YMCA

Shimla

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Shimla's backpacker stalwart, the friendly, bright-red YMCA has been open since 1930 and takes all comers, regardless of age, gender or religion. Rooms are plain budget affairs but neat and pleasant for the price, which includes a basic breakfast in the time-warp dining room.

Many rooms have great views, as does the shared terrace. Communal bathrooms are very well kept, though showers are only hot from 7am to 9am. Gates lock around 11pm till 7am. Access is from behind Christ Church up the steps that lead past the small Ritz Cinema.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Viceregal Lodge is the official residence of a Viceroy, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India . (Photo by: IndiaPictures/UIG via Getty Images)

    Viceregal Lodge

    2.12 MILES

    A cross between Harry Potter's Hogwarts and a Scottish baronial castle, this 1888 pile was the official summer residence of the British viceroys until…

  • The Ridge

    The Ridge

    0.13 MILES

    Along the central ridgetop, this broad pedestrian esplanade diverges from The Mall at Scandal Point, guarded by a fancifully hatted policeman. Thronged…

  • Pinjore Gardens

    Pinjore Gardens

    26.4 MILES

    The beautifully restored, 17th-century Mughal-era Pinjore Gardens, on the edge of the small town of Pinjore, are built on seven levels with water features…

  • Jakhu Hanuman Statue

    Jakhu Hanuman Statue

    0.44 MILES

    A 108ft (33m) vermillion-pink statue of monkey-god Hanuman pokes his head above the treetops on Shimla’s highest hilltop. Appropriately, hundreds of…

  • Gaiety Theatre

    Gaiety Theatre

    0.21 MILES

    Lovingly restored between 2004 and 2009 and hoping for Unesco status, this remarkable 320-seater theatre opened in 1877, originally as part of a bigger…

  • Bantony

    Bantony

    0.47 MILES

    Whimsical and photogenically dilapidated, this 1880 red-brick mansion looks like a place for a Scooby Doo adventure. There's a wobbly central spire-turret…

  • Bhima Devi Temple

    Bhima Devi Temple

    26.26 MILES

    The ruins of the 10th-century Bhima Devi Temple comprise broken pillars, statuettes and friezes (including some Khajuraho-esque erotic carvings) scattered…

  • Himachal State Museum

    Himachal State Museum

    1.56 MILES

    On a hilltop some 2.5km west of Scandal Point, the state museum sits right at the base of the prominent TV Tower. Rich if somewhat static displays include…

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Nearby Shimla attractions

1. Christ Church

0.08 MILES

This 1840s square-towered church would turn few heads in an English market town but in Shimla it's a treasured landmark, prominent at The Ridge's east end.

2. The Ridge

0.13 MILES

Along the central ridgetop, this broad pedestrian esplanade diverges from The Mall at Scandal Point, guarded by a fancifully hatted policeman. Thronged…

3. Rothney Castle

0.15 MILES

On the way up to the Jakhu temple, you can peep through the gates to see the glass verandas of this 19th-century mansion that was built for colonial…

4. Gaiety Theatre

0.21 MILES

Lovingly restored between 2004 and 2009 and hoping for Unesco status, this remarkable 320-seater theatre opened in 1877, originally as part of a bigger…

5. Town Hall

0.24 MILES

Shimla's half-timbered old town hall building originally dates from 1908–10, but has been so restored that it looks essentially new.

6. Shimla Heritage Museum

0.25 MILES

This small, one-room gallery displays enlargements of a few historic photos of old Shimla, with cursory explanations, but you can see it all in five…

7. Ripon Hospital

0.32 MILES

One of Shimla's most atmospheric timber-framed buildings, the green-and-white Ripon Hospital building (1885) has a couple of exterior wooden stair-spirals…

8. Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara

0.35 MILES

This major Sikh temple isn't a particular attraction but makes a useful landmark beside busy Cart Rd below the bazaar area.