Things to do in and nearby Chandigarh

If you are in Chandigarh city plus you are a travel enthusiast and have 2-3 or more days to spend then you are reading right post to fulfill your wandering desire. Let’s check out what is here for you in the city and nearby it.

Chandigarh: The City Beautiful

Let me first introduce you to ‘Chandigarh: The City Beautiful’.  Chandigarh is a union territory in India and serves as a capital for two neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana. This city is known as city beautiful because it is the cleanest and greenest city in India. It is a well-planned city and was prepared by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. Also, BBC named it as the world’s best city to live.

Swag of Chandigarh:  

Open Hand Monument- Denotes “Open to Give and Open to Take”. It symbolizes ‘PEACE’

Where to stay?

I have listed some of the best hotels. You would get the best deal through Booking.com

• JW Marriott: 1.4 km to the city center
• Shivalik View: 0.8 km to the city center
• Taj Chandigarh: 1.4 km to city center
• Park Plaza: 1.3 km to the city center
• The Lalit: 5.9 km from the city center
• Hyatt Regency: 3.8 km to city center
• The Altius: 3.9 km to city center
• Hotel Mountview: 2.4 km to city center
• The Piccadilly: 0.2 km to city center
• The Aroma: 0.6 km to the city center

Things to do in Chandigarh

1. Shopping:

Here are some cheap street shopping places in Chandigarh, best known for its fashion.

• Shopping Centre: Sec-17

All days open from 11.00 AM to 10.00 PM

•  Shastri Market: Sec-22

Monday closed.

Timing: 9.00 AM to 10.00 PM

•  Palika Bazar: Sec-19

All days open from 11.00 AM to 10.00 PM

Shopping Malls:

• Elante Mall, Industrial Area Phase I

All days open from 11.00 Am to 10.00 PM

• City Centre DLF, IT Park

All days open from 11.00 Am to 11.00 PM

2. Eateries:

       Local Cuisine: Moderately priced

• Barbeque Nation-

SCO 39, Madhya Marg, Block 2, Sector 26,

Near Green Market Chowk, Chandigarh, 160019

• Gopal Sweets Restaurant & Cake Shop

SCO 20-21, Sector 8C, Madhya Marg, Chandigarh, 160009

• Chili’s

312B, Elante Mall, 178-178A, Purv Marg,

Industrial Area Phase I, Chandigarh, 160002 

• Swagat Restaurant & Bar

SCO No.7, Madhya Marg, Sector 26, Chandigarh, 160019

• The Great Bear

SCO 32, Madhya Marg, Sector 26, Chandigarh, 160026

• Garlic & Greens

178-178A, Purv Marg, Industrial Area Phase I, Chandigarh, 160002

• Pirates of Grill

Shop No. 313, Third Floor, Elante Mall, Chandigarh, 160102

• Backpackers Café

178-178A, Purv Marg, Industrial Area Phase I, Chandigarh, 160002

• Sagar Ratna

SCO 47, Sector 17 E, Sector 17, Chandigarh

• Mehfil Restaurant & Bar

SCO 183 To 185, Sector 17 C, Chandigarh

• Hot Millions

SCO 196-197, Sector 17C, Bridge Market Road, Chandigarh, 160017

• Sindhi Sweets

SCO 108-109, Sector 17, Chandigarh

If you like online shopping then please go to the Amazon search page below. Thank you ♥

3. Places to visit in Chandigarh

• Rock Garden:

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This is the sculpture garden made of recycled material and natural rock formation in Chandigarh. It was founded by Nek Chand. He started it in 1957. Today, it is spread over 40 acres.

Location-

3.8 km from the city center via Himalaya Marg

Check out this video of Rock Garden with the newest addition ‘Dolls Museum’ 👇👇

Timings:

All days of the week

9.00 AM to 7.30 PM (April to September)

9.00 AM to 6.00 PM (October to March)

• Sukhna Lake:

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This is a place for nature lovers. But if you are seeking peace with nature’s best view then choose the end point of the lake to visit apart from the main entry point. The main entry point is usually crowded with visitors. The endpoint of the lake also gives you a fascinating view of Buddha’s statue in ‘Garden of Silence’. Apart from this, the lake is a sanctuary for many migratory birds like cranes, storks, Siberian ducks in winter.

Location:

Located in Sector 6 near Punjab Raj Bhawan and Uttar Marg.

Timings:

All days of the week from 5.00 AM to 9.00 PM

• Things to do at Sukhna Lake:

• Boating

• Walk or Jog on a Jogging track
• Enjoy feeding ducks

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• Visit Buddha Peace Park ‘Garden of Silence’: This park is at the other end of the lake away from the crowd.

