Places to visit in Manali

Snow Valley View of Manali.
Picture Credit - Tebbian's

This Manali travel information is ideal for those who prefer to take their time and explore a destination in-depth. You will concentrate on Manali and its surroundings, where there are a lot of interesting and lovely things to see and do, rather than touring the entirety of Himachal Pradesh. Experience and enjoy mountain views, try your hand at paragliding in Solang Valley, visit Naggar's distinctive palaces, take in Manali's sights, and much more.

Kullu to Manali Route
Pciture Credti - Tebbian's

There is a legend surrounding Manali, often known as the "Valley of Gods." The great Sage Manu, the human race's legislator, is said to have resided in Manali, according to legendary history. The earth was flooded by a devastating flood, and it is thought that Sage Manu emerged from his ark at Manali to recreate human existence. A modified form of "Manu-Alaya," which means "Manu's home," is thought to be the word Manali. The historical record, however, indicates that the colonial rulers of former British India acknowledged the contemporary Manali as a magnificent summer resort. As a way to get away from the intense heat of the Northern Plains in the summer, they used to travel to this exotic resort town.

Manali, a charming hill station with a long history of appeal, is located at the northernmost point of the Kullu Valley. Known for its quirky cafes, ancient temples, and intriguing trekking trails, this hill station in India is one of the most well-liked ones.

Manali is a place steeped in history and mythological tradition, so every step of the journey will feel like you're entering a fantasy country. There will be some amazing historical event or other visible to you wherever you turn your gaze. You will simply grow to love Manali even more after discovering these little-known tales and piecing together the famous history of this location.

Fun facts you didn’t know about Manali

• Are you aware that Manali is more than just a single hamlet or tiny village? In reality, it is a composite of three nearby hills known as Dhungri (Hidimba Temple), Vashishth (Vashisht Temple), and Old Manali (Manu Temple).

• May through October is the best time to visit Manali since during this time you can engage in peaceful and thrilling activities like paragliding, trekking, hiking, and even rafting. However, January and February are the best months to visit if you want to see snowfall and the beauty of a snow-filled valley. Only snow activities, such as light and leisurely trekking, are possible on certain days, provided that there is a lot of snow on the roads.
 
• The well-known Hidimba Devi Temple, which is revered by all, is really a monster. After being banished to the forest, Hidimba married Bhima, and the two had a demon son named Ghatotkach. Did you realize that this 400+ year old wooden temple?

• Given the ideal natural conditions that the river Beas also creates, it should come as no surprise that Manali is home to some of the purest apples. In Manali, almost every home has an apple tree or an orchard that symbolizes their heritage, culture, and custom of living in harmony with the natural world.
 

Manali Travel Talk

These are some crucial facts that you should know before visiting Manali, Himachal Pradesh. I don't feel well when I run around in a hurry, especially while I'm traveling through the valley. Numerous blogs and websites discuss trips to major tourist places around Manali, but in actuality, those locations could be up to 50 km away or even more away, requiring a day or two to visit independently. 

Therefore, I will suggest that you carefully plan so that you can get captivating views and experiences without rushing through or forgetting anything from your visit to a single location.

Thus, in my travelogue, I will discuss the areas that are close to the city center and can be reached on foot in a maximum of five kilometers. 

However, I will outline some well-known locations up to 50 km away from Manali that you should consider staying close to in order to avoid having to return, waste time in public or private transportation, and pay for lodging where you will just be spending the night.
 

Tebbian’s Travel Story

I will give you my personal experience and ideas that can help you plan your tour. Well this time I took an unplanned trip. Delhi to Manali and back to Delhi was the only plan I thought of. I took an overnight Volvo bus from Delhi, which cost me around Rs 1100 per seat. It was a comfortable and safe journey provided by a local bus travel company. 

I reached Manali at 9 am in the morning and the bus dropped all the tourists at Manali Private Volvo Bus Stand and from there many people took private taxis to reach their hotel, but I did not book any cab or hotel, although I did check the availability of some hotels. Have done a little research about it. The location, amenities and facilities provided by them and the view of the valley from the hotel room or terrace!

Now I started walking from the bus stand towards Mall Road Market, which is only within 1 km, so I avoided taking cabs and enjoyed the views, market places and restaurants along the way. I was searching for prices of other hotels and eateries for my subsequent visit. Van Vihar which is a tourist spot, is on Mall Road, I found while going to my hotel. 

My hotel, which I had not booked but had researched, was located near the Mall Road Market, a 5-minute walk from the market. After sightseeing on the way, I finally reached my hotel at 11 am. It was a wonderful walk.

After checkin and initial formalities, I rested for a bit and took some pictures from my hotel room, it was a beautiful view from my hotel room which had a balcony and large glass windows overlooking the snowy mountain valley. The hotel staff was very helpful, providing information about routes and timings of nearby attractions. 

