Long Weekend Sparks Himachal Tourist Rush, Shimla Crawls Under Traffic

Warm, partly cloudy weather rolled over Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, and tourists wasted little time making the most of it. After nearly three months of waiting — with the season repeatedly disrupted by weather-related incidents — many travellers finally saw a window they liked: clearer skies, a holiday weekend, and the hills calling. The result was a sudden rush towards favourites like Shimla, Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda.

In Shimla, the influx turned roads into long, slow queues for the third consecutive day. Tourist vehicles poured in faster than the town’s traffic system and parking facilities could handle. Most parking areas filled up early, forcing many visitors to leave their vehicles wherever they could find space and continue on two-wheelers.

The congestion was not just an inconvenience. An ambulance carrying a patient from Solan got stuck near the railway station, a stark reminder of how difficult it has become for emergency vehicles to move when holiday traffic takes over.

Shimla Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said police were trying to regulate and divert traffic to ease the pressure. Vehicles from the Shimla ISBT parking area were being routed through Khalini to reduce the burden on the main road. Even so, traffic officials said the stretch between MLA crossing and Victory Tunnel was taking nearly one to two hours to cover.

The Shimla-Kufri road, especially between Dhalli and Kufri, was also badly affected as large numbers of tourists headed towards Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda. Tourist Kanta Rajta said she remained stranded between Dhalli and Tollend for almost two hours, with traffic at several points coming to a near standstill.

Police personnel were deployed at major intersections and bottlenecks to keep vehicles moving. But the weekend surge laid bare Shimla’s limited parking capacity and its struggle to handle holiday traffic. The administration has once again urged tourists to use designated parking areas and avoid unnecessary roadside parking, which only makes already congested roads worse.