Where to Stay: Chandigarh is a spread city. You cannot find all the attractions in a corner. So we were confused about the place to stay. After much research we booked Hotel Coral Star. The hotel is close to Elante Mall (within 2 kms). The room was very nice. Location of the hotel is good. We had room service few times (food especially for our son). Food and drinking water are costlier than outside. So we bought from outside too. There is a place for kids’ activities. Chandigarh has good transportation system. You can commute by public transportation system like bus or hire your own cab using Ola or Uber or rent a bike. We used mostly Ola or Uber (Uber has better service here).
Places to visit in two days
We arrived in Chandigarh from Amritsar by Ola cab. It took nearly 4 hours as we stopped at few places to buy food. It was late winter and orange fruits were for sale on roadside. We bought oranges at very cheap price. We reached Chandigarh in the evening. After refreshing ourselves we went to Elante Mall. Then next day we booked a cab to Sukhna Lake. Later went to Rock Garden. Next day we went to visit few gardens of Chandigarh. Chandigarh is a well-planned city. You can find well-carried traditions alongwith modern technologies which I liked very much.
- Elante Mall
Elante Mall looks gorgeous at night with beautiful lights. People stand in front of I LOVE CHANDIGARH to get a picture. At first you go through security checking. It is the largest shopping mall in Chandigarh. There’s something for everyone – home decoration items (second floor), make up and accessories, bags, clothing, food (third floor), kids’ items (ToyRus has good collection). Archies’ store reminded me of my college days when I used to buy greetings cards for various occasions. Two years back I went to Phoenix Shopping Mall in Chennai. It is a very big shopping mall compared to Elante. But Elante has it’s own charm.
2. Sukhna Lake
Colorful swan boats are there to ride in Sukhna Lake. During winter migratory birds come to Sukhna Lake. Nameplates of most of the trees are there like Chukrasia, Been Teak alongwith their scientific name. People sit on the sitting places with their friends and families or have a solitary tour of the lake area. There are few beautiful artistic pieces/monuments/stone sculptures. Cameramen are there to capture your moment in Sukhna Lake. Be careful while visiting Sukhna Lake. It is better to read the warning notices like not feeding migratory birds and fish, not throwing litters, bird flu etc. The gardens in Sukhna Lake are well kept. There are jogging track and Cycling track. You can rent bicycle from SmartBike (Tariff for the first 30 minutes Rs.10, for every additional 30 minutes Rs.10). After coming out from the Lake you can have a camel ride!
3. Rock Garden
Rock Garden was single handedly created by Nek Chand using collected stones and recycled materials. It was kept secret for many years. Later it was discovered by Government officials and recognized the artistic creation of Nek Chand. Aquariums and Laughing Mirrors are on the way to Doll Museum. There are places for buying food and souvenirs. You can find a place where details of Nek Chand’s works are given and you can learn more about him.
Read more about Rock Garden of Chandigarh
4. Rose Garden
Chandigarh Rose Garden is named after India’s former president Dr. Zakir Hussain. The garden was established in 1967 under the guidance of Chandigarh’s first Chief Commissioner Late Dr. M.S. Randhawa. This is the largest rose garden in Asia. It is spread over an area of 40.25 acres and has more than 32500 plants of 825 varieties of roses. In front of Rose Garden you can drink sugarcane juice. They are good but I insist on not giving the same to kids. They mix some plants of which roots are not clean, so ask not to mix those plants in your juice. Many people walk there and it improves health too. I walked round the periphery and felt very refreshed. Please visit the garden when it is flowering time. Entry to the garden is free, time 6am to 8pm. Though it is said February to March is the best time to visit, during our visit (early February) we saw less flowers, probably we were little bit early. There are other types of trees too in the garden along the walking path. This place is home to many birds and small animals. For children there is play area.
5. Shanti Kunj
Shanti Kunj is located on opposite side of Rose Garden. This fifty years old garden was inaugurated by T.N. Chaturvedi, Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh. This garden is very beautiful and has diversified plants. I did not see many people like Rose Garden but I highly recommend to visit this garden. I felt it very peaceful and the garden is very well managed.
6. Garden of Fragrance
After visiting Shanti Kunj we went to Hibiscus Garden but the plants were not in flowering stage so we went to Garden of Fragrance. It was evening time. People were jogging, walking or exercising in fitness area. The garden has many fragrant plants and it is a well-maintained leisure area. Entry is free. The garden is very beautiful and located near ISKCON. Due to time shortage we did not visit ISKCON.
There are many other gardens in Chandigarh. But you need to have 2-3 days more to visit all the gardens. Our cab driver told that for every one or two sectors there is a garden like Hibiscus Garden, Bougainvillea Garden, Dahlia Garden, Terraced Garden etc. Visit these gardens when it is flowering time to see the beauty of each garden. I wished to visit Japanese Garden very much but we had time constrain. At first I had a presumption that attractions of Chandigarh can be visited within 2 days but after seeing the city in 2 days I realized I can easily spend a week in the city without feeling bored at all.
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