Seven Hills Shimla: Viceregal Lodge and Himachal State Museum

Viceregal Lodge is on Observatory Hill, and Himachal State Museum is at Chaura Maidan. The Shimla district administration places the museum 2.5 km west of Scandal Point, with the Lodge a further 2 km from the museum.

You can reach the museum from the Old Bus Stand by auto-rickshaw or shared taxi. Taxis are available throughout Shimla for local travel and sightseeing. City buses serve places around the city and run frequently from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For a heritage-focused Shimla visit, rooms for exploring the city’s historic attractions can make a fitting base.

Viceregal Lodge, also known as Rashtrapati Niwas, was completed in 1888 and designed by architect Henry Irwin. The former residence now houses the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, giving the site a continuing institutional role.

Its setting on Observatory Hill distinguishes it from the museum at Chaura Maidan. Plan the Lodge visit around its historic architecture and grounds, and keep in mind that it is now an institute rather than a museum. Current visitor access details should be confirmed before setting out.

For another prominent Shimla landmark, the Jakhoo Temple visit from central Shimla can complement a heritage-focused itinerary.

Himachal State Museum presents collections that include ancient sculptures, paintings, coins, photographs and other objects from Himachal Pradesh and elsewhere. Its range gives you a museum-based counterpoint to the Lodge’s focus on an individual historic building.

The museum occupies Inverarm, a Victorian mansion. The building began as a small mud-roofed house in the early 1860s and was enlarged; it was transferred for museum use in 1973.

Choose Viceregal Lodge for its historic building and institutional setting, or the museum for a varied collection in a Victorian mansion. Visiting both brings the two perspectives together, and the district administration’s distances place the Lodge beyond the museum from Scandal Point.

To keep the plan straightforward, decide which site matters most to you and check its access arrangements first. If both fit your schedule, treat them as separate stops rather than expecting the same kind of visit: one is a former viceregal residence now occupied by an institute, while the other is a collections-focused museum.

Entrance fees are ₹50 for an India visitor, ₹150 for a foreign visitor and ₹30 for a child below 10 years. Camera fees are ₹100 for Indian visitors, ₹200 for foreign visitors and ₹50 per photo for research scholars. General videography costs ₹2,000.

The museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except Mondays and gazetted holidays. It is open on the second Saturday. These details can change, so check the official site before you go.

Before you go: Confirm current admission, photography rules and opening arrangements with Himachal State Museum, and check access information for Viceregal Lodge with the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies.