Chandigarh to Solan Distance: How Far It Is and How to Reach (2026)

Chandigarh to Solan at a glance

Chandigarh to Solan distance and drive time

The road distance is about 67 km, and the straight-line (aerial) distance is only ~36 km. The gap between the two tells you the real story of this drive: it is short in kilometres but climbs steadily from the Chandigarh plains into the Shivalik foothills, so your speed drops as you gain height. On the four-lane expressway stretch up to Parwanoo you will hold a good pace. From Dharampur onwards the road tightens into hill curves and the last few kilometres into Solan crawl.

Plan for 1 hour 15 minutes when the road is clear, and closer to 2 hours on a Friday evening, a Saturday morning or through the Parwanoo toll and the Dharampur market bottleneck. Google's live distance widget will show a similar band. The number moves with traffic, not with the route, because almost everyone takes the same NH5 line.

How to reach Solan from Chandigarh: all transport modes

Solan sits right on the Kalka-Shimla corridor, so you have four honest options. Here is how they compare on distance, time and 2026 cost.

The quickest door-to-door option is a car, your own or a taxi. The cheapest is the HRTC bus. The most memorable is the last leg of the Kalka-Shimla toy train. The rest of this guide breaks each one down.

Chandigarh to Solan by road: the NH5 route

From Chandigarh you head out through Zirakpur and pick up NH5, the Chandigarh-Shimla Expressway. The order of the drive is simple to remember: Zirakpur, then Parwanoo at the Himachal border, then Dharampur, Kumarhatti, and into Solan. Parwanoo is where you cross from Haryana into Himachal Pradesh and where the Timber Trail cable car is, if you want a leg-stretch. Kumarhatti is the junction where the road to Kasauli branches off, so the same highway doubles as the Kasauli approach.

The Chandigarh to Parwanoo stretch is a fast four-lane expressway. After that it is a well-surfaced two-lane hill road with steady gradients and bends, comfortable for any car in dry weather. There are dhabas and fuel stops through Parwanoo and Dharampur, so you do not need to carry supplies for such a short run.

Chandigarh to Solan by taxi or cab: 2026 fare bands

If you would rather not drive, a one-way taxi is the most popular choice, especially from Chandigarh airport or the railway station. App and aggregator sedans are quoted around Rs 1,300 to 1,700 one-way, with SUVs and local operators running higher. Per-kilometre rates sit near Rs 10 to 14. Round-trip and day-hire rates are roughly double the one-way, sometimes with a small discount, and usually include the driver's wait.

Fares climb on long weekends and dip midweek. For a short 67 km run, agree on the total before you start rather than a meter, and confirm whether tolls and the driver's return are included. If you are already booking a Himachal trip, a Solan pick-up from Chandigarh can usually be built into the package car, which works out cheaper than a standalone cab.

Chandigarh to Solan by bus: HRTC and Volvo from ISBT-43

Buses are frequent and the best value. Most services leave from ISBT Sector 43, Chandigarh, run by HRTC and private operators, and some also pick up at ISBT Sector 17. Ordinary and semi-deluxe buses cost roughly Rs 150 to 320 and take about 2 to 2.5 hours. Volvo and AC coaches on the Chandigarh-Shimla route pass through Solan and cost around Rs 190 to 450, with the earliest departures in the pre-dawn window. In Solan the buses set down at Solan ISBT and the Old Bus Stand, both central.

You do not need to pre-book an ordinary HRTC bus. For a Volvo seat during peak season or a long weekend, book ahead on the HRTC portal. The bus is the cheapest way to reach Solan from Chandigarh and, on a clear day, barely slower than a cab.

Chandigarh to Solan by train: the Kalka toy train

There is no direct broad-gauge train from Chandigarh to Solan. Solan is a station on the famous Kalka-Shimla narrow-gauge line, a UNESCO World Heritage railway. To do it by rail you take a short train or cab from Chandigarh to Kalka (about 30 minutes), then board the toy train from Kalka up to Solan. The narrow-gauge leg is slow, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours through 100-odd tunnels and pine forest, which is exactly why people choose it. End to end you should budget around 4 hours, so this is a scenic option rather than a fast one.

Fares are low, from about Rs 50 in ordinary class up to a few hundred rupees for the reserved and first-class toy-train coaches. If the journey is the point of your trip, ride the toy train up and take a bus or cab back down.

Chandigarh to Solan by air

There is no airport at Solan, and no flight makes sense over a 67 km road distance. Chandigarh itself is the region's main airport (IXC), so travellers flying in from Delhi, Mumbai or the south land at Chandigarh and then drive or bus the last 67 km to Solan. The only other airstrip nearby is Shimla's small Jubbarhatti airport, which has limited service and is about an hour beyond Solan. For almost everyone, the answer is: fly to Chandigarh, then take the road.

Best time to travel and road conditions

The drive is comfortable most of the year. October to June gives you clear, dry roads. Winter mornings in the plains around Zirakpur can be foggy, so a mid-morning start is safer in December and January. During the monsoon (July to September) the hill stretch past Parwanoo and Dharampur is prone to slow-downs and the occasional landslide clearance, so check conditions before you set off and keep the drive to daylight hours.

Whatever the season, an early start pays off. Leaving Chandigarh before 8 am clears the Parwanoo toll and the Dharampur market before they back up, and gets you to Solan with the morning still ahead of you.

Solan to Chandigarh distance (return trip)

The return leg is the same road and the same distance, about 67 km, and takes 1 hr 15 min to 2 hours down NH5 through Kumarhatti, Dharampur and Parwanoo. Buses back to Chandigarh run through the day from Solan ISBT, and taxis are easy to arrange from any hotel. If you rode the toy train up, the quickest way down is a bus or cab rather than waiting for the next narrow-gauge service.

Plan your Solan trip from Chandigarh

Solan is an easy add-on to a wider Himachal trip. From here Kasauli is a 40-minute hop, Chail and Shimla are within a couple of hours, and the Kalka-Shimla line runs right through town. For what to see and when to come, read our Solan travel guide and the best time to visit Solan. Coming from another city instead? See how to reach Solan from New Delhi, from Shimla or from Kalka.

If you want the drive, stay and sightseeing handled as one booking, our Himachal tour packages fold Solan into customisable Chandigarh-start itineraries, and we also run dedicated family and honeymoon trips through the region. Every itinerary is customisable, with verified local agents and 24/7 support on the ground.

Fares and timings on this page were cross-checked by our Himachal desk against live Uber Intercity, HRTC and Kalka-Shimla railway listings in September 2026.