Best places to visit Chandigarh in 2023

We guys are offering our taxi service in Chandigarh so that you can visit some interesting places in Chandigarh & more. But, this post is strictly about the Top 10 places to visit in Chandigarh, plus 6 more, which as per our guests are worth visiting. Now, believe me, exploring all these 16 sites in a day is not possible, and thus this list is prepared after keeping in mind that not all guest loves to visit a mall in sector 17, & neither all loves to visit a museum.

So you can have a look at these 10+6 remarkable places of interest in Chandigarh and decide, that which attraction you want to visit, with or without us…

There are more than 6 famous gardens in Chandigarh, and by far the most popular one is Rock garden, and there is a hidden fact about it.

As per locals, Rock Garden also known as Nek Chand’s Saini Rock Garden was the founder of this place and started this garden back in 1957 in his spare time. For more than 18 years, Nek Chand hid this place from the government, and later in 1976, it was founded by the local authorities.

Along with Rock Garden, you can also spend some time at the Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, named after former President Zakir Hussain & built-in 1967.

The specialty of this garden is that its the largest garden in the whole of Asia, spread across 30 acres of green area, 50,000 rose bushes of around 1600 different species, and along with roses, there are other plants, herbs like Harar, Behera, Bel, Camphor and Yellow Gulmohar.

There is also an annual Rose Festival, that’s celebrated in the month of February & March, which is now a part of Chandigarh culture & you can attend the festival & enjoy drinks, and local food, and participate in local contests too. The location and entry ticket details are shared below.

Just next to Rock Garden, and lies a beautiful & the only Lake in Chandigarh with a clear view of mountains, and was built by Le Corbusier (architect of Chandigarh city) with Chief Engineer P L Verma in 1958 and this is a man-made lake.

Sukhna Lake, one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh with friends, is rated as Top 3 places to visit in Chandigarh, and in the pre-post winter time, when the weather is not too hot or cold, this lake is home to many migratory birds like cranes, Siberians ducks, and you will always see fish here.

You will also find lots of activities like boating, yachting, and water skiing over here, and even for locals, this is the best picnic spot in the whole of Chandigarh.

Festivals are also celebrated on this lake, the most favorite festival is the Mango Festival, in which different varieties of mangoes are displayed.

Also check out our 1-2 days Chandigarh city tour, starting at Rs 2,000 with a private car & driver.

Elante Mall also known as Nexus Mall is a famous shopping destination in Chandigarh and is also the 7th largest shopping mall in the whole of North India and the 10th in India, spread over an area of 20 acres area.

This mall has 3 basement levels, one ground level & 3 upper levels, and you can get different types of Indian & International brands over here. Elante Mall has an 8- screen Multiplex of PVR cinemas, and on its top floor, you will find restaurants, food points, as well as a fun city for children’s entertainment here.

After the Elante Mall, the next favorite shopping destination is Sector 17 Market, which is quite crowded with tourists, especially those who are not interested in visiting Malls, and is also one of the best places to see in Chandigarh for shoppers.

The thing I love about Sector 17 Chandigarh, is that this market is very clean, have some amazing posters of India’s Freedom Struggle which present our history, and if you are a book lover, then there are also books stores for you, here you will find books of all types and languages.

The biggest advantage is that here you can roam the streets without any traffic and at night, the streets of the market are very safe and have their own char.

And that’s why we have included Sector 17 Market of Chandigarh in the Top 5 position of our total 16 places to visit in Chandigarh, and do check or Chandigarh Sightseeing Package on how you can hire a car for a day in Chandigarh at the best price.

Chhatbir Zoo also known as Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, is in Zirakpur Chandigarh, and is in the area of very big Grasslands.

There are more than 1200 animals in this zoo & it’s home to a lot of flora and fauna. You will get to see Lakes, Concrete Jungle, and Refreshing Nature in this Zoological Park.,the local management here also educates young children about animals and plants & their species.

The best thing about this zoo is that the people who come here also get to see the Royal Bengal Tigers, which are becoming more and more frequent. This Zoological Park is a perfect place to come for a picnic with your family, and the location & related info is shared below.

Also check out our Chandigarh to Manali taxi package, available as Rs 4000 for one side drop to Manali or Rs 2,500 per day for a 4+ day trip to Manali from Chandigarh.

Pinjore garden, also known as Yadavindra Garden is one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh & Panchkula, and it’s a historical site. Written history suggests that this garden was built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and later reconstructed by Maharaja Yadavindra. And as per some locals, Pandavas had rested here during their exile.

Pinjore Garden is built in Mughal style & this garden has 7 terraces, the main gate opens on the first terrace upper, where there is a palace made in Rajasthani style, Sheesh Mahal, also called Palace of Glass.

There is an annual mango festival organized between April and June during Baisakhi, and I must suggest that if you are planning a local Chandigarh sightseeing tour for 2 days, then do visit this beautiful Garden.

At the International Doll Museum Chandigarh, you will get to see dolls and puppets, & that too of more than 25 different countries. The museum was built in 1985 and has dolls from countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Korea, and Spain.

