Dehradun

Dehradun sits in a wide doon valley where the Ganga and Yamuna river systems pull apart, giving the city a mild climate that the rest of Uttarakhand envies in summer. You'll fly into Jolly Grant airport, 35 km east of the city centre, and most travellers treat Dehradun as a one-night stop before heading north. But the city rewards those who linger.

The old clock tower bazaar, Paltan Bazaar, is where you stock up on locally produced basmati rice, rhododendron honey, and the famous Dehradun litchis that arrive in June. The Forest Research Institute — a colonial-era building with six museums inside — is worth a morning. Robber's Cave, a natural limestone gorge on the city's outskirts, has a stream you can wade through.

Pahadi Express picks up from Jolly Grant and ISBT Dehradun. If your connecting train or flight arrives late in the evening, Dehradun has reliable hotels at every price point, and it's a far easier city to navigate than the hills you're headed into.