily basis to Jim Corbett national park. Visitors can also drive down to Jim Corbett national park in their own vehicle. The nearest railway station to Jim Corbett national park is the Kotdwar railway station from where they can hire a cab or taxi.
Hope this guide would help you next time whenever you plan your journey for weekends and enjoy to the fullest.