Now I have started a half day walking tour, so I visited Hidimba Devi temple, explored the nearby local market, tasted Himachali local food, visited old Manali and its amazing cafes, spent leisure time And had dinner on the river bank, there are many river side cafes.

During my half day trip to Singthasing in the month of February, my shoes did not support me due to snow filled roads and extreme cold, so I bought snow shoes which cost Rs 200 and many other shoes ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 600 Were till. There are options. You don't want to spend much, so I suggest you buy snow shoes from Manali itself. 

These snow shoes help in walking on the wet and snow filled roads of Manali and saved me from slipping on the road which was happening to other tourists on the way! Laugh out loud! Those were fun moments..

After returning to the hotel at 10 pm, I was now excited for the view of the snow valley the next morning. So I kept waking up at different times, hahaha. I don't want to miss a scene, so I wake up at 5 a.m. and look out the huge glass window of my hotel. Finally at 7 in the morning I got to see this scenic view. It was a mesmerizing sight when the sun touched the tip of the snow filled mountain, giving a breathtaking view of the dazzling snow valley. I wanted to watch this view with my morning tea but unfortunately tea was not available before 9 am in my hotel. 

So after enjoying this morning view I decided to leave around 8 am and reached the shops on Mall Road, though there were very few shops which opened at 8 am but I had checked about their timings yesterday evening itself. Had found out.

I had gulab jamun, puri and sabji along with a glass of roasted dry fruit hot milk (kadhai doodh, quite popular for tourist) which was available in the only open shop. After that came back to my hotel room to take refresh and now got ready for a day trip. 

Believe it or not, the higher you walk and hike in Manali, the hungrier you will feel!! After reaching the hotel, I ordered a veg sandwich with masala tea! Finally I was able to sit near my window to have a cup of tea and a breathtaking view of the snowy mountains.

Now my day trip includes visiting Buddhist temple, Mahadev temple, Van Vihar and Manu temple and all on foot, no taxi, no public transport which will give you beautiful feeling, fresh air, sweet weather and lots of hunger, hahaha . See the local sights, take photos, explore the local streets and markets and taste the Himachal's local delicacy Siddu (filled with apricot paste and served with tomato spicy dip).

Siddu -  Himachal's Traditional Winter Dish

So you will need only 2 days to see the tourist places around Manali. If you want to visit Solang Valley which is about 15 km away from the Manali Mall Road and there are many other tourist places on the way to Solang Valley but tourists visit Solang Valley for snow activities or paragliding. The activities will require a full day. You can take a local taxi from Manali to Nehru Kund and then another 4x4 jeep to reach Solang Valley, which will cost you Rs 1000 to 5000. Your expenditure on activities will be more. You can also take a one day package from the tour operators who were available on the Mall Road and they will keep bugging you while you are walking in the market and asking for this tour.

I have listed tourist attraction places in Manali or near Manali with distances so that you can plan your trip as per your budget and time availability. Note that these distances are calculated from Manali Mall Road Market only.

1.     Hindma Temple – within 2km
2.     Manu Temple – within 4km
3.     Vashisht Temple- within 4km
4.     Jogni Waterfall – 5km from the Mall road and ahead of vashishth temple
5.     Old Manali -  withing 3km
6.     Manali Mall Road Market – 0 km
7.     Van Vihar – within 1 km
8.     Museum of Himachal Culture & Folk Art -  within 3km
9.     Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa is a Buddhist temple – within 600 meter
10.   Siyali Mahadev Temple -  within 3 km
11.   Beas River Bride – within 800 meter
12.   Nehru Kund ( on the way to Solang Valley ) -  within 7 km and you can visit Jogini waterfall on the way

All the rest below are at a distance of more than 10 km from the Mall Road of Manali.

13.   Solang Valley ( Popular tourist destination after reaching Manali )
14.   Rohtang Pass ( Way to Manali )
15.   Paragliding in Manali (Solang Valley )
16.   Rafting ( in kullu )
17.   Manikaran - 78 km from Manali, it is near to Kasol and way started from Bhuntar
18.   Atal Tunel ( on the way to Manali )
19.   Sethan Valley – within 16 km but now  a days this is the new tourist attraction on Hampta pass due to igloo stay option. This village has option for igloo type of accommodation where people usually experience in staying igloo for a night at least.
20.   Skiing in Manali – At Solang Valley
21.   Jana Waterfall –  within 32 km
22.   Parvati Velley – withing 75 km and near to Manikaran
23.   The Great Himalayan National Park – within 50 km
24.   Kullu -  on the way to Manali and within 40 km
25.   Arjun Goofa – within 10 km
26.   Bhrigu Lake and trekking -  withing 18 km

