Hello, welcome to the forum!
Overview
The distance from Shimla to Manali is about 248 kilometres. Driving this distance for those who have private vehicles or even a taxi, can take around 7 to 9 hours. If you're taking a form of public transportation like a bus, the journey duration can be longer, around 9 to 10 hours at the most. Usually, this is because buses have many stopovers along the way and are also prone to encountering delays due to changing schedules or weather conditions. If you intend to take a bus from Shimla to Manali, you have two options, either government-operated ones or privately-operated ones. The options for both are very limited though so you must plan accordingly.
Transportation Options from Shimla to Manali
1. By Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) Buses - The Himachal Road Transport Corporation or HRTC operates some buses running between Shimla and Manali. These buses depart from the Shimla ISBT in Tutikandi which is about six kilometres away from Shimla proper. It is located close to Hotel CK International. HRTC has several types of buses that you can choose from and we would highlight them below. You can book any of these buses from the official
website of the HRTC.
HRTC Buses Timings from Shimla to Manali
| Route ID | Type of Bus | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Fare |
| Route No. 281 | Him Mani (Deluxe) | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM | Rs. 397 |
| Route No. 283 | Him Gaurav (Tata AC) | 9:30 AM | 6:30 PM | Rs. 544 |
| Route No. 500 | Ordinary | 10:35 AM | 7:35 PM | Rs. 377 |
| Route No. 34 | Luxury AC Mini Bus | 10:40 AM | 7:40 PM | Rs. 494 |
| Route No. 290 | Ordinary | 7:00 PM | 4:00 AM | Rs. 390 |
| Route No. 291 | Semi Deluxe | 8:20 PM | 5:20 AM | Rs. 410 |
| Route No. 293 | Ordinary | 9:40 PM | 6:40 AM | Rs. 390 |
These are the buses running between Shimla and Manali. They are arranged accordingly, from the buses that depart earliest, up to the buses that depart the latest. As you can see, there are also different bus types, there are ordinary buses, a semi-deluxe bus, a him gaurav bus, a him mani bus and a luxury AC mini bus. Fare rates vary too, from Rs. 377 to Rs. 390 for the ordinary buses, Rs. 410 for the semi-deluxe bus, Rs. 544 for the him gaurav bus, Rs. 397 for the him mani bus and Rs. 494 for the luxury AC mini bus. These buses would drop off passengers at the Manali Bus Stand. Journey duration is around 9 to 10 hours.
2. By Tanishq Holidays Bus - This is a private bus company operating a few buses from Shimla to Manali. They only have two buses departing from the same bus stand as above. However, their buses plying between Shimla and Manali are ordinary non air-conditioned ones. Fare is also higher despite the lower types of buses.
Tanishq Holidays Buses Timings from Shimla to Manali
| Bus Number | Type of Bus | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Fare |
| Bus No. 1 | Non AC Seater | 8:15 AM | 5:00 PM | Rs. 750 |
| Bus No. 2 | Non AC Seater | 8:30 AM | 5:30 PM | Rs. 600 |
These are the buses operated by Tanishq Holidays plying between Shimla and Manali. Both depart early in the morning, the first at 8:15 AM and the other at 8:30 AM. Fares are between Rs. 600 to Rs. 750 per passenger. Journey duration is around 9 to 10 hours as well. You can book any of these buses from a bus booking site like
Via or even at the official website of Tanishq Holidays.
3. By Himgiri Advanture Tour Bus - This is your last option, another private bus company that operates only one bus daily from Shimla to Manali. The bus also departs from the Shimla ISBT in Tutikandi and drops off passengers opposite the Government Bus Stand in Manali. The bus is an ordinary, non air-conditioned seater one.
Himgiri Advanture Tour Bus Timing from Shimla to Manali
| Bus Number | Type of Bus | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Fare |
| Bus No. 1 | Non AC Seater | 8:15 AM | 5:30 PM | Rs. 700 |
This is the bus operated by the Himgiri Adventure Tour running between Shimla and Manali. It departs from the Shimla ISBT at around 8:15 in the morning and arrives in Manali at around 5:30 in the evening. Journey duration is around 9 hours and 15 minutes. You can book this bus from a partnered booking site like this
one.
4. By Taxi - You can also opt to hire a local cab to take you from Shimla to Manali. However, this is only advisable if there are plenty of you in a group so that you can share the fare rate. Depending on the type of cab you hire, the rates would also differ. Of course, the rates would also differ depending on the company, as rates usually have some variations in different companies.
Taxi Rates from Shimla to Manali
| Cab Type | Alto | Indigo | Etios | Innova | Tempo Traveller |
| Rate | Rs. 4,500 | Rs. 7,000 | Rs. 7,600 | Rs. 9,000 | Rs. 9,600 |
These are the taxi rates from Shimla to Manali. The smaller the cab, the smaller the fees are, but the journey might also be longer because sometimes, smaller vehicles find it hard to traverse some of the terrains of roads leading to Manali. The larger the cab, the higher the fees are, but also the journey would be more comfortable especially for a larger group. Average fare rates are between Rs. 4,500 to Rs. 9,600 from Shimla to Manali.
Conclusion
Journey duration by bus from Shimla to Manali is around 9 to 10 hours. By taxi, journey duration is around 7 to 9 hours. Choose bus journey if you want to save some money and you're travelling alone. If you're travelling with a group, you can opt for taxi journey and you can just split the fare to yourselves. Plus, you have the option of controlling the stopovers or adding in places in your itinerary this way. I hope this helps!
