Places to Visit in Dehradun: 17 Spots with Fees (2026)

Dehradun sits in the Doon valley with the hills on one side and Rajaji forest on the other, so it works best as a base rather than a single sightseeing stop. Almost everything inside the city is within 15 km of the Clock Tower, which means you can finish the city list in two days without rushing. The bigger names, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dhanaulti, are all day trips from here.

One thing that has changed the planning maths: the Delhi to Dehradun Expressway was inaugurated in full in April 2026, and the drive from Delhi is now about 210 km and roughly 2.5 to 3 hours instead of the old 5 to 6 hour run. So weekend trips from Delhi and NCR have become realistic, and weekends in Dehradun and Mussoorie are now noticeably more crowded than they used to be. Travel midweek if your dates are flexible.

Places to visit inside Dehradun city

1. Robber's Cave (Guchhupani)

About 7 to 8 km from the city centre, near Anarwala village. This is a limestone gorge roughly 600 m long with a stream running through it, and you walk inside the water, not next to it. Water is usually ankle to knee deep for adults, deeper in patches after rain.

Entry is around ₹25 per person, some recent listings say ₹30 to ₹35, so carry change and confirm at the counter. Open 7 am to 6 pm, all days including holidays. Parking is about ₹20 for two wheelers and ₹30 for cars, lockers around ₹30, changing room ₹20, and rubber slippers on rent for about ₹10. Budget two to three hours including the walk in and out.

Important: the rocks under water are uneven and slippery, so either rent the slippers or wear shoes you don't mind soaking. Leave phones and wallets in the locker, people do drop things in the stream. Carry one full change of clothes per person if children are coming, there's no proper drying space.

Go as early as 7 to 8 am. By 11 am on a Saturday or Sunday the gorge is packed and you spend more time waiting for groups to pass than walking. In July to September the flow can get strong and entry is sometimes restricted on heavy rain days, ask before you drive up. April to October is the usual season because the water is pleasant then, in December and January it is cold enough that most families only walk the first stretch.

2. Sahastradhara

Roughly 14 to 16 km from the centre on Sahastradhara Road, past Rajpur and Malsi, 30 to 40 minutes by car. Sulphur water drips through limestone here and collects in shallow terraced pools, and people have been coming for generations for the water, which is said to help skin and joint problems. There's a waterfall section too.

The springs and waterfall area itself is free on most reports, though some sources list about ₹30 per adult and ₹15 for children under 12, so keep cash for a ticket counter. Timings are generally 8 am to 7 pm. Parking is around ₹50 for bikes and ₹100 for cars.

The ropeway is the separate paid bit, about ₹100 one way and ₹180 to ₹200 return per person, usually 9.30 am to 6 pm. It ran into a maintenance shutdown in early 2026 and restarted in March 2026, so if the ropeway is the main reason you're going, call ahead or check on the day. Monsoon gives the strongest water flow, October to May gives the clearer views from the cable car.

3. Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple

In Garhi Cantt, about 5 to 6.5 km from the railway station. The Shivling sits inside a natural cave, called Drona cave locally, and water drips onto it continuously from the rock above. It is open very long hours, roughly 4 am to 10.30 pm, no entry fee, and the evening aarti is around 6 pm.

There are steps down to the cave and a stream crossing, so it is not great for anyone with knee trouble. An hour is enough. On Mahashivratri and through Sawan the queue runs up the approach road and the whole visit can take half a day, so plan around it or go very early.

4. Mindrolling Monastery and the Great Stupa

Clement Town, about 7 to 10 km from the centre. One of the larger Tibetan Buddhist centres in India, set up in 1965, with a stupa around 60 m, roughly 185 ft, tall and a big seated Buddha statue in the grounds. Entry is free.

Usual hours are 9 am to 7 pm, with the inner shrine rooms closed between 12 pm and 2 pm, so don't reach at 12.30. Dress covered, shoulders and knees, and take shoes off where indicated. Allow one to one and a half hours. It's the one spot on this list where the crowd stays manageable even on weekends, and there's shade and clean toilets, which matters if you have older parents along.

