Solan travel guide

The “Mushroom City of India” on the Kalka–Shimla line – gateway to Kasauli, Chail and Barog

📍 Himachal Pradesh 12 places to visit 🏨 5 stays to book Updated 20 Oct 2026

Solan is a hill town and district headquarters on the Chandigarh–Shimla highway, ringed by pine-covered ridges and small hill stations – colonial Kasauli, Dharampur, Barog on the toy-train line, Kandaghat and royal Chail. Known for mushrooms, tomatoes and one of India’s oldest breweries, it is an easy weekend escape from Delhi and Chandigarh.

History of Solan

Solan takes its name from Shoolini Devi, a form of Durga worshipped as the guardian of the town – her temple still hosts the Shoolini fair every June. Solan was the capital of the small princely state of Baghat, which the British took over from the Gurkhas in 1815; the rajas later moved their seat here from Bhoch as the town grew around a British cantonment.

The British were drawn to the cool ridges between the plains and Shimla. Kasauli became a cantonment in 1842, and nearby Dagshai – one of the oldest cantonments in the hills – got its stone jail in 1849. In the 1830s (1835 is the year usually quoted) Edward Dyer set up a brewery at Kasauli, among the first in Asia; production later shifted to Solan, and the business grew into Dyer Meakin and, after 1949, Mohan Meakin – the makers of Old Monk.

The Kalka–Shimla railway reached Solan in the early 1900s, with the long Barog tunnel just below the town. Up on the next ridge, the Maharajas of Patiala built their summer palace at Chail in the 1890s, along with a cricket ground often called the highest in the world.

Solan became a district of its own in 1972. Today it is known as the “Mushroom City of India” – home to the national mushroom research centre at Chambaghat – and as the “City of Red Gold” for its tomato crop.

Best time to visit Solan

Solan and its hill stations are pleasant from March to June and September to November. Winter is cold with occasional snow in Kasauli and Chail, and the monsoon (July–August) is wet with landslide risk.

Mar–Apr

Spring · Pleasant, about 10–25°C

Clear days for Karol Tibba, Kasauli and the toy train.

Best

May–Jun

Summer · Warm days, cool evenings

The Shoolini fair in June and an easy escape from the plains.

Best

Jul–Aug

Monsoon · Heavy rain, fog

Green and misty, but landslides can block the highway.

Avoid

Sep–Nov

Autumn · Crisp, about 8–22°C

The clearest views and comfortable walks.

Best

Dec–Feb

Winter · Cold, near freezing at night

Snow in Chail and sometimes in Kasauli; quiet and cosy.

Good

How to reach Solan

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Nearest airport

Chandigarh International Airport (IXC) – best connected

About 70 km (2 hours by taxi via Zirakpur and Kalka). Shimla Airport, Jubbarhatti (SLV) is closer in the hills but has only a few small flights, which are often cancelled in bad weather.

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Nearest railway station

Solan station on the Kalka–Shimla toy train (narrow gauge)

In the town. For main-line trains, use Kalka (about 45 km, 1–1.5 hours) or Chandigarh (about 65 km, 1.5–2 hours) on broad gauge, then change to the toy train or a taxi. The toy train from Kalka to Solan takes about 3.5–4 hours, with a halt at Barog.

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Bus stand

Solan bus stand (town centre) – HRTC and private buses to Shimla, Chandigarh, Kalka, Delhi, Kasauli, Chail and Manali. Most Delhi–Shimla Volvo and ordinary buses stop at Solan on the highway. Kasauli has its own small bus stand; Dharampur, Barog and Kandaghat are stops on the highway.

From	Distance by road	Travel time
Delhi	About 300 km	6–7 hours
Chandigarh	About 65 km	1.5–2 hours
Kalka	About 45 km	1–1.5 hours
Shimla	About 45 km	1.5 hours
Kasauli	About 28 km	1 hour
Chail	About 45 km	1.5–2 hours
Ludhiana	About 170 km	4–5 hours
Manali	About 280 km	8–9 hours

Distances and times are approximate and change with traffic and weather.

Famous places to visit in Solan

1Shoolini Mata Temple

Temple 📍 Solan town, near the Mall 🕘 Early morning to evening · free

The temple of the goddess who gave Solan its name. It is busiest during the three-day Shoolini fair in June, when the goddess is carried in procession and the town fills with stalls and music.

2Karol Tibba & Pandava Cave

Trek 📍 Trail from Chambaghat, about 5 km from town 🕘 2.5–3 hours up · best Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

The highest hill around Solan, topped by a small Kali temple and wide views of the ridges. Near the top is the Pandava cave, which local legend says the Pandavas used during their exile. Start early and carry water.

3Mohan Shakti National Heritage Park

Temple 📍 Harat, about 15 km from Solan 🕘 About 7 AM – 8 PM

A 40-acre hillside park with a grand temple, a sun chariot on its roof and life-size statues of Vedic sages, gods and animals. Created by the Mohan Meakin family, it is a calm family stop off the highway at Salogra.

4Jatoli Shiva Temple

Temple 📍 Rajgarh Road, about 8 km from Solan 🕘 Day time · free

A tall stone temple in south Indian style, said to be about 111 ft high and among the tallest Shiva temples in Asia; it took nearly four decades to build. The sacred water tank (jal kund) beside it is linked to the sage Krishnanand Paramhans.

