23 Top Tourist Places to Visit in Chandigarh

At a distance of 4.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Rock Garden is a sculpture garden situated in Sector 1 near Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. The Rock Garden is one of the prime attractions of Chandigarh and also one of the must visit places in Chandigarh.

Also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden, the park was opened to the public in 1976. Spread over an area of 25 acres, the Rock Garden has been designed as an open-air exhibition hall using urban and industrial wastes by Nek Chand, a former Road Inspector in Chandigarh. Nek Chand started the garden secretly near Sukhna Lake in 1957. The site where the rock garden stands today was a dumping ground and from here Mr. Nek Chand picked many waste materials and eventually shaped them into some amazing structures of humans and other forms. It was discovered by the authorities in 1975 and might have been demolished on the grounds of being illegal, but was saved by popular public opinion. Nek Chand was then put in charge of the park and given .....

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At a distance of 5.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Sukhna Lake is a beautiful manmade lake situated at the foothills of Shivalik range in the city of Chandigarh. This is one of the most picturesque man-made lakes in India and also one of the top tourist places in Chandigarh.

Sukhna Lake is created by Le Corbusier in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream flowing down from the Shivalik hills. It had a depth of 18 feet originally and was spread across 3 sq. km. The name Sukhna means a wish - fulfilled, the lake is a perfect destination for solitude seekers. At the entrance, there is a Corbusier proclamation 'The creator of this beautiful city of Chandigarh has also created this eye-catching man made Sukhna Lake and also a dam that makes this city even more beautiful. The area around this lake is very calm and peaceful'.

The lake is enclosed by a golf course on the south and the famous Rock Garden on its western end. The Sukhna Lake is also the habitat of a number .....

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At a distance of 3 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Rose Garden or Zakir Hussain Rose Garden is a prominent garden situated in Sector 16 of Chandigarh. Chandigarh Rose Garden is the largest of its kind in Asia and also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Chandigarh.

Named after India's former President, Zakir Hussain, this beautiful garden was set up in 1967 with the support of Chandigarh's first Chief Commissioner, late Dr. M S Randhawa. Spread over an area of 30 acres, the park exhibits some of the rarest and exquisite varieties of roses and is said to be home to 1600 varieties of flowers. The rose plants have been planted in carved-out lawns and flower beds. The place is a sight to behold when the flowers are in full bloom.

The other major attraction of the garden is more than 32,500 varieties of trees and medicinal plants. Some of the medicinal plants that can be spotted here are bel, bahera, harar, camphor and yellow gulmohar. The garden is designed like a .....

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At a distance of 3 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Government Museum & Art Gallery is a popular museum situated at Sector 10 of Chandigarh. This is one of the prominent museums of India that speaks well of the history and partition of India. It is one of the top places to visit in Chandigarh. The museum has also been declared a Grade-I heritage building by the Chandigarh Administration within the ambit of the Chandigarh Master Plan 2031.

The Government Museum & Art Gallery was established in 1947 to preserve the Gandharan sculptures, Pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings. Before the partition in 1947, the collection of art objects, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts, were housed in the Central Museum, Lahore, the then capital of Punjab. On April 10, 1948, the division of collection took place by which sixty percent of objects were retained by Pakistan and the remaining forty percent collections consisting mainly of Gandharan sculptures and Indian miniature paintings fell .....

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At a distance of 23 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Pinjore Gardens, also known as Yadavindra Gardens, is a historical garden located at Pinjore village in Panchkula district of Haryana state. Situated on Ambala-Shimla road, Pinjore Garden is one of the top places to experience Chandigarh Tourism.

Located on the foothills of lower Shivaliks, Pinjore Garden was created in the 17th century by architect Nawab Fidai Khan during the early reign of his foster brother Aurangzeb. After it was initially built by Fidai Khan, the garden was refurbished by Yadavindra Singh and restored to its former splendour, since it had grown into a wild jungle due to long years of neglect. The name Yadavindra Garden is given as a symbol of honor to Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of the Patiala dynasty, the former royals of Chandigarh.

Spreads over an area of 100 acres, Pinjore Garden is built in the typical Mughal style. The garden has been laid down comprising of seven broad terraces. The main gate of .....

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At a distance of 3 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Topiary Park is located in Sector 35 of Chandigarh. This is one of the most famous parks in Chandigarh and also one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh.

The Topiary Park was established in the year 1987. This park is mainly designed for making fun and enjoyment for the children. The plants belong to the bush and creeper family has been curiously shaped in the form of various animals like elephants, bears and other animals that makes the children really happy. The exotic collection of ornamental and other decorative plants add the charm of the park. The vast expansion of the park with its lush greenery presents an awesome appearance to all the visitors.