5. Forest Research Institute (FRI)

Kaulagarh Road, about 4 to 4.5 km from Dehradun railway station. The main colonial building from 1929 is the thing people come to photograph, and the 450 hectare campus has six forestry museums inside: timber, silviculture, pathology, entomology, social forestry and non wood products.

Entry is about ₹20 to ₹25 per person. Museums usually run 9.30 am to 5 pm, with guided rounds roughly 9 am to 1 pm and 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Sources disagree on closed days, some say the museums shut on weekends, others say only Monday, so if the museums are the point of your visit, confirm on the phone first. If you only want the lawns and the building, an hour is plenty.

6. Malsi Deer Park (Dehradun Zoo)

On the Mussoorie road, about 9 to 10 km out, so club it with Sahastradhara or with a Mussoorie run. Closed every Monday. Entry is about ₹20 for adults and ₹10 for children, the fish aquarium is charged separately at around ₹50. Timings shift with season, roughly 8.30 am to 6 pm from March to October and 9 am to 5 pm from November to February. Small place, one hour, worth it mainly if you have kids under ten.

7. Clock Tower and Paltan Bazaar

The Clock Tower, Ghanta Ghar, is the city's zero point and Paltan Bazaar runs off it. This is where you come for shopping and street food, not for sightseeing. Woollens, shoes, bags, local bakery stuff and snacks. It's walkable, it's tight, and parking is genuinely bad, so take an auto or an Ola and get dropped at the Tower.

Tip: evenings between 6 and 8 pm are the most crowded. Most shops take UPI, the smaller carts prefer cash.

8. Guru Ram Rai Darbar Sahib

In Jhanda Mohalla, about 1 km from the Clock Tower, so do it in the same outing as Paltan Bazaar. Open roughly 5 am to 9 pm, no entry fee. The painted interiors are the reason to go in. Every year the 94 ft flagstaff gets a new flag and the Jhanda Mela happens around it, usually between March and April, with a city procession. If your dates fall in that window expect road closures and heavy traffic around the old city.

Spots just outside Dehradun, 15 to 60 km

9. Lachhiwala Nature Park

On the Doiwala side towards Haridwar, about 15 to 22 km from the centre depending on where you start, 30 to 40 minutes. Sal forest with shallow man made pools fed by a stream, and it is a picnic spot more than a tourist spot. Closed on Monday, otherwise 8 am to 5 pm. Entry is listed at around ₹20 for adults and ₹10 for children in most recent updates, some older listings say ₹60 and ₹30, parking is extra. Convenient if you are heading to or from the airport, which is nearby.

10. Santala Devi Temple

About 15 km from the city, then a 2 km uphill walk from the road head near Punjabiwala and Jaitunwala, with roughly 700 steps. No entry fee, open about 8 am to 6 pm. Budget two hours for the climb up and down at a normal family pace, more if you stop. Do it in the morning, specially in March to June, there's very little shade on the open stretches. Carry your own water, the stalls at the base are not always open.

11. Asan Barrage and Dakpathar

About 43 km from Dehradun towards Vikasnagar, on the Yamuna. Asan is Uttarakhand's first Ramsar site, so this is a birding stop: migratory birds are around from roughly October to April and the water is at its busiest in December and January. Viewing is free, boating costs about ₹350 per boat for up to 4 people. Keep it as a half day out with Dakpathar, around 11 km further, and leave Dehradun by 7 am if you want the birds active.

12. Rajaji Tiger Reserve safari

The Mohand gate is the convenient one from Dehradun, about 20 to 35 km out on the Dehradun to Saharanpur side, under an hour. Chilla is the popular zone but it sits about 8 to 15 km from Haridwar, so it suits a Haridwar or Rishikesh night better. Motichur is on the Haridwar to Rishikesh highway.

Costs for Indians: entry around ₹150 per adult, children 5 to 12 about ₹75, and the jeep is about ₹2,500 per gypsy seating up to six. A naturalist guide charge of around ₹300 per trip applies, some operators quote it inside the jeep rate, so ask what is included before you pay. SLR camera permits are charged at about ₹1,000, phone cameras are free. Morning safaris run roughly 6 am to 9.30 am and evening ones 3 pm to 6.30 pm.

