The amazing NH 8 from Jaipur to Ajmer

Exploring the quaint town of Mandi

Having short weekend getaways that are spontaneously planned are a hobby of mine. Some time back, my office mates were talking about planning a weekend getaway as they got a couple of holidays lined up in a queue, so I suggested them to visit Mandi, a major town located in Himachal Pradesh near Shimla. The route to this destination is also amazing as they would have to use both train and road to reach there and because of which they can have ourselves a short road trip as well. The route follows from Delhi to Ropar which is around 280 kms via train and then remaining 160 kms via road to Mandi, this is also the shortest route to Mandi from Delhi.

They had pre-booked everything right away and also availed a hassle-free taxi service in Ropar so that they can directly continue their journey once they get off the train without any issue, with this they were ready to embark on this journey that proved to be one of the best times they’ve had.

Get, Set, Board the train

They decided to travel together to the station and booked a cab for the station. They reached the station 15 minutes before time, unloaded their luggage and by 3 PM, the train came on the platform. They bought some snacks from the platform for the journey and they boarded the train without any troubles.

Reaching Ropar and staying for the night

The train dropped them at Ropar by around 10:30 PM. in the night, they were already aware of this timing and so they had pre-booked a motel near the station. They would travel in the morning next day to avoid the risk involved in driving at the night time pertinent to some accidents they’ve heard about in the route. So they spent the night at the motel and enjoyed some lip-smacking food from a local joint nearby the station that sold some really tasty parathas and chutney.

Mesmerizing ride to Mandi

The taxi was already outside the motel in the morning. They woke up and got ready by refreshing ourselves with some strong ginger tea and settled in the taxi. With a lot of excitement in their minds, they began the road trip. The landscape views of mountains and greenery along with the peaceful weather on the road felt surreal, and for once, they thought if they had booked a cab from Delhi to Mandi, they could’ve enjoyed such a beautiful path all along. They reached Mandi in around 3 hours and directly checked-in to the hotel first, swiftly unloaded their luggage, and got ready to explore the town.

Exploring the quaint town of Mandi
Mesmerizing Mandi. Courtesy: travelsntourism.com

Exploring Mandi and returning home

Mandi is famous for trekking, and they started the day off by going to the Bagi village which was the starting point for the trek region known as the Preshar Lake trek. It was an adventurous experience and the weather was perfect for trekking. After the trek, they started to visit all the cultural sites of Mandi which depicted how old and rich its heritage was, and they also came to know that Mandi is the oldest city of Himachal Pradesh which still has many notable palaces of the ancient temples built by the kings and the Mughals of traditional India. Luckily, they also got a chance to experience the Mandi Shivaratri Mela which is one of the most famous events which takes place every year in the town. They did some shopping for their families and bought some of the magnificent handicrafts.

Exploring the quaint town of Mandi
Preshar Lake Trek. Courtesy: thrillophilia

After this, they called it a day and came back to their hotel to rest as they were going to leave for Delhi the very next day. The next day they checked out and followed the same mode of transportation back to Delhi. The trip was a complete success and they were truly amazed by the beauty of the traditional Mandi town. Frankly, I’ve been in love with Himachal Pradesh and suggest people a lot of places to travel there. Have you been there ? How has been your experience ? Do share your experience in the comments below or tweet to me @Atulmaharaj or DM me on Instagram.

About Atulmaharaj

A seasoned blogger and a content marketer for close to a decade now. I write about Food, Technology, Lifestyle, Travel, and Finance related posts. Blogging brings me joy and the best part is I get to read and e-meet so many amazing bloggers! PS: I'm also the founder for Socialmaharaj.com :) Favorite Quote: "Traveling is like reading a book, one who hasn't traveled, hasn't turned a page.

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3 comments

  1. Thanks For Sharing such a great Content with us

    Cab Service in Jodhpur

  2. Mandi looks like a fairy tale world. Wonderful capture. Loved read it. Thank you for sharing! 🙂

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