27.   Sissu -  within 40km and 12 km from Atal Tunnel
28.   Campging in kullu or Parvati River – within 40 km
29.   Bijali Mahadev temple in Kullu  - 62 km

30.   Manikaran Gurudwara and Shiv temple with magical hot water cooking - 78 km

Hidimba Temple - Manali
Picture credit - Tebbian's

Manu Temple - Manali

Siyali Mahadev Temple - Manali

Vashisth Temple - Manali

Must do things in Manali

1.       Choose your stay wisely for the best valley view. There are many accommodation options near the Mall Road or inside the market but not all will give you a view of the valley. So always check their reviews and photos. Maybe we were lucky that we found a hotel with a great view near the Mall Road, it was a 5 minute walk from the Mall Road Market. You can contact us to book your hotel.

2.       Be sure to taste the local Himachali food and fresh fruits on Mall Road. Like Siddu, made with dry fruit paste and served with tomatoes and spicy dip (try this Siddu from the street vendor on Hidimba Temple Road). There was a shop selling fresh fruit juice and boxes of fresh fruits which included Himachali fresh apples, kiwis, grapes, pineapples which were ready to eat or you can even customize.

3.       Take a walking tour on Mall Road in the early morning or late evening. Try Kadai Doodh (roasted milk) first thing in the morning around 9 am.

4.       Many tourist places are within walking distance from Mall Road. It will take a day to visit all the nearby places located at a maximum distance of 5 km from Mall Road. But if you prefer local taxis then you can opt for this which will cost you around Rs 500 for one tourist spot or you can also opt for a sightseeing package with a full day trip.

5.       As per your above list there are many tourist places here. Whose distance from the Mall Road is more than 10 km. You will need a separate day depending on the distance and your budget.

6.       Visit local cafes in Old Manali. You can enjoy tandoori trout fish which is locally available in Manali, momos, Pahari Maggi and many other vegetarian or non-vegetarian dishes while sitting at the riverside cafes.

7.       Taste Himachali thali in a local hotel. Although it may not be the best but at least you will get to know the local flavour. Asked chef to add Himachali kheer made from millet.
As per our experience, all tourist places cannot be covered in a day or two. You will need a week's time to capture the best memories and mesmerizing views, photographs and experience the beauty of Himachal Pradesh. 

We as Tebians usually do short trips to Himachal for best experience and without any tour package or sightseeing and without any taxi, we prefer to explore by walking, hiking etc. If you are coming from far away and feel that you will not visit Himachal again then plan a trip of more than a week.. It could be 10 days or a month.

 
How to reach Manali

By Road

It is the most popular mode of travel and sometimes also the busiest route, with heavy traffic during peak times such as New Year, Christmas etc. If you are traveling by road then you will experience beautiful views of mountains and river then it will be an unforgettable journey. You can choose to drive yourself or hire a taxi. Make sure the driver knows how to drive on hills as there are some sharp cuts on the way. Apart from this, many taxis, Volvo bus services are available from Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab. Semi-sleeper Volvo buses are very common and easily available to reach Manali.

Bus Ticket from Delhi :  INR 1000 per person approx.
Taxi from Delhi: INR 5000 to 7000 approx. (One way)
 

By Air

The nearest domestic airport to Manali is Kullu-Manali Airport (KUU) in Bhuntar, located at a distance of 50 km from Manali. Regular flights connect the airport to Delhi and Chandigarh. You can book a cab or taxi from the airport to Manali, which will take you around 2 hours to reach your destination. For tourists coming from other countries, the nearest international airport to Manali is Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi. Then you can opt for another flight from Delhi to Kullu-Manali airport and reach Manali in the same way. Airline ticket prices may vary depending on conditions, peak season or road blockages, so always check your travel dates.

Airline Ticket from Delhi: INR 5000 to 7000 approx per person
 

By Train

There is no railway station in Manali. To reach Manali by railway, you have to get down at the nearest railway station to Manali which is Joginder Nagar Railway Station at a distance of 162.6 km from Manali. This station has no direct rail connectivity with major cities of India. You have to first catch a train to Pathankot and then take another train from Pathankot to Joginder Nagar Railway Station. You can take a taxi or local bus from the railway station which will take you about 4.5 to 5 hours to reach Manali. Also, if you are planning to come by train there is also an option from  Chandigarh Railway Station which is at a distance of 315 km from Manali. You can take a train to Chandigarh Railway Station and then opt for a cab or bus from there. This is a better option as there are many trains going to Chandigarh Railway Station which connect many major Indian cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Uttar Pradesh and many more. The journey from the Chandigarh railway station to Manali will take approximately 8 to 8.5 hours.

Cost : Depends on tickets , cab or bus charges from various source stations.