Season matters here. The park's safari season is roughly 15 November to 15 June and it stays shut through the monsoon from mid June to mid November. November to February slots fill fast, specially weekends, so book online or at the gate counter a few days ahead. Elephants and deer are the realistic sightings, tiger sightings are rare, go in with that expectation.

13. Mussoorie

35 km, 1 to 1.5 hours by car, less if you leave Dehradun by 7.30 am. This is the standard day trip and you can do Mall Road, Gun Hill and Kempty in one day.

• Gun Hill: ropeway return tickets are quoted anywhere from about ₹150 to ₹300 per person depending on season, counter rates change, usually 10 am to 6 pm. The top itself is free if you walk up.
• Kempty Falls: about 15 km past Mussoorie, 45 km from Dehradun. No entry fee, but parking and life jackets are paid. It is loud and crowded in May, June and on weekends.
• Sir George Everest's house: about 10 km from Mussoorie town, roughly 30 minutes by Library Road. Some sources still say free, newer ones list about ₹200 per person plus ₹100 for the museum, so carry cash and confirm at the gate.

Parking is the real problem in Mussoorie. Mall Road has restrictions and you are expected to use the designated lots at Library End or Kulri, which fill up by mid morning on weekends and holidays. If you reach after 11 am on a Saturday you can lose an hour just circling. For a longer plan, see our December trip ideas across India if you're picking between hill stations and warmer options.

Day trips further out

14. Dhanaulti and Kanatal

About 55 to 60 km from Dehradun, 2 to 3 hours, usually driven via Mussoorie. Eco Park entry is small, listed between ₹15 and ₹50 per adult depending on which park and which source, children less. This is the closest option if someone in the group wants snow: Dhanaulti picks up snow mostly from mid December to late January, early December is more likely to give you cold rain than snow. Nothing is guaranteed, and on snow days the Mussoorie to Dhanaulti road can get chains only or shut for a few hours, so start early and don't plan an evening flight the same day.

15. Rishikesh

Roughly 45 km, about 1 hour 20 minutes by road, and only about 15 km from Jolly Grant airport, which makes it easy to tack on at the start or end of the trip. Lakshman Jhula, Ram Jhula, the ghats and the evening Ganga aarti at Triveni Ghat are the usual stops. Rafting season runs in the cooler and dry months and is suspended in the monsoon, so for a November to March trip you're fine. Doable as a day trip, better as one night.

16. Haridwar

About 55 km from Dehradun. Har ki Pauri for the evening Ganga aarti is the reason to go, and you should be at the ghat 45 minutes early to get a spot anywhere near the front. Many people club Haridwar with a Chilla zone Rajaji safari the next morning, which is a cleaner plan than trying to do both from Dehradun in one day.

17. Chakrata and Tiger Falls

About 98 to 100 km from Dehradun, 3 to 4 hours one way via Vikasnagar and Kalsi. Tiger Falls is a further 18 to 20 km from Chakrata, about an hour, plus a walk of around 1 km down and back up to the base of the fall. Chakrata is a cantonment town, so foreign nationals need permission and some roads around the area are restricted.

This is not a comfortable day trip. Eight hours of driving for one waterfall does not work with children or elderly parents. Keep one night in Chakrata if you want to do it properly, and skip it altogether in July to September when the road through Kalsi is prone to slides.

How to reach Dehradun

By road from Delhi: the expressway is the default now, about 210 km and 2.5 to 3 hours, via Baghpat, Shamli and Saharanpur. Full length car toll is roughly ₹670 to ₹675 one way, with a return within 24 hours working out cheaper. Since April 2026 the toll plazas on this corridor take FASTag and UPI only, so no cash lane, keep your FASTag loaded. The last stretch runs on a long elevated section through Rajaji forest, and speed limits there are enforced.

By train: the Delhi to Dehradun Vande Bharat (22457 and 22458) takes about 4 hours 45 minutes, leaving Anand Vihar in the evening around 5.50 pm and reaching Dehradun about 10.35 pm, with the return at around 7 am arriving Delhi by 11.45 am. The Shatabdi and the older overnight trains also run. One catch worth checking on your ticket: Dehradun station has been going through redevelopment and some long distance services are handled at Harrawala, about 11 km out towards Doiwala, which was rebuilt and opened in July 2026. Look at the station code on your PNR, DDN and HRW are not the same place.

