Mussoorie

As you approach Mussoorie, you'll encounter billboards advertising hotels and fleets of cars carrying young, middle-class Indians. Both are tip-offs: Mussoorie is no longer a peaceful mountain getaway. Still, this former British hill station at about 6,500 feet is a good place to escape Delhi's brutal summer heat, and makes an interesting break from the plains if you're on a short trip to India. The main part of town looks down on the plains, but the northern side of its hill has wonderful views of the Himalayas. Founded in 1823 by a British Army captain, Mussoorie has a few remnants of the Raj—churches, an old British library, the "Gun Hill," from which the noon cannon was fired, and a dilapidated grand hotel—but they're less extensive than those in Shimla or Nainital. The best way to experience the town, besides strutting your stuff on the main thoroughfare, is to take a long walk up the hill to its quieter sections.

On the other side of the Library, a road leads up to the majestic abode of the maharaja of Kapurthala's. You won't be allowed in, but you can have a look from the gates.

There isn't much to shop for in Mussoorie; wooden crafts and simplistic, gaudy Garhwali tapestries rule the bazaar. But several Mall emporiums sell artifacts from other states, especially Kashmir and, for some reason, Karnataka.

You only need two nights and one full day here, unless you want to spend more time walking in the wilderness. The most pleasant way to arrive is to take the five-and-a-half-hour Shatabdi Express train (departing Delhi 7:30 AM) to Dehra Dun, then take a 50-minute taxi ride (34 km ) from the station to Mussoorie. Alternately, the road trip from Delhi to Mussoorie via Dehra Dun takes seven hours; leave early in the morning to reach Mussoorie by late afternoon. Make arrangements through a Delhi travel agency.