Things to do in Mussoorie
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Mussoorie
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Among the best months: rhododendrons, mild days and clearer skies before pre monsoon haze.
Best weather but worst crowds, traffic and queues, peaking on weekends.
Monsoon: mist, leeches, dangerous waterfalls and landslide risk. Worst months, avoid if you can.
Best window overall: clearest Himalayan views, crisp days and cold nights after the rains.
Winterline sunsets, the December carnival and the best snow chances, with icy lanes.
What's on
- Mussoorie Winterline Carnival 24-29 December
Garhwali folk performance, music, star gazing and a Garhwali food festival on Mall Road, Landour and George Everest House.
- Mussoorie Summer Festival May-June, dates vary by year
Held in some years in the summer window and announced locally, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.
Best things to do in Mussoorie
Landour
A quiet cantonment above Mussoorie, walked as a forest loop past churches, Char Dukan and Sisters Bazaar.
Lal Tibba Scenic Point
Mussoorie's highest point, with snow peak views at sunrise and the winterline at sunset in clear winter air.
Camel's Back Road
A quiet 3 km ridge walk between the Library and Kulri, best at dawn or in the last hour of light.
Gun Hill Point
Mussoorie's second highest point by ropeway, tatty on top but with a full valley and snow peak view.
Kempty Falls
A famous 40 foot waterfall that is lovely early on a weekday and punishing at peak season midday.
Shedup Choephelling Temple
The first Tibetan temple built in India, a small working temple where the Dalai Lama first took refuge.
Cambridge Book Depot
A stacked old bookshop on Mall Road, long associated with Ruskin Bond and the literary soul of the hills.
Mall Road
Mussoorie's 2 km ridge promenade from the Library to Picture Palace, best walked in the evening.
Where to stay in Mussoorie
Landour
quiet, walkers, readers and couples
Cantonment forest and the Chukkar loop at your door, with few rooms and early nights.
Mall Road and Kulri
first timers and families who want the town at the door
Cafes, restaurants and the promenade within a short walk, at the cost of noise and crowds.
Barlowganj and the Kempty Road valley side
resort stays, celebrations and a car based trip
Big properties with views, spas and pools on their own hillsides, a drive from the town sights.
Think twice about
- Mall Road chowk junctions: Library Chowk, Gandhi Chowk and Picture Palace
Peak weekend gridlock, horns and crowds at the door. Stay set back or a few minutes walk away, not on a junction.
- Kempty Falls road strip
A congested single attraction strip with no evening town or walkable dining. Visit early, sleep in Mussoorie or Barlowganj.
- Lower Dehradun to Mussoorie road bends
Isolating in the monsoon when a slide can close the highway. Base in town or Landour and arrive in daylight.
Best restaurants in Mussoorie
Emily's
Rokeby Manor's fireplace dining room for Indian and Continental cooking and a famed sticky toffee pudding.
Teppan
The JW Marriott's Asian restaurant, the resort splurge reviewers describe dish by dish.
Cafe Ivy
A cottage cafe in Devdar Woods for wood fired pizza, pasta and hot chocolate over a postcard view.
Little Llama Cafe
Mussoorie town's best reviewed modern cafe, for continental plates, momos, pork rice and hot chocolate.
Kalsang Restaurant
The Mall Road institution for Tibetan and Chinese food, cramped and queued because the momos deliver.
Urban Turban
The north Indian table on Mall Road, for curries, kebabs and breads at a moderate price.
Cafe By The Way
A bookish cafe in an old British building on Mall Road, made for long sittings and hot chocolate.
Landour Bakehouse
A vintage style Landour bakery for croissants, scones and named cakes, best in the first hour after opening.
Outdoor things to do in Mussoorie
Jabarkhet Nature Reserve
A community nature reserve where a guided walk reads wildlife signs and camera trap images in deep forest.
Benog Wildlife Sanctuary
Oak and pine sanctuary forest climbed on the Benog Tibba trek to a hill temple and wide panorama.
George Everest's House
Ruined surveyor's house and meadow, with a short climb to a peak for Mussoorie's best sunset sweep.
Cloud's End
A forest estate where Mussoorie ends, reached by a rough track for quiet oak and deodar trails.
Bhadraj Temple
The full day summit trek west of town, climbing through forest to a temple above the Yamuna valley.
Mussoorie Adventure Park
The commercial thrill hub for paragliding, bungee and zipline, with prices and terms to confirm in writing.
Eco Park
Twin deodar forest parks in quieter Dhanaulti, the main stop on the eastern day trip from Mussoorie.
Surkanda Devi Temple
A summit Shaktipeeth temple reached by a steep trek or ropeway, with a full Garhwal panorama on clear days.
Best hotels in Mussoorie
Rokeby Manor
A restored 1840s manor in Landour, all fireplaces and gardens, with the Chukkar loop at its gate.
Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, The Savoy, Mussoorie
Mussoorie's 1902 grand hotel at the Library end, a Gothic estate with lawns, spa and full service.
JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa
A large five star valley resort with four restaurants, a spa, an indoor pool and a Pahadi tea ritual.
Jaypee Residency Manor
A hilltop Barlowganj resort with a 360 degree terrace view, spa and indoor pool, at family scale.
Fortune Resort Grace, Mussoorie
The reliable ITC Fortune hotel near the Library end, for walking to dinner from a proper hotel.
La Villa Bethany
An English style heritage cottage homestay in Landour, with home cooking and deodar forest views.
Hotel Sun N Snow Mussoorie
A three star near Mall Road that punches above its tier, with valley views and a praised breakfast.
Doma's Inn
A small Tibetan run inn near Char Dukan, the best value way to sleep in quiet Landour itself.
Is Mussoorie expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹6,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₹18,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Jabarkhet Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- Mussoorie Adventure Park: a few days ahead
- Tehri Lake: a few days ahead
- Emily's: a few days ahead
- Teppan: a few days ahead
- Rokeby Manor: weeks ahead
- Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, The Savoy, Mussoorie: weeks ahead
- JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa: weeks ahead
- Book Landour rooms first, as Rokeby Manor, La Villa Bethany and Doma's Inn sell out earliest.
- Book Jabarkhet Nature Reserve at least a day ahead and Emily's for dinner in season.
- Book any hotel early for May to June, long weekends and the late December carnival window.
Is Mussoorie safe?
- Obey monsoon road closures and never cross a fresh landslide on the Dehradun or Dhanaulti roads.
- Do not enter waterfall pools in high flow or after heavy rain, and obey barriers.
- Carry no visible food around monkeys at Char Dukan, Landour and Mall Road stalls. Emergency number 112.
Mussoorie travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The packaged ropeway, Gun Hill and midday Kempty day is the overrated product. Time both sights early.
- Agree every Kempty and George Everest add on charge before using it, and pay no unofficial road tolls.
- Itemise adventure activity prices, taxes and video charges in writing or walk away.
Getting around Mussoorie: public transport and more
- Walk Mall Road and Camel's Back Road inside town, and walk or take a short cab up to Landour.
- Hire taxis by the day for the Dhanaulti and Surkanda circuit, agreeing price, stops and waiting time first.
- Fly or take a train to Dehradun, then allow an hour plus uphill, or two to three hours on a peak weekend.
Who Mussoorie suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Mussoorie your trip
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