By air: Jolly Grant (DED) is about 25 to 30 km from the city, 45 to 60 minutes. Prepaid and app taxis from the airport usually run about ₹1,500 for a sedan, ₹2,000 for an Ertiga and ₹2,500 for an Innova Crysta, one way.

By bus: Uttarakhand Roadways and UPSRTC buses run through the day from Kashmere Gate ISBT in Delhi to Dehradun ISBT at Shimla Bypass. Volvo services take about 6 to 7 hours.

Inside the city, Ola and Uber work but availability drops after 9 pm and in the Mussoorie Road direction. Autos and shared Vikram tempos on fixed routes are the cheap way to move around the Clock Tower area. For a full day of sightseeing, a hired car with driver is simpler than booking cab by cab, because most of these spots have poor return connectivity.

Best time to visit Dehradun

October to April is the comfortable window, and this is a good time to be planning a trip for the next few months.

• November and December: days around 18 to 20 degrees, nights near 7 degrees, almost no rain in December. Clear mornings, which is when the ropeway views are best.
• January: coldest month, roughly 6 to 19 degrees, with some light rain and a few nights dipping to 1 or 2 degrees. Best odds for snow in Mussoorie and Dhanaulti, not in Dehradun itself.
• February and March: pleasant, and the Jhanda Mela usually falls in the March to April stretch.
• April to June: peak holiday season, the city gets hot in the afternoons and Mussoorie gets jammed. Hotel rates are at their highest.
• July to September: heavy monsoon. Robber's Cave can shut on high flow days, hill roads to Chakrata and Dhanaulti get slide prone, and Rajaji is closed anyway.

A sample 2 day Dehradun plan

Day 1, city. Leave by 7.30 am for Robber's Cave and be out by 10. Then Sahastradhara with the ropeway, 20 minutes away, and lunch somewhere on Sahastradhara Road. Afternoon: Malsi Deer Park if you have kids, or the FRI campus and museums if you don't, keeping Monday in mind for the zoo and the museum hours for FRI. Evening: Tapkeshwar for the 6 pm aarti, then Clock Tower and Paltan Bazaar for dinner and shopping.

Day 2, Mussoorie. Out of Dehradun by 7.30 am, reach Mussoorie by 9, park at Library End. Gun Hill ropeway first while the air is clear, then Kempty, then George Everest's house for the late afternoon. Start back by 5.30 pm so you're off the ghat road before dark.

If you have a third day, pick one: a Mohand gate Rajaji safari in the morning with Lachhiwala on the way back, or Rishikesh with the evening aarti, or Asan Barrage and Dakpathar if anyone in the group is into birds. Don't try to combine two of these.

Start Monday if you can avoid it, since Malsi Deer Park and Lachhiwala are both shut that day.

What to carry and other practical notes

• One change of clothes and a towel per person for Robber's Cave, plus a plastic bag for the wet set.
• Shoes with grip. Robber's Cave, Tapkeshwar steps and the Santala Devi climb all need them.
• Cash in small notes. UPI works in shops and restaurants, but ticket counters, parking attendants and slipper rentals at the smaller spots often don't.
• Warm layers from mid November to February, a jacket for Mussoorie and Dhanaulti evenings even if Dehradun feels mild.
• Jio and Airtel coverage is fine in the city and on the Mussoorie road, patchy on the Chakrata route.
• Book Rajaji safari slots and Mussoorie hotels early for weekends and for the 20 December to 2 January stretch, when rates climb and parking is at its worst.

Where to stay

Rajpur Road is the practical choice for a city trip, you get mid range hotels, restaurants and easy cab access, and both Sahastradhara and Mussoorie Road run off it. Around the Clock Tower and the railway station you get the cheaper guesthouses, convenient if you're arriving late by train and leaving early. The Mussoorie Diversion and Malsi stretch has the resort type properties with space for kids, but you're then 8 to 10 km from the city for every meal. If your plan leans towards Rishikesh and Rajaji, staying near the airport side or at Rishikesh itself saves a lot of back and forth driving.

If you'd rather hand over the driving, hotels and day by day sequencing to someone else, our team plans customised Uttarakhand itineraries and you can see the current formats on the MyTripLama packages page.