Topiary Park is the most popular park among the children since it provides better playing facilities to them. In the evenings the park would be crowded with children accompanied by their parents and the entire surroundings would be filled with a pleasant feeling.

Timings: .....

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At a distance of 2 km from Sukhna Lake and 5.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected wildlife sanctuary located at the foothills of Shivalik range in Chandigarh. It is one of the popular wildlife sanctuaries in Chandigarh and also one of the best places to experience Chandigarh Tourism.

Spreading over an area of 2600 hectares, Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1998. It forms the part of Sukhna lake catchment area falling in Shivalik hills. Apart from the Sukhna Lake there are around 150 small and large water bodies in the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary that forms its catchment area. These water bodies also attract migratory birds and have a rich population of resident bird species.

The history of the Sukhna Lake and the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary is intertwined. The lake was created by the architect Le Corbusier in 1958 by diverting the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream that flows down from the Shivalik hills. Siltation was a big problem .....

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At a distance of 20 km from Chandigarh, Chhatbir Zoo, initially called as Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, is a zoological park situated on Chandigarh-Zirakpur-Patiala route close to Zirakpur, India. Chhatbir Zoo is one of the largest zoological parks in North India and also one of the must visit places in Chandigarh.

The zoo was inaugurated in 1977 by the then governor of Punjab Mahendra Mohan Chaudhary, and it was christened as Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park. Initially the zoo was populated by a small number of animals brought from Guwahati Zoo, Assam. Sprawling over an area of 505 acres, the Chhatbir Zoo is the largest zoological garden in North India now. It is located on the right bank of river Ghaggar with Shivalik hills in the background. The open countryside all around the zoo provides vast opportunity to the naturalists to take a close look at nature and natural resources in original form.

Chhatbir, once shooting reserve of the Maharaja of Patiala, is today .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Capitol Complex is located in Sector 1 of Chandigarh city in India. It is declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016 and is also one of the best heritage places in Chandigarh.

The Capitol Complex is Le Corbusier's most spectacular work, which makes Chandigarh unique from other places of India. He conceived the master plan of Chandigarh as analogous to human body. He proposed the state to have a head (the Capitol Complex, Sector-1), heart (the City Centre, Sector-17), lungs (the gardens and the leisure valley), mind (cultural and educational institutions), the circulatory system (road network), and the viscera (the Industrial Area). The concept of the city is based on four major functions of living, working, taking care of the body and spirit and circulation.

The Capitol Complex serves as the seat of the government of the states of Punjab and Haryana. It is spread over an area of around 100 acres and is a prime manifestation .....

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At a distance of 11 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Mata Mansa Devi Temple is a Hindu temple situated at Bilaspur village in Panchkula district of Haryana. It is a famous shrine in Panchkula and also one of the top places of pilgrimage in Chandigarh.

The temple is dedicated to goddess Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti. According to the Hindu mythology, the head of Devi Sati had fallen over here. It is one of the prominent Shakti temples of North India. Spread over an area of 100 acres, Mansa Devi Temple basically houses two temples. The temple that is located near the parking lot is said to be the main temple. It was established in the year 1815 AD by Maharaja Gopal Singh of Manimajra. At a distance of 200 m from the main temple is the Patiala temple which was got constructed by Karam Singh, the then Maharaja Patiala in 1840. This temple had the patronage of Manimajra Princely State.

The architect for the main temple is not in consonance with the Shivalik region where usually a .....

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At a distance of 2 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, International Dolls Museum is a museum located at Bal Bhavan in Sector 23, Chandigarh. This is one of the best dolls museums in India and also one of the major places of sightseeing in Chandigarh.

International Dolls Museum was established in the year 1985 by Chandigarh administration in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Chandigarh. The museum is functioning under the guidance of the Indian Council of Child Welfare, Chandigarh. It was set up for the purpose of entertaining the kids. It consists of 250 different kinds of dolls and puppets gathered from different countries like Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Russia and Korea etc.

The museum is divided into four sections - International dolls, Indian dolls, Activity corner, and History of dolls. The Indian dolls have been collected from all states of the country and dressed up in area specific attires that showcase the culture and lifestyle of the region. Also, .....

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At a distance of 5.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Japanese Garden is a latest park located in Sector 31 in union territory of Chandigarh. This is the first ever garden in Chandigarh with Japanese touch.