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• Get live sketches from portrait artists
• Eat at CITCO cafeteria
• Camel ride
• Activities for Kids

• Nepli & Kansal Forest

This forest area is situated in ‘Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary’ which spreads over an area of 2600 hect., at a distance of 1 km towards the North-East direction of Sukhna Lake.

Things to do:

• Get the view of Shivalik Hills:

  This forest consists of nature trails with traditional watchtowers and signages camouflaging the forest. There are ‘12 watchtowers’ and one can get a wide view of ‘Shivalik Hills’ from these towers.

• Stay in beautiful Rest Houses:

  There are three rest houses inside the Sanctuary namely-

  1) Kansal Loghut

2) Nepli Inspection hut

3) Kansal Inspection hut

• Enjoy Boating:

  One can enjoy boating in water bodies near ‘kansal Loghut’ and ‘Nepli Inspection hut’

• Botanical Garden & Nature Park:

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 Address:

Village Sarangpur near village Dhanas on PGI-Kurali Road, Chandigarh             160036

Timings:

All days of the week from 7.00 AM to 6.00 PM

This place is my favorite. This garden is spread over 176 acres of land. It consists of a huge variety of systematically arranged plant species both exotic and evergreen.

Main Attractions:

• Varied Plant Sections:

  There are 15 botanical sections vary from aquatic to succulent plants.

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• Cycle Track:

  There is a 5 km cycle track.

• Meditation Huts

• Nursery cum Research Block

• Nature Park

• Zakir Hussain Rose Garden

It is spread in 30 acres of land and consists of different varieties of roses. This garden is named after India’s former President.

Address:

Sector -16B, Chandigarh-160015

Timings:

All days of the week from 6.00 AM to 6.00 PM

• Leisure Valley

This valley adds additional beauty to the well-planned city beautiful. Le Corbusier designed this beautiful theme garland of gardens which is widespread in an area of approximately 400 acres. This valley starts from Rajendra Park in Sector 1, which is used for walking, yoga and it extends to Bougainvillea garden in Sector 3. This is the only valley in India to set up various kinds of theme gardens.

• Terraced Garden

     

Address:

Sector 33B, Chandigarh-160032

This is another beautiful garden with a musical fountain, a walking path and seasonal flower festivals. An annual 3-day event known as ‘Chrysanthemum Show’ also termed as ‘Chandigarh Flower Festival’ comes every year in the month of December.

• Forest Hill Resort & Golf Club

     

Address:

District Mohali, near Punjab Engineering College, Mohali 160001

This place is ideal for leisure travelers with a short ride from the ‘City Beautiful’. It is located in village Karoran. This beautiful resort combines stunning countryside setting with restaurants and FHR pub with live music on selected days, Heritage Golf and Spa Resort, perfect place to host weddings, exhibitions and corporate events and a stunning view of the green forest.

• Kalagram

     

Address:

Chandigarh-Kalka Highway, near Manimajra Housing Board,                                   Chandigarh-160101

Timing:

8.00 AM to 6 PM

This is a center for Arts, Crafts, and Cultural activities in Chandigarh. A brewing place for artists and creative art lovers in the city. It comes under Department of Cultural Affairs, Chandigarh Administration which organizes ‘Chandigarh National Craft Mela’ also known as ‘Kalagram Fest’ every year in October-November to promote handmade products and culture of India.

 

• Exhibitions & Art Events

If you are in Chandigarh, get to know all the happening events in the city from music events to shopping fairs and from food festivals to fashion shows. Here is a list of venues for those events:

• Kisan Bhawan:

Plot No. 1, Dakshin Marg, 35A, Sector 35, Chandigarh, 160036

• Himachal Bhawan:

Plot No. 4, Madhya Marg, Sector 28 B, Chandigarh-160028

• Chandigarh Club Sector:

Sector 1, Near CM House, Chandigarh-160001

• Parade Ground:

Sector 17, Chandigarh-160017

 

• Student Centre, Panjab University

The student center, locally known as ‘StuC’ is the heart of University. There are lot many eateries frequented by students and visitors in Chandigarh. There is a cafeteria known as ‘Upper Café’ for South Indian food and it offers a panoramic view of the University from the top floor. This place follows Punjabi spirit of eating and make merry.

4. Places to visit nearby Chandigarh

Here is a list of places to visit nearby Chandigarh:

• Chhatbir Zoo
• Jayanti Devi Dam & Temple
• Jayanti Trek
• Morni Hills & Tikkar Taal
• Mansa Devi Temple
• Fateh Burj: Tallest Victory Tower in India
• Pinjore Garden
• Kasauli Hills
• Virasat-E-Khalsa (Heritage Site)
• Gurudwara Anandpur Sahib
• Gurudwara Nada Sahib

 

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