5Kasauli Mall Road & Christ Church

Church 📍 Kasauli, about 28 km 🕘 Day time · church usually open outside service hours

Kasauli’s quiet colonial heart – a short Mall lined with old bakeries and shops, and the stone Christ Church, consecrated in 1853, with its tall steeple and stained-glass windows. Walk the Upper and Lower Mall loop in the evening.

6Gilbert Trail & Sunset Point

Nature 📍 Upper Mall, Kasauli 🕘 Early morning or late afternoon

A 1.5 km walk along a cliff edge through pine and oak, popular with birdwatchers, ending near Sunset Point where the plains of Punjab and Haryana spread out below. On clear evenings you can see the lights of Chandigarh.

7Monkey Point (Manki Point)

Viewpoint 📍 About 4 km from Kasauli Mall 🕘 Day time (roughly 9 AM – 5 PM) · photo ID required

The highest point of Kasauli, with a small Hanuman temple where, legend says, Hanuman touched down while carrying the Sanjeevani hill. It lies inside an Air Force station, so carry a photo ID, expect phones and cameras to be restricted, and check timings at the gate – it can close without notice.

8Chail Palace

Heritage 📍 Chail, about 45 km 🕘 Grounds open to visitors · now a heritage hotel

The summer palace of the Maharajas of Patiala, set in deodar forest on its own ridge and now run as a heritage hotel by Himachal Tourism. Nearby are the Chail wildlife sanctuary and the Kali ka Tibba temple.

9Chail Cricket Ground

Sports & adventure 📍 Chail, inside the Chail Military School 🕘 Day time · access may be limited

Laid out in 1893 at about 2,444 m and often called the highest cricket ground in the world, surrounded by tall deodars. It belongs to the military school, so visitors usually see it from the edge.

10Barog Tunnel & Railway Station

Heritage 📍 Barog, about 10 km 🕘 Toy-train timings vary

Tunnel No. 33, about 1.1 km long, is the longest on the UNESCO-listed Kalka–Shimla railway. It is named after Colonel Barog, whose unfinished first attempt gave rise to many ghost stories. The pretty station is a short break stop for the toy train.

11Dagshai Jail Museum

Museum 📍 Dagshai cantonment, about 15 km 🕘 Usually day time · small entry fee

A stone jail built by the British in 1849, now a museum. Irish soldiers of the Connaught Rangers were held here after their 1920 mutiny, Mahatma Gandhi is said to have stayed here in sympathy, and Nathuram Godse spent a night here on the way to his trial.

12Solan Brewery (Mohan Meakin)

Heritage 📍 Solan town 🕘 Working factory – view from outside only

One of the oldest breweries in India, grown from Edward Dyer’s 19th-century works and today run by Mohan Meakin. It is a working plant and not open for tours, but the old buildings are part of Solan’s story.

Timings and entry fees change – please check locally before you go.

⛰️ Small hill stations around Solan

Kasauli: About 28 km – colonial cantonment, Mall Road, Christ Church and Gilbert Trail
Barog: About 10 km – toy-train station and the long Barog tunnel among pines
Dharampur: About 25 km – highway stop, easy base for Kasauli
Kandaghat: About 15 km – junction for Chail and quiet orchard stays
Chail: About 45 km – palace, forests and one of the world’s highest cricket grounds
Dagshai: About 15 km – old cantonment with the Dagshai jail museum

Solan sits in the middle of all of these, so you can stay in one place and visit a different hill town each day.

Solan itinerary

2 days in Solan

Day 1

Shoolini Mata temple and the Mall.
Jatoli Shiva temple, then sunset at Barog.

Day 2

Day trip to Kasauli: Mall Road, Christ Church, Gilbert Trail and Sunset Point.
Stop at Dagshai on the way back.

3 days – Solan, Kasauli & Chail

Day 1

Solan town, Jatoli temple and the Mohan Shakti heritage park.

Day 2

Kasauli and Monkey Point (check entry rules), then Barog.

Day 3

Chail Palace, the cricket ground and the Kali Tibba temple.

Trip budget for Solan

Item	Cost	Note
Stay (homestay / hotel)	About ₹1,500–4,000 / night	Kasauli and Chail heritage stays cost more
Food	About ₹400–900 per person / day	Try the local mushroom dishes
Toy train Kalka → Solan	About ₹50–500 per person	Depends on train and class
Taxi Chandigarh → Solan	About ₹2,000–3,000 one way	1.5–2 hours
Taxi day trip (Kasauli or Chail)	About ₹2,000–3,000	Return from Solan
Weekend for 2 (approx.)	₹9,000–15,000	2 nights’ stay + food + a taxi day

Costs are rough estimates for Oct 2026.

Solan vs Kasauli, Chail and Shimla

Solan, Kasauli or Shimla? Here’s how they compare for a short trip.

Place	From Chandigarh	Vibe	Best for
Solan	About 65 km, 1.5–2 h	Real hill town, central	A base for Kasauli, Barog and Chail
Kasauli	About 60 km, 2 h	Colonial, busy at weekends	Cafés, walks
Chail	About 110 km, 3.5 h	Forest and palace, quiet	Heritage stay
Shimla	About 115 km, 3–4 h	Capital, Mall Road	Sightseeing, toy train

Where to stay in Solan

Stay in Solan town for shops, the temple and easy buses. For views and quiet, choose a homestay or cottage on the ridges around Barog, Kandaghat or Dharampur – each is 10–25 km away and close to the toy-train line. Kasauli and Chail are good if you want to stay right inside a small hill station.