Japanese Garden has been developed at a cost of Rs. 6 crore by Indian Government. The garden is designed using Japanese architecture and each of the elements in the garden is given a unique Japanese touch. Spread over an area of 13 acres, the park consists of two phases. The Phase-1 of the park was inaugurated in 2014 and Phase-2 of the park was opened to public in 2016. Both the phases of the park are connected by an underground tunnel decorated by beautiful Japanese paintings on both sides.

This Japanese style park showcase the Japanese culture, art and various types of plants. The main attractions of this garden include a pagoda tower, meditation hut, Zen garden, statues of Buddha, a small pond with pretend crocodiles, a bridge over the pond and much more. There are 4 .....

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At a distance of 4.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Butterfly Park is a famous park situated in front of the main entrance of Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology in sector 26 of Chandigarh. It is one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh.

Butterfly Park is spread over an area of 7 acres, with beautiful landscaping. Special care has been taken to create a good habitat for butterflies. The park is well maintained and is home to around 35 species of butterflies, which add color to the place. A few prominent among these are Angled Castor, Ape fly, Blue Mormon, Common Grass Yellow, Common Blue Bottle, Chocolate pansy and Commander, etc. There are silence zones which are created for beautiful tiny creatures such that they do not get disturbed when they walk on trails of nature.

This park has full of vegetation with a variety of trees and shrubs. Flowers and butterflies need each other. To meet this requirement a variety of flowering plants such as Marigold, Petunia, .....

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At a distance of 4 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Garden of Fragrance is one of the prominent gardens located in Sector 36 of Chandigarh. The garden is one of the best picnic spots in Chandigarh and also one of the popular Chandigarh tourist places.

The Garden of Fragrance was built in 1998. The garden is known for its pleasant smelling assortment of flowering plants, and hence the name, 'Garden Of Fragrance'. Some of the fragrant plants that can be found here is Raat ki rani, damask rose, motia, champa, haar shingar, mehndi and varieties of jasmine. The park also serves as a fabulous picnic spot.

The garden has been properly landscaped with winding paths surrounded by plants and trees. Jogging and walking tracks have been laid out in the garden for the convenience of early risers, and those who wish to enjoy a morning or evening walk in the beautiful and refreshing surroundings. The garden has lots of open spaces, where visitors can engage in games and physical activities. .....

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At a distance of 4 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Sri Radha Madhav Temple, popularly known as ISKCON Temple, is situated in Sector 36B of Chandigarh. It is one of the famous temples of ISKCON and also one of the top places of pilgrimage in Chandigarh.
ISKCON Temple in Chandigarh was developed in 1978 by Srila Prabhupada. Dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radharani, Sri Radha Madhav Temple is a place of worship for the followers of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Spreads over 3 acres of prime land, this grand temple is known worldwide as part of the ISKCON movement and offers seminars and distributes booklets on the teachings of Lord Krishna.

Sri Radha Madhav Temple has a stunning architecture with large number of rooms for the temple priests, a garden and guest house. The temple has a large hall for the devotees to pray which is presumed to be the largest in any North Indian temple. Special dance performances held during the aartis.

The temple will be .....

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At a distance of 4 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Bougainvillea Park is located in Sector 3 of Chandigarh. It is one of the beautiful parks in Chandigarh.

Bougainvillea Park was set up in the year 1976, covering a total area of 20 acres. This garden exhibits 65 distinctive varieties of Bougainvillea shrubs planted over here. These bougainvilleas are shaped in to different forms like an arch, pavilions, a cluster of bowers, and arcades. These thorny shrubs are just right for bonsai type planting. A few flowering trees have also been planted to give colourful effect during the intervening period of bougainvillea flowering time.

The Garden has acquired a prime position in the tourism arena of Chandigarh within a short span of time. The annual Bougainvillea festival conducted in the park is very popular and it attracts large number of people. Apart from these paper beauties, the park also holds fitness tracks, which provides a good walk and morning exercise field amidst a colourful .....

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At a distance of 4 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Hibiscus Garden is a famous garden situated at Sector 36 adjoining Dakshin Marg in Chandigarh. It is one of the first gardens to have helped in transforming Chandigarh into the 'City of Gardens'.

Hibiscus Garden was opened in 1974 and covers an area of 8 acres. The garden features over 40 varieties of Hibiscus shrubs. Bamboo plants of various types are also planted here the special things about these plants are they change their color throughout the year. This is a perfect place for kids to enjoy the charm of picnic in the laps of nature with cleans surroundings.

Timings: 8 AM to 8 PM

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At a distance of 3.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Le Corbusier Centre is an old building located in Sector 19 of Chandigarh. It is one of the important heritage places to visit in Chandigarh.

