Chail

Chail is a village and hill station in Southern Himachal Pradesh, India at a height of 2,250 m above sea level. It was built as a Summer Capital by Maharaja of Patiala Bhupinder Singh when he was exiled from Shimla by British Lord Kitchener. Besides being a tourist hotspot—for which reason whatsoever, Chail features one of the more important military schools in India, the Rashtriya Military School up the hill towards one of the world's highest cricket grounds.

Understand
At the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, Chail is just 45 km away from Shimla, surrounded by thick deodars and at a higher altitude. Chail is a resort. It has several historically tourist attractions. It was built by the Maharaja of Patiala Bhupinder Singh as his Summer Capital, and the residents here are basically from the Pahadi Community. Chail is higher than Shimla, in the Shiwalik region and surrounded by tall tree forests of chir and deodar pine.

Many hotels and resorts spot the hills around the village, and it sometimes feels a little bit overly touristy. Many locals seek out this place for the weekend to flee from the bustling cities and during the festival season. Therefore prices in Chail can feel a little bit overdrawn for what's actually on offer.

Talk
Languages spoken in Chail include Hindi, Pahadi, Punjabi and English.

By bus


There are about 5-6 daily buses running the 38 km (2½ hr) from and to Shimla's IGMC Bus Station in each direction 8AM–4PM, for ₹92 (as of Aug 2023). During the weekend the amount of buses drops, but there are at least the 8AM and 2:30PM buses going in each direction.

Also, there are hourly buses 8AM–5PM connecting Kandaghat, which lies at the main Shimla-Chandigarh highway.

By car
Kufri is the nearest roadway connecting Chail and Shimla, which is 29 km away.

By plane
The nearest airport is Shimla Airport in Jubbarhati, which is 45 km away from Chail. The airport in Chandigarh is 120 km away via Kandaghat.

By train
Kandaghat is the nearest train station on the narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla railway.

Kalka, 86 km away, is on the broad gauge railway line connecting to Delhi. The next nearest stations are in Chandigarh.

On foot
Chail can be explored easily on foot. Also, further away sights are great for a half-day hike or stroll.

By bus
Nearby villages connect with local bus services 7AM-7PM.

By taxi
Taxis are affordable like anywhere in India.

Do

 * Hiking to any of the Hindu temples in the surrounding area and/or the Cricket Field is a nice day activity.


 * Rope Walking over the tree trunk high above the ground level
 * Rock Rappelling to feel the adventure of life and climb the mountain
 * Burma Bridge – Cable-made bridge crossing activities
 * Tyre Bridge and Commando Net.

Buy

 * Woollen garments like sweaters, gloves, and pashmina shawls.
 * Jams/jellies made from hand-picked fresh fruits.
 * Hand-made shoes
 * Kinnauri mufflers
 * Himachali caos
 * Hand-made rugs and carpets.
 * Apple and plum wines, kiwi squashes and fresh handmade pickles are a few of the specialities of the Himachal government-approved outlet in Chail.

Eat
Himachali Kadi is a special dish that everyone must try, otherwise, Indian, Chinese, and Continental dishes are also available.

Most accommodations in town will offer food, so it is easy to find something. A few dhabas offer typical Himachali Cuisines at reasonable rates—try the one at the "locals-only" entrance to the Chail Palace.

Drink
For drinking, apple and plum wines, kiwi squashes and fresh handmade pickles are a few of the specialities of the Himachal Government-approved outlet in Chail.

Sleep
There are sufficient options to choose from, including many mountain resorts, even though budget options like hostels in Manali, Rishikesh and Dharamsala will be hard to find here, especially out of low season (September 14th to May). Rooms in Chail range from ₹200–25,000. The rooms in the center near the bus station start at ₹700–1,000 in low season. Many places are a few kilometres away and require transportation, best to book online and request transport.

Stay safe
Many stray dogs (compared to the amount of villagers) roam the few street of Chail. Stay distant and do not engage.

Connect
The area dialling code for Chail is 0179. From overseas, dial +91 179 XXX-XXXX.

Go next

 * Kufri – On the way to Shimla
 * Shimla – The summer capital of Himachal and once the summer capital of the British Raj, with an interesting and vehicle-free downtown area on top of a ridge and amazing views
 * Solan – A city with many tourist attractions, mostly commercial ones
 * Kasauli – Another hill station at 1,927 m, more buzzing than Chail, but less touristy