The museum is managed by the Indian Council of Child Welfare & there are also characters from Indian Mythology such as Ramayana. The most attractive place of this Museum is the Indian section and the toy train here is simply stunning.

Nada Sahib Gurdwara in Panchkula, Haryana & is situated near the Ghaggar-Hakra river ^ Shivalik Hills of Panchkula. The Gurudwara has also been mentioned in Indian history, as here the Battle of Bhangani was fought, as this was the first battle of the tenth Guru of the Sikh (Guru Gobind Singh) at the age of 19.

This is the place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji stayed in 1688 after the battle of Bhangani for his journey from Patwa Sahib to Anandpur Sahib. The full moon of every month is celebrated here like a festival and on this day there are a lot of crowds here.

Plan a trip to Shimla which is just 3 hour drive from Chandigarh, with our Chandigarh to Shimla taxi package, available at Rs 2,500 for one side taxi fare & Rs 2,500 per day for a 2+ day trip.

Cactus Garden is located in Panchkula & it is one of the largest botanical gardens in Asia. This garden also known as National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre, was founded in 1987.

The Genus Carluma, which is one of the endangered species of India, can be seen here & the purpose of making this garden was so that these species could be saved and collected.

There are more than 3,500 endangered and rare species in this garden & if you want to buy plants from here then you can buy there is also a cactus show every year in the month of March.

The Butterfly Park, one of the best places to visit in Chandigarh for couples is 4.5 km away from Chandigarh Bus Station & is opposite the College of Engineering and Technology in Sector 26

It is one of the best places in Chandigarh, spread over 7 acres &  is home to 35 species of butterfly. There is also a silence zone here which is made for a small creature so that it does not disturb them while walking on the trail of nature.

In this park, you will get to see different types of trees and vegetation. Flowers & Butterflies need each other to fulfill this need, here flowers like Marigolds, Petunia, Lantana, Gazania, Salvia, Dahlia and they have other species also.

The best time to come here is from March to October, at this time you will get to see very beautiful views and colorful butterflies here. You will get to see this throughout the year, except for the winter season because it goes into hibernation at this time.

Fateh Burj is one of the tallest towers in India which is in Mohali, Chandigarh & was built in 2011 and is in Baba Banda Bahadur War Memorial.

You will get to see this 328 feet tall tower as soon as you visit the War Memorial. It has historical importance from the battle of Chhapar Chiri between Baba Banda Bahadur and Mughal Emperor Wazir Khan. There is also a sign of Sikh culture on the top of this tower & there is also the statue of Baba Banda Bahadur and other warriors.

Apart from this, there are halls in which there is a museum and information has been given about the history here. Whatever is in this war memorial will represent the history here.

Japanese Garden is 13 acres spread park in Sector 31 Chandigarh & was built by the Indian government in 2014. It was inaugurated by Shivraj Patil on November 7.

This is Chandigarh’s first Japanese Garden & here you will find Waterfalls, Pagoda towers, a Meditation center, a Buddha idol, and Golden bamboo.

This Japanese Garden is divided into two parts. The first part was opened on 7 November 2014 and the second part was opened to the public on 4 June 2016. Both these parts are connected by a tunnel that is decorated with very beautiful Japanese paintings.

This garden is made with Japanese architecture and there is a Japanese touch in every place of this garden.

Mohali Cricket Stadium also known as Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, is one of the largest stadiums in India. This stadium was established in 1993 & has a world-class facility. There is also a huge ground for cricket practice and there is also a tournament ground.

Here more than 45,000 cricket lovers can watch cricket together & it is considered to be the best training and practice place for state cricket players. The first match here was the One Day International match between India and South Africa on 22 November 1993.

Today this stadium is the home of the IPL team Kings XI Punjab which is outside Chandigarh. Travelers coming to Chandigarh definitely like to come here.

Fun City Waterpark in Panchkula is an amusement park, created in 1995 & it is the first amusement park near Chandigarh. After a few years, a waterpark was also built in it.

Fun City is a very good tourist attraction as here there are 20 rides that people of all age groups can enjoy. Wonder Water which is the water rides section has 6 landing pools plus an activity pool and a sea wave pool & 17 different types of water rides.

Kids below 3 feet of height and people above 65 years get free entry throughout the year.

The Government Museum and Art Gallery of Chandigarh were inaugurated on 6th May 1968 by Dr. M.S. Randhawa and the Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh.

After the partition, the collections were also divided. On 10 April 1948, Sixty Percent of Objects remained in Pakistan and Forty Percent of Collections came under India’s share.

Most of the collections in this museum are from North India such as Gandharan Sculptures, Sculptures of Ancient Times, and Mediaeval India. Here you will get to see Pahari and Rajasthani Miniature Paintings.

This museum has the world’s largest collection of Gandharan sculptures. The existence of this museum came to the fore after the partition because before this the idols and sculptures were in Lahore, which was earlier the capital of Punjab.