Mussoorie Travel Guide
The Queen of the Hills above Dehradun — Mall Road, Kempty Falls and Landour's quiet ridge.
- Altitude
- 2,005 m
- Best season
- Year round
- From Dehradun
- ~35 km
- Category
- Hill Station
Why visit Mussoorie
- The "Queen of the Hills" — the most accessible Himalayan hill station from Delhi (290 km, 6 hrs)
- Kempty Falls, Landour ridge, Camel's Back Road and Gun Hill form a compact sightseeing circuit
- Winter snowfall (typically January–February) is one of the most reliable near Delhi
- Landour — the quiet cantonment ridge — has writers' cottages, colonial bakeries and deodar walks
- Excellent base for Dhanaulti, Surkanda Devi and the Yamuna-side hill districts beyond
Mussoorie is the classic first hill station out of Dehradun — Mall Road, Gun Hill, Camel's Back Road and Kempty Falls, with winter snow in most years.
Landour, the cantonment ridge above the bazaar, is the quieter half: deodar lanes, colonial-era bakeries and long Himalayan views.
Explore around
Places near Mussoorie
Wide tiered waterfall; crowded but spectacular in monsoon season
The cantonment ridge above the bazaar; quieter, cooler, with better walks
Second-highest point in Mussoorie; 360° views; ropeway from Mall Road
Dhanaulti25 kmEco-park camping and Surkanda Devi temple; cooler and quieter than Mussoorie
The estate of the Surveyor General after whom Everest is named; pleasant walk from Mall Road
What to do
Activities at Mussoorie
Mall Road walk
The 2.5 km promenade from Kulri to Library Point is Mussoorie's social centre — shops, cafes, evening crowds. Vehicles are restricted during peak hours; best walked at dusk.
Landour heritage walk
Chaar Dukan (four tea stalls serving homemade jams and rusks since the 1940s), the 1836 Anglican church, and the Landour Language School are landmarks on a 4 km walking loop.
Camel's Back Road
A 3 km circuit road at the edge of the ridge shaped like a camel's back profile — famous for sunrise and sunset views of the Doon valley. Horses available for hire.
Kempty Falls visit
15 km from Mall Road toward Yamunotri direction. The wide, multi-tiered fall fills a natural pool; changes dramatically with monsoon versus winter flow. Crowded on weekends.
Before you go
Mussoorie travel tips
- Mussoorie is extremely crowded in May–June (school break) and New Year week — book 3+ months ahead and expect jammed Mall Road
- Landour is a separate administrative area beyond the main bazaar — cooler, quieter and has some of the best cafes and guesthouses
- Parking is scarce; use the barrier parking lots at Library Chowk or Picture Palace and walk — private vehicles are often held at the barriers in peak season
- The road from Dehradun to Mussoorie via Library Road is better than the Mussoorie bypass road for first-time drivers
Getting there
How to reach Mussoorie
Jolly Grant Airport (60 km from Mussoorie). Taxi to Mussoorie: 1.5–2 hrs.
Dehradun railway station (35 km). Connected to Delhi by Shatabdi and multiple overnight trains. Taxi from Dehradun to Mussoorie: 1–1.5 hrs.
Delhi → Meerut → Muzaffarnagar → Roorkee → Dehradun → Mussoorie (290 km, 6 hrs). Buses from ISBT Delhi to Mussoorie directly (8 hrs). Volvo AC service available.
Where to stay in Mussoorie
- Budget: Hotel Broadway, Valley View Hotel (near Picture Palace)
- Mid-range: The Whispering Windows, Fortune Resort Grace
- Heritage: Rokeby Manor (British-era bungalow property), Savoy Hotel (1902, one of India's oldest hill hotels)
- Landour options: Writer's Hill, Wolfsburn Castle — good for longer stays
Food & dining
- Chaar Dukan (Landour): the four-stall complex serves real filter coffee, homemade jams on rusk, and hot Maggi — an institution
- Kalsang Restaurant (Mall Road): Tibetan and Chinese, perennially popular
- Lovely Omelette Centre: a roadside stall institution for 30+ years, near Picture Palace
- Tip Top Tea Shop (Landour): the sunset deck with a view of the Doon valley
Background
History of Mussoorie
Mussoorie was established in 1823 by Captain F. Young and Superintendent Shore who went shooting on the ridge and found it ideal for a hill station. The name comes from the mansoor shrub (Coriaria nepalensis) that covered the hillside — corrupted through colonial pronunciation to "Mussoorie".
It grew rapidly as the summer capital for the Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Provinces, with the iconic Savoy Hotel (1902) and Charleville Hotel marking its Edwardian peak. The Landour cantonment, established even earlier for the military, preserved a quieter residential character that survives to this day.
Ruskin Bond, India's most beloved English-language nature writer, has lived in Landour since 1963. His small house at the top of Landour's bazaar hill is a pilgrimage point for readers. His books — The Room on the Roof, Rusty series, The Night Train at Deoli — are deeply rooted in Mussoorie and the Doon valley landscape.
Plan your trip
Suggested Mussoorie itinerary
- Day 1Arrive Mussoorie by afternoon. Evening Mall Road walk. Sunset from Gun Hill (ropeway).
- Day 2Morning Camel's Back Road. Landour heritage walk (Chaar Dukan, church, colonial-era cottages). Afternoon Kempty Falls (15 km).
- Day 3Drive to Dhanaulti (25 km). Eco-park morning. Return. Depart via Dehradun.
Common questions
Mussoorie FAQ
- Is Mussoorie safe for solo female travellers?
- Yes — it is a well-policed, well-lit hill town with a high tourist footfall. Landour and the Mall Road area are very safe; exercise normal urban precautions on less-busy lanes at night.
- Does Mussoorie get snow?
- Light snowfall happens most years in January–February, occasionally in December. Heavy snowfall (20+ cm) that shuts roads happens every few years. Landour (higher altitude) gets more snow than Mall Road.
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