The Ridge is one of the major tourist places located in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The Ridge is the center of all cultural activities in Shimla.
It is located along Mall Road, a famous shopping center in Shimla. Most of the major places of Shimla like Sanjauli Snowdown (IGMC), Mall Road, Jakhu Mandir, Oakover, Kali Bari, Annandale, etc. are connected through the ridge.
It runs east to west alongside Mall Road and meets at Scandal Point on the west side. To the east, Ridge Road leads to Lakkar Bazar, a wooden craft market. It is the major landmark and the most easily recognized face of the hill station.
Prominent landmarks on the ridge area includes Christ Church, a neo-gothic structure built in 1844, and a Tudorbethan-style library building built in 1910.
There are four statues on the ridge; Recently installed statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Dr. YS Parmar, the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
At The Ridge, tourists can enjoy horse riding, ice cream, and photography in Himachali attire. Tourists love to click photos here.
The Ridge Shimla houses various government buildings such as the HP Tourist Info Centre, Municipal Corporation Office, and Himachal Tourism’s restaurants and bars.
For couples, The Ridge offers a romantic amalgamation of nature, beauty, and breeze in the evening.
Significance of The Ridge
The Ridge is a major tourist destination of Shimla. Apart from being a cultural center, it houses a reservoir with a capacity of storing 100,000 gallons of water for the lifeline of the city.
The water tanks of The Ridge supply water to the entire city. This water tank was built in the 1880s with lime mortar.
Fairs are also organized at The Ridge Shimla. Major events in Shimla town are hosted at The Ridge venue. The most famous festival of The Ridge is the Summer Festival.
There are many major events in this festival, such as folk dance, food festival, flower show, ice skating festival, and Himachali Film Festival.
Shimla is the only place in Asia to have a natural ice skating rink. The ice skating competition starts in December and runs till February.
Best time to visit The Ridge Shimla
The Ridge attracts tourists with its attractions throughout the year, but the best time to visit The Ridge is from April to August and December to January.
Summer Festivals
The summer months can be a great time to visit The Ridge. The local authorities organize a summer festival every year. During this time The Ridge becomes the center of attraction for the cultural activities of Shimla.
How To Reach The Ridge
The Ridge Shimla is located at a distance of 2 kilometers from the city center. You can either hire a taxi to reach The Ridge.
How to Reach The Ridge by Road
If you want to travel to The Ridge or Shimla by road, then tell that Shimla is well connected by road to many major cities of the country.
National Highway 22 connects Shimla to Chandigarh, the nearest major city. Shimla is also connected by road to major cities and towns of Himachal Pradesh.
HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corporation) is the main public sector transport service. You can travel between luxury, semi-deluxe, A/C, and non-A/C buses.
There are buses from Chandigarh to Shimla throughout the day and daily from Delhi. You can also hire cabs or taxis from Chandigarh and Delhi to Shimla.
How to Reach The Ridge by Rail
The Ridge is located at a distance of 2 kilometers from the main Shimla city. If you wish to travel to Shimla or The Ridge by train, Shimla has a small railway station of its own which is just 1 km from the city center and is connected to Kalka by a small gauge rail track.
Shimla’s toy train runs between Kalka and Shimla, covering a distance of 96 kilometers in about 7 hours.
Kalka is the nearest railway station to Shimla, which is connected to Chandigarh and Delhi by regular trains. You have to take the train from Delhi and Chandigarh to Kalka.
How to Reach The Ridge by Air
If you are planning to travel to The Ridge or Shimla by air then let us tell you that Jubarhati is about 23 km from Shimla which is its nearest airport.
There are many regular flights available to Jubbarhatti from Chandigarh and Delhi. After reaching this airport you can easily get a taxi to Shimla and from Shimla go to The Ridge.
Ridge Google Map