Le Corbusier Centre has been set up by the Chandigarh Administration, at the old Sector 19 office of the city's architect, Le Corbusier. The Swiss-French architect used the office while conceptualizing the city almost six decades ago. The Centre displays and exhibits the life and works of Le Corbusier, so that tourists and future generations may be able to acquaint themselves with the rich cultural heritage of the city. The main aim of the Centre would be preservation, interpretation, research, display of the works and legacy of Le Corbusier.

This Museum has documents, plans and photos of Le Corbusier, along with enthralling letters enlightening the politics following the project, and also one from Jawaharlal Nehru to the Chief Minister of Punjab. As this center shows what contributions .....

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At a distance of 3.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Leisure Valley is the most beautiful and popular tourist attraction in Chandigarh. Also known as lungs of Chandigarh city, Leisure Valley is one of the most significant and renowned places to visit in Chandigarh.

Leisure Valley is a series of parks and gardens that starts from Rajendra Park in Sector 1 and ends at the southernmost edge of Chandigarh in Sector 53. The 8 km long linear stretch was designed by Le Corbusier with an aim to convert Chandigarh into the City of Gardens. It was Le Corbusier's endeavor to create such a place where people can enjoy a clean environment and breathe in fresh air.

There are total number of 12 parks and gardens in the Leisure Valley among which the most popular ones include the Rajendra Park, Rose Garden, Topiary Park, Terrace Garden, Fitness trails, Shanti Kunj, Botanical Gardens, Hibiscus Garden and Smriti Upvan. Each garden has its own charm and specialty that attracts tourists not .....

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At a distance of 7 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Garden of Silence is a meditative place located at the end of the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. It offers serene view of Shivalik Range and is one of the must visit places in Chandigarh.

The garden features a seated Buddha amidst concentric circular stairs. The garden is financed by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and developed by Chandigarh Administration. This is the latest tourist attraction in Chandigarh. Chandigarh is known as the city of gardens that are lush green and have some amazing features but this garden of silence is a bit different. This garden has been specially built for meditating purposes, as surrounding areas are very peaceful and full of greenery which makes it a perfect place for meditation.

Timings: 6 AM to 10 PM

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At a distance of 1.5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Shanti Kunj is a peaceful place located between the Rose Garden and the Cricket Stadium in Sector 16 of Chandigarh. It is one of the beautiful gardens to visit in Chandigarh.

Shanti Kunj garden in Chandigarh is situated in a very peaceful place that is free from any noise and pollution. Therefore, it has been rightly named as Shanti Kunj. Large amount of trees and plants in the garden provide soothing effect even in hot summer months. There are numerous herbs and medicinal plants in this garden which provide excellent healing effect. Shanti Kunj garden is divided into five segments by a natural stream flowing through the garden.

This park is flocked by joggers during the early morning and evening hours. Various training programs focusing on national integration, youth empowerment, spiritual awareness and more happen here occasionally. There is also an open air gym at Shanti Kunj which has been developed at a budget of Rs. .....

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At a distance of 10 km from Chandigarh Bus Station, Cactus Garden is a garden situated at Panchkula area of Chandigarh. This is the largest succulent botanical garden of Asia and also one of the top places to visit in Chandigarh.

Founded in 1987, the Cactus Garden is located at Sector 5 in the satellite city of Chandigarh and it covers an area of 7 acres. Officially known as National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre, the garden was established with the aim to preserve and conserve this endangered species. Genus Caralluma of Indian origin are seen here with some of the endangered species.

Designed by Dr. J.S. Sarkaria, it is Asia's largest outdoor landscaped cacti and succulents garden. The garden is devoted to rare and endangered species having more than 3, 500 species. Cactus Garden has a collection of Indian succulents, which is considered to be the largest in the world. The garden has 272 species of genus Mammillaria and 160 species have been .....

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At a distance of 5 km from Chandigarh Bus Station & 6 km from Sukhna Lake, Terraced Garden is another beautiful garden situated in Sector 33 of Chandigarh.

Covering an area of 10 acres, Terrace garden in Chandigarh was set up in the year 1979. The main attraction factor of terraced flower garden is its lighted musical fountain, where popular folk as well as film songs are played. Chandigarh terraced flower garden contains exquisite varieties of flowering plants. The atmosphere over here is very tranquil and people frequently visit this garden in the evenings to enjoy the cool breeze and to feast their eyes with the surrounding beauty.

Terraced Garden is a main venue for the annual Chrysanthemum Show, which is significant for the large-scale participation of the general public and the nature lovers. The show, which is organized in the month of December, carpets the city with multi colored blooms of chrysanthemums. Diverse competitions are organized on the eve of the show in .....

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