Chandigarh is one of the foremost cities when it comes to architecture and planning. It serves as a capital of both Haryana and Punjab. The city is well connected with all major Indian cities by a network of roads and highways. National Highways 21 and 22 pass through the city, connecting it to neighbouring states. The Union Territory is governed by the Central Government and has won laurels for its high development. Chandigarh has a literacy rate of 81.9%, and very low crime rate. The city is also an emerging hub for IT and BPO sector.

Chandigarh gets its name from the ancient temple of Goddess Chandi located amongst the hills of Shivalik ranges. The city owes its development to renowned excellent architects like Mon Le Corbusier, Albert Mayer and Matthew Nowicki. It was the first planned city of the Indian subcontinent and is world renowned for its exceptional urban appeal and unique architecture. Its magnificent planning, bundled with the lush gardens, historical buildings and contemporary atmosphere are ample proof for it being rightly known as “The City Beautiful”. Chandigarh is divided into sectors of equal area, each with its green strip where vehicular traffic is completely prohibited. The roads are wide and there are numerous parking spaces all over the city to avoid traffic hassles. Chandigarh boasts of the highest number of vehicles per capita in the country.

The City Centre in Sector 17 is a paradise for the pedestrians. Vehicles are banned from this area. The Inter-State Bus Terminus of Chandigarh, located in Sector 17- one of the most popular areas of the city entails all transport to other parts of India.

• Fare: Point to Point Rs 10/ One Trip Rs 25/ Half a Day Rs 50/ Full Day Rs 75/
• For Booking contact: Citco Tours & Travel Wing, ISBT, Sector 17, Tel: 2703839.

One can find buses for all popular routes at the ISBT complex. For exploring all the attractions of this unparalleled city, one can board the special double-decker bus run by Chandigarh Tourism Corporation, which takes the passengers for a tour to all the major attractions of Chandigarh. This includes Rock Garden, Punjab University, Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, the Secretariat, Sukhna Lake and much more. The bus starts its tour from the Hotel Shivalik View located near ISBT terminal. It provides added flexibility to the tourists to get off and board the bus, as many times they want in a day after purchasing the ticket for enjoying the sights as per their schedule.

• V-1 Fast roads connecting Chandigarh to other towns
• V-2 Arterial roads
• V-3 Fast vehicular sector dividing roads
• V-4 Meandering shopping streets
• V-5 Sector circulation roads
• V-6 Access roads to houses
• V-7 Foot paths and cycle tracks

Areas of Special Architectural Interest

Mon Le Corbusier played a prime role in planning of the city of Chandigarh. He laid out the edict of Chandigarh to explain to the citizens about planning of the city and to avoid the well thought planning to go to dumps due to individuals’ whims and fancies. One of the basic ideas of the edict is the areas of special architectural interest in Chandigarh. In these areas, absolute zoning control and architectural control is exercised.

The roads of the city fall into seven categories, from V 1 to V 7. There shall be no alteration in the character, height or architecture of buildings established along V 2 central. In addition, areas have been especially reserved for cultural establishments along the dual carriageway of V 2, and residential buildings are not permitted in this region. The area to North of Capitol Complex is exclusively reserved and no buildings can be built here. Special permission is required to visit the Capitol Complex.

Chandigarh Highways

The National Highway 22 is the lifeline of Chandigarh, connecting it to all major towns of North India. This 459 km long highway starts in Ambala and passes through Chandigarh to finally terminate in Himachal Pradesh near the Indo-China border. The 40 km long, Ambala Chandigarh Expressway is known for its up to date 4 lane roads with plenty of bridges and three flyovers, which make driving through this Expressway a sheer pleasure. 

NH 22 meets NH 64 at Zirakpur, runs to Pinjore via Panchkula, and goes all the way to Parwanoo. The construction of Expressway for bypassing Kalka and Pinjore has solved the problem of frequent traffic jams in this area. Upon entering Himachal Pradesh at Kalka, the highway has many hairpin turns owing to the rough hilly terrain. It moves further towards northeast to pass through Solan and finally Shimla where it conjoins NH 88.  There are several small stretches of highway along the entire length of Shimla-Kalka railways. The roads between Chandigarh-Solan-Shimla-Kalpa are quite dangerous due to their deterioration and rough terrain. In spite of the dangerous driving conditions, these roads are crucial for the people of the area.

Chandigarh provides excellent transport link to various hill stations and pilgrimage centres in the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi. Chandigarh roads form the “Gateway to Himachal”. Deluxe, semi-deluxe, air conditioned and ordinary buses ply from ISBT to popular destinations like Kasauli, Shimla, Kullu, Manali and many more. Chail, Kandaghat and Fagu are amongst the popular destinations lying on NH 22 that can be reached conveniently with a few hours of bus journey from